Cause

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    Byhalia Crash


    Pictured: A homebuilt Aussie Ultralight. The one involved in this crash is no doubt a completely different type.
    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Phil Vabre

    What: 250 lb single-engine true Ultralight aircraft
    Where: Desoto County soybean field near the intersection of Stateline and Center Hill Roads.
    When: 10/2/09
    Who: 52 year-old Louis Bassie of Byhalia Mississippi
    Why: As he was coming in for a landing, Bassie’s plane took a nose-dive, spiraled out-of-control and crashed. Bassie had a pilot’s license, worked as a crop-duster, and had served in the military, but it does not take a license to fly a home built kit plane.

    Federal authorities will not be investigating the crash of an unlicensed plane.

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    Hot Boeing Returns to Mumbai


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

    What: British Airways Boeing 747-400 en route from Mumbai to London
    Where: Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport
    When: Thursday Oct 1 2009
    Who: 207 passengers
    Why: Half an hour after takeoff, the fire alarm went off in the cockpit. The plane immediately returned to the airport, landing an hour after takeoff. Passengers debarked safely.

    The only heat maintenance found was hot brakes.

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    Nevada: Helicopter Crash hospitalizes 2


    Pictured: an R-44 Astro
    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Jaroslaw Zaczek

    What: R-44 Astro Helicopter
    Where: Mount Charleston.NV
    When: Sept 26 2009, 7 p.m
    Who: pilot and 2 passengers
    Why: Currently the FAA report only says “A ROBINSON R44 ROTORCRAFT, CRASHED UNDER UNKNOWN CIRCUMSTANCES, NEAR MOUNT CHARLESTON, NV.”

    Three people were rescued after the place crashed into the mountain and burst into flames. One person is being treated for burns, one for undisclosed foot injuries, and one person had no visible injuries.

    The accident is under investigation.

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    Engine Shut Down Diverts Airbus to Cairo


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

    What: Eurofly Airbus A-330 en route from the Seychelles to Milan Italy
    Where: Cairo airport
    When: 9-27-2009
    Who: 235 people on board
    Why: While en route, the plane experienced an engine problem and had to shut down one of its engines. On landing, passengers were provided accommodations and an alternative flight on a Neos Boeing to continue to their destination.

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    FAA Investigating Buffalo NY Crash


    Click to view large photo at Airliners.net
    Contact Photographer Frank Robitaille

    What: Continental Airlines Flight 3407, Bombardier Q400 turboprop operated by regional carrier Colgan Air en route from Newark, New Jersey to Buffalo Niagara International Airport
    Where: Clarence Center, New York.
    When: Thursday Feb 12 2009 10 pm.
    Who: 44 passengers and four crew members, 1 off-duty pilot, 1 person on the ground, all fatalities. The passenger manifest has not officially been released.
    Why: The New Jersey-to-Buffalo flight was cleared to land on a runway pointing to the southwest. But the plane crashed with its nose pointed to the northeast. Seconds after two automatic warnings to the pilots that the plane was not moving fast enough to stay aloft, the twin turboprop aircraft went through a “severe pitch and roll” after positioning its flaps for a landing. It did not dive into the house, as initially thought, but landed flat on the house.

    Although Icing is emerged as a factor for why flight 3047 fell, it has been found that the flight’s captain had lied on his job application to Colgan Air and only reported one of three failed FAA check rides. The co-pilot who could not afford to live in NY on her salary had flight-hopped across the country from Seattle and is recorded mentioning “a couch with her name on it.” The FAA investigators believe pilots made errors that contributed to the crash.

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    Helicopter Crashes Fundraiser

    What: helicopter
    Where: Tanglewood Golf Course in East Drumore Township
    When: September 26, 2009
    Who: pilot
    Why: The helicopter was attempting a special landing for a fundraising tournament when it clipped a statue on the golf course then crashed.

     

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    Singapore Airbus Emergency Landing in Paris


    Pictured: Singapore Airlines Airbus A380-800
    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Florent Metra

    What: Singapore Airlines Airbus A380-800 en route from Paris to Singapore
    Where: Paris
    When: Sep 27th 2009
    Who: 444 passengers
    Why: South of Krakow (Poland), an oil leak was detected in the outboard left engine so it was shut down. The flight returned to Paris over five hours after departure and landed safely.

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    Helicopter Crash in UK

    What: Helicopter out of Blackpool Airport
    Where: Barnaby Sands on the Lancashire coast near Fleetwood.
    When: 23 September 2009
    Who: Pilot and student: Pilot Steven Lewis, 38, from Rainhill, Merseyside, died along with Philip Gray, 45, of Mawdesley, Lancashire.
    Why: The helicopter crashed on a training flight. The pilot issued a mayday based on engine troubles, and steered away from populated areas, hoping to find a softer landing.

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    Medical Helicopter Crashes After Delivering Patients


    PICTURED: a Eurocopter AS350B2
    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Michal Nowicki

    What: OmniFlight American Eurocopter AS350B2 medical helicopter en route from Charleston to Conway
    Where: 63 miles southwest of Conway, S.C
    When: 2308 PM, ET on Friday, September 25, 2009
    Who: 3 person crew:p ilot, flight nurse and paramedic
    Why: The helicopter had dropped off a patient at about 9:35 p.m. Friday in Charleston. Thunderstorms were in the area at the time of the crash. The weather was described as “convective.”

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    Airlink Crash in Durban


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact Brian Spurr

    What: SA Airlink JS41 en route from from Durban to Pietermaritzburg
    Where: Durban
    When: Sep 24th 2009
    Who: 4 people, (3 crewmembers) and a woman working on the ground at the school perimeter, have been airlifted to local hospitals. The captain is critical, the other 3 with serious injuries.
    Why: The plane had smoke coming from its engines, lost height after takeoff.

    The crew called Mayday and reported engine loss and smoke. They attempted an emergency landing in the field in front of a school and impacted the fence surrounding the school.

    Preliminary examination apparently shows the hand engine was operating under full power and the left engine failed.

    George’s Point of View

    The fact that anyone at all survived this indicates that the emergency landing was a success.

    However, maintenance is suspect.

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    Incidents:


    Click to view large photo at Airliners.net
    Contact Photographer Oleg Chaplin

    What: Vladivostok Tupolev TU-204-300from Vladivostok to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk Russia
    Where: Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk
    When: Sep 21st 2009
    Who: 95 passengers and 5 crew
    Why: On approach to Sakhalinsk, the flight underwent a “switch-off” of the right engine, but landed safely.
    __________

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

    What: Lufthansa Boeing 747-400 en route from Frankfurt to New York JFK,NY
    Where: southwest of Iceland
    When: Sep 19th 2009
    Who: 334 passengers
    Why: After finding an oil leak over Iceland, the plane returned to Frankfurt; an alternative flight was provided for passengers who arrived in NY after a delay of less than 10 hours.
    _________

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

    What: Egyptair Boeing 777-200 en route from London to Cairo
    Where: near London
    When: Sep 23rd 2009
    Who: 234 passengers
    Why: Due to an undisclosed technical failure, the flight returned to Heathrow. The flight was cancelled and passengers were provided accommodations.
    __________

    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact Maciej Klatt

    What: SAS Scandinavian Airlines Boeing 737-600 en route from Dusseldorf to Stockholm
    Where: Dusseldorf
    When: Sep 22nd 2009
    Why: The flight reported engine problems after takeoff. Passengers were rebooked on other flights. Unverified passenger quotations posted on the Aviation Safety net indicate the crew may have known ahead of time there were issues; and they were attempting to fly the plane back to its base for repairs.
    _________

    George’s Point of View

    It’s all about maintenance, doesn’t matter your nationality.

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    Sao Paulo Plane crash: 3 or 4 fatalities


    Pictured: an Embraer-EMB-712-Tupi
    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Joao Vitor Sayao

    What: Single engine Embraer Tupi plane ( EN-RYC)en route from Sao Jose dos Campos to Sao Jose do Rio Preto
    Where: southeast of Brazil in the municipality of Santa Isabel, in southeastern Sao Paulo
    When: between 9:45 and 11:45 on the Sept 21
    Who: 3 possibly 4 passengers: two adults and a child
    Why: The plane went missing for three hours and there was difficulty finding it because rain hampered search efforts. The local fire department which located the missing plane found the remains of the 3 passengers “carbonized” in aa forest near the Pouso Alegre Peak. They say the plane exploded. Local residents saw a flash.

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    Sikorsky Emergency Landing


    Pictured: A Cougar-Helicopter/Sikorsky-S-92A
    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Michael Durning

    What: Cougar Sikorsky S-92 helicopter
    Where: Halifax airport
    When: Sept 23
    Who: 17 people on board
    Why: Chopper experienced engine failure in one of its engines while returning from an offshore rig. The helicopter landed safely and no one was injured.

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    Oregon R22; Canada R22


    Flicker image

    What: Hillsboro Aviation ROBINSON R22 BETA HELICOPTER
    Where: Fern Hill Wetlands, 2 miles south ofForest Grove, Washington County Oregon
    When: Sep 20, 2009
    Who: Two fatalities: Douglas Doty, a 34 year-old flight instructor from Beaverton, and Thomas Hagner, a 32-year-old student from Hillsboro.
    Why: The pilot lost control of the helicopter and crashed and caught on fire, according to witnesses at a nearby fruitstand and a farm. The difficult location made it difficult for rescue and safety personnel to reach the burning wreckage.

    What: ROBINSON R22 two-seater ROTORCRAFT en route from Island airport
    Where: Heritage Road and Steeles Avenue area of Brampton. GEORGETOWN, ONTARIO, CANADA
    When: 09/21/2009 Monday 8 pm
    Who: One fatality- pilot Keith Siversen
    Why: The helicopter is reported to have “careened out of control” in an orchard. It was owned by KEITH SIVERSEN with a temporary certificate expiring 03/05/2009.

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    Airbus Emergency Landing in Greece


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact Photographer Marco Toso

    What: Livingston Airbus A321-200 en route from Greece to Italy
    Where: Athens
    When: Sep 19th 2009
    Who: 211 passengers and 7 crew
    Why: When smoke was detected on board, the plane diverted to Athens and landed safely while an emergency crew waited. No source was given for the smoke but the plane is apparently back in service.

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    Helicopter Crash in San Pasqual Valley

    What: Robinson R-44
    Where: Rancho Guejito, east of Lake Wohlford between Valley Center and Ramona in the San Pasