Cause

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    Singapore Airlines bomb threat

    What: Singapore Airlines B773 en route from Moscow to Singapore
    Where: Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Airport
    When: Oct 3 2010, midnight
    Who: 262 passengers
    Why: The flight was en route when Moscow police contacted the pilots and told them there was a possible bomb on board.

    Delhi, the nearest airport, refused to allow them to land due to the Commonwealth Games, but they were permitted to divert to Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Airport where they made a safe landing around midnight.

    Passengers disembarked, and the plane was isolated and the baggage searched.

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    3 Survive Fiery Catalina Crash

    What: Sabovich and Sons Cessna 310 registration N310XX
    Where: Avalon, Santa Catalina Island, California
    When: Oct 2 2010 3:40
    Who: 3 aboard: 54-year old pilot, the 50-year old male passenger and the 48-year old female passenger
    Why: The pilot flew in from Santa Ana to pick up two passengers. On takeoff, the left engine failed. The pilot had to make a forced landing a half-mile southeast of the airport, which set off a field fire.

    The injured were airlifted to hospitals by helicopter.

    Passengers sustained significant but non-life-threatening burns.

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    Grozny Grounded by Bomb Threat


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

    What: Grozny Avia Yakovlev Yak-42 en route from Moscow to Grozny
    Where: Volgograd Russia
    When: Oct 3 2010
    Who: 73 passengers
    Why: Several minutes after takeoff, an anonymous call from Belarus to the Vnukovo airport raised a bomb alert that forced the emergency landing of the flight in Volgograd.

    Passengers disembarked and the plane has been isolated for examination.

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    Tourists Die in Peruvian Crash

    What: Air Nasca Cessna 185 # OB-1808 sightseeing tour of Nazca Lines en route from Maria Reiche airport
    Where: south of Lima, Peru
    When: Oct. 2, 2010
    Who: 6 aboard, 6 fatalities (Four British tourists, Peruvian pilot and co pilot )
    Why: During a flight to observe the Nazca Lines, the plane experienced engine trouble. While the pilot was attempting an emergency landing, the sightseeing tour plane crashed, killing all aboard.

    British passengers included Andrew Brown, 30, Gayle Callow, 34, and Warren Denham. The flight was piloted by Gilberto Zúñiga and Ricardo Cárdenas.

    Some sources are saying there were only the three (not four) British passengers aboard, but other sources say there were three men and a woman in addition to the crew.

    James Dauris, the British ambassador to Peru, has visited the scene of the crash.

    About 40 planes operate in the area where flights have been banned before, due to more than a dozen local carriers not living up to international flight standards.

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    Emirates Fender Bender in Khartoum


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

    What: Emirates Airlines Airbus A340-541 en route from Khartoum to Dubai
    Where: Khartoum International Airport
    When: Oct 1, 2010
    Who: crew
    Why: A parked Emirates Airbus A340 was preparing for takeoff when it was struck by the wing of a passing KLM Airbus A330-200.

    Apparently the space is tight.

    The extent of damage to the Emirates plane is being assessed.

    The passengers were provided hotel accommodations in Khartoum overnight.

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    Air India Emergency Landing in Kochi

    What: Air India Airbus A310-300 en route from Kozhikode India to Riyadh Saudi Arabia
    Where: Nedumbasseri International Airport at Kochi
    When: Oct 2nd 2010
    Who: 197 passengers (11 in J, 180 in economy, and six infants) and 12 crew
    Why: The flight originated in Nedumbasseri at 4.30am and went from there to Kozhikode. Forty-five minutes after leaving Kozhikode, the crew reported fumes in the cabin. The two Indian pilots diverted to Kochi, made a safe landing and passengers were evacuated. Emergency vehicles, including fire trucks, were on standby as the flight landed. The plane was isolated for maintenance, which found a problem in engine 2 on the right.

    Passengers reported a high degree of alarm from the rapid descent, the cabin pressure, and the fire alarm. They were provided an alternative flight.

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    British Airways Door Ajar Aborts flight


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

    What: British Airways Boeing 747-400 en route from London to New York
    Where: London
    When: Oct 2 2010
    Who: 296 aboard
    Why: The plane took off, spent eleven minutes in the air and returned to make a safe landing in London.
    After takeoff, a warning light notified the crew that a door was not firmly closed.

    Passengers were rebooked on an alternative flight. The problem in the plane was traced not to an open door but a sequence glitch which occurred when a door handle moved enough to set off an alarm, and was logistically unable to be secured.

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    U. N. Chopper Crashes, Relief Workers Injured

    What: UN World Food Programme Mil Mi-8 “Hip-H” helicopter delivering food to Pakistan
    Where: near Manchar Lake
    When: Oct 1, 2010
    Who: 13 aid workers aboard, 3 injured seriously
    Why: The helicopter loaded with high-energy biscuts from the U.N.’s World Food Program, got off balance while landing, and crashed. (Alternate reports say the chopper tried to land on an embankment or had a technical error.)

    The injured were flown to Hyderabad then transported to hospitals by ambulance.

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    Milwaukee: Another CRJ Gear Up Landing


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

    What: Skywest Canadair CRJ-200 en route from Omaha,NE to Milwaukee,WI
    Where: Milwaukee
    When: Sep 28th 2010
    Who: 36 passengers and 3 crew
    Why: Averting their first approach to Milwaukee, the crew received a gear up message. They performed a flyby confirming the situation, attempted several times to get the gear down, and finally touched down with the left gear up.

    The plane slid down the runway on its nose gear, right hand main gear and left wing, and although I don’t think anyone recorded the sparks as in the JFK landing with the flight attendant’s relentless “stay down” directive, the landing was no doubt just as dramatic and successful.

    Passengers disembarked through the main door.

    CBS news quoted a passenger who said he heard the crew attempt to put down the gear 4 or 5 times. Bombardier spokesman Marc Duchesne said, “The aircraft has logged more than 27 million flight hours and more than 22 million takeoff and landing cycles, so these are very good and reliable aircraft.” The plane is designed for short hops.

    Fortunately, the crew flying these aircraft seem to be made of more heroic and substantial backbone than the landing gear.

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    Fly Air Tatarstan. Standing UP

    What: Tatarstan Airlines en route from Antalya, Turkey to Ekaterinburg, Russia
    Where: aboard the plane
    Why: Instead of the 148-seat Boeing 737 that was booked, they had a 142-seat 737; and 6 passengers were given the choice of waiting for the next flight or flying standing up. During turbulence, the passengers sat on the floor. The airline offered them $200 in compensation. The passengers are asking for $4,700.

    (Can you imagine how much they’d be asking if they were in the US?)

    What is this, a third world country where there are no rules and laws about flight safety? Well, Tatarstan flies out of Kazan, Tatarstan, Russia.

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    Sept 30, 2010: Another Bombardier Landing Gear Incident

    What: Air Nelson Ltd Bombardier Dash 8-300 en route from Wellington to Nelson
    Where: Blenheim Airport NZ
    When: Sept 30, 2010, 5.05pm
    Who: 46 passengers, 3 crew
    Why: The flight diverted to Blenheim because of weather conditions in Nelson. However, on landing, the nose wheel collapsed.

    George’s Point of View

    Another Bombardier collapsed wheel?

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    LAX Turbulence Injures Flight Attendant

    What: Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-700 en route from San Francisco to Los Angeles
    Where: Los Angeles
    When: Sep 29th 2010
    Who: flight attendant
    Why: On approach to LA, the Boeing encountered turbulence. A flight attendant sustained minor injuries.

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    Royal Jordanian Embraer Maintenance Delay

    What: Royal Jordanian Embraer ERJ-195 en route from Amman Jordan to Kiev Ukraine
    Where: Amman
    When: Sep 30th 2010
    Who: 77 passengers
    Why: Over Syria, the engine developed a problem and the crew decided to return to Jordon. The flight landed safely in Amman. After thirty minutes with maintenance, the problem was repaired, and the flight departed again.

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    Update: CRJ Gear Foulup at JFK, Atlanta, Philadelphia, O’Hare, et al.

    What: Atlantic Southeast/Delta Airlines Canadair CRJ-900 en route from Atlanta to White Plains, New York
    Where: New York
    When: Sept 25 2010 8:20 pm
    Who: 60 passengers 4 crew

    The fifth + landing gear failure in the US in five years has launched an engineering investigation of Bombardier’s CRJ landing gear. The objective of the investigation is to determine if there is a connection between all of the gear failures.

    • SkyWest CRJ200, operating under a code-share with AirTran as Flight 3074 from Omaha, Neb., made an emergency landing with one gear retracted at Milwaukee General Mitchell International Airport (Sept 28 2010)
    • Atlantic Southeast Airlines Bombardier CRJ900 at JFK landing gear up (September 25 2010)
    • SkyWest Airlines Flight 6467 CRJ200 couldn’t extend its nose landing gear on approach to Ontario (Calif.) International Airport. (May 23 2010)
    • Atlantic Southeast jet–a 50-seat CRJ200–couldn’t fully extend its left main landing gear, but again, managed to land safely at Atlanta Hartsfield International Airport. (June 11 2009)
    • Air Wisconsin CRJ200 on a flight from Norfolk, Virginia landed at Philadelphia International Airport with its left main gear retracted. (Dec 14 2008) The prelim. NTSB indicates that mechanics attached the upper attachment bolt for the left main landing gear uplock assembly to the airplane structure only, rather than both the structure and the uplock mechanism as called for in the design
    • CRJ700 operated by Mesa Airlines received an unsafe gear indication for the left main gear as it approached for landing in South Bend, Ind. The crew declared an emergency and returned to land with the left main gear still retracted on Runway 28 at O’Hare. (Dec 15 2008) The investigation found that improper positioning of the inboard main landing gear door during rigging caused premature wear of parts that eventually restricted the movement of the door during its extension.
    • South Africa Express CRJ200 gear up landing on flight from Cape Town to Windhoek, Namibia( April 17 2010).

    Saturday the landing gear of a CRJ failed, resulting in a dramatic landing at JFK. The dragging wing created a “shower of sparks” during the landing.

    George’s Point of View

    How many times is enough?

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    Skywest emergency Landing in Milwaukee

    What: Skywest Airlines CRJ200 en route from Omaha, Nebraska
    Where: Milwaukee
    When: Sept 28, 2010 5:10 pm
    Who: 36 passengers, 3 crew
    Why: While en route, the landing gear malfunctioned.

    The crew notified Milwaukee ATC of the malfunction ten minutes prior to landing; and subsequently made a safe landing on one gear (of three) at Mitchell International Airport. The airplane scraped its wing but the extent of damage is not known.

    The passengers were all safely evacuated; and the airport remained closed for 45 minutes.

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    Scandinavian Airlines Ramp Worker Run Over by Airbus in Copenhagen

    What: SAS Scandinavian Airlines Airbus A340-300 being towed into a hangar 4
    Where: Kastrup Airport, Copenhagen
    When: Sep 27th 2010
    Who: 58 year old ground crewman
    Why: The 31 year employee of the airport was placing chooks under the wheels when the plane rolled over his legs. He was rushed to Rigshospitalet hospital, where he underwent amputation of his legs and remains in critical condition.

    Danish police are investigating.

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    LA Private Plane Crashed near Cabo San Lucas

    What: Beechcraft Baron en route from Los Angeles, California to Cabo San Lucas
    Where: Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
    When: Sept 25 2010
    Who: 4 passengers, names not released
    Why: The wreckage of a small plane was found on a mountain north of the Cabo San Lucas. The crash is in a remote location, and rescuers are attempting to get to the rugged terrain. The plane broke into two parts but did not catch on fire.

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    Air Portugal Airbus Engine Shut Down over Portugal


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

    What: TAP Air Portugal Airbus A330-200 en route from Lisbon Portugal to Belo Horizonte Brazil
    Where: Lisbon
    When: Sep 24 2010
    Why: Just after takeoff, the TAP Air Portugal Airbus A330-200 suffered engine trouble. After shutting down an engine, the crew returned to Lisbon where they made a safe landing.

    Passengers were provided a replacement flight.

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    US Airways Airbus Flat at Philadelphia


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

    What: US Airways Airbus A321-200 en route from Phoenix,AZ to Philadelphia,PA
    Where: Philadelphia
    When: Sep 24 2010 10:30 p.m
    Who: 183 on board
    Why: Emergency services in Philadelphia were awaiting the landing of the US Airways Airbus. On takeoff from Phoenix, the plane had developed tire trouble.

    NBC reported that the “jet blew a tire” on landing.

    In any case, on landing, maintenance confirmed that the plane’s inner right tire was ruptured. No injuries were reported.

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    Phoenix: American Airlines Engine Failure at Sky Harbor

    What: American Airlines McDonnell Douglas MD-82 en route from Phoenix,AZ to Dallas Ft. Worth,TX (USA)
    Where: Phoenix
    When: Sep 24 2010
    Who: 147 passengers 5 crew
    Why: American Airlines flight AA-806 was on the tarmac, and taking off when the pilot rejected takeoff due to engine failure. The engine scattered debris on the runway, requiring runway 7L to be shut down for cleanup by ground crews. The plane returned safely to the terminal. No injuries were reported. No indication of whether passengers were rebooked or provided an alternative flight.

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    Lufthansa Airbus Engine Failure


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

    What: Lufthansa Airbus A340-300 en route from Frankfurt/Main (Germany) to Boston,
    Where: Amsterdam
    When: Sep 24 2010
    Why: While en route, the plane developed problems in an engine and had to shut it down for an unspecified fault inside engine #1 (outer left). After dumping fuel, the crew made a safe landing in Frankfurt. No injuries were reported.

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    Emergency Landing in Atlanta


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

    What: Delta Airlines McDonnell Douglas MD-88 en route from Atlanta,GA to Baltimore
    Where: Atlanta
    When: Sep 24th 2010
    Who: 112
    Why: After takeoff, when the plane’s nose gear could not be retracted, the crew returned to Atlanta and made a safe landing. A replacement jet was provided for the passengers.

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    Windjet Antenna strike; Collapses on Palermo Runway


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

    What: Windjet Airbus A319-100 en route from Rome to Palermo
    Where: Palermo Sicily
    When: Sep 24 2010 8:00 pm
    Who: 123 passengers, 6 crew
    Why: Landing in Palermo in thunderstorms and windshear, the plane landed shy of the runway and struck an antenna. The plane’s two main gear struts collapsed.

    3 of the passengers evacuated via emergency chutes were injured. The ANSV has commenced the investigation. The jet is owned by a US based aircraft leasing company with offices in Dublin, one of four aircraft leased to Windjet by International Lease Finance Corporation who has offices in Dublin’s North Wall Quay.

    The Palermo airport will be closed until the jet is removed from the runway. The Palermo airport is renowned for mechanical turbulence.

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    JFK Emergency Landing

    What: Atlantic Southeast/Delta Airlines Canadair CRJ-900 en route from Atlanta to White Plains, New York
    Where: New York
    When: Sept 25 2010 8:20 pm
    Who: 60 passengers 4 crew
    Why: Approaching White Plains, the crew realized the right landing gear was jammed. The pilots diverted to JFK, and made an emergency landing described as being “a shower of sparks” on the tarmac but no fire ensued. The plane skidded to a stop leaning to one side, after utilizing only 2/3 of the landing gear.

    Passengers rode a bus to terminal three, and told reporters about their terrifying landing, full of praises for the captain and crew. Delta apparently provided a bus to take them to their correct destination.


    Shower of Sparks amateur Video

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    Bomb Scare


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

    What: PIA Pakistan International Airlines Boeing 777-200 en route from Toronto, to Karachi Pakistan
    Where: Stockholm
    When: Sep 25th 2010
    Who: 273 passengers
    Why: After Canadian police received a phone call that there was a bomb aboard, the flight diverted to Stockholm where it made a safe landing. The passengers disembarked and one man was temporarily detained. When the plane, passenger and luggage were searched and no explosives were found, the investigation turned toward the Canadian crank caller.

    The flight was eventually allowed to continue.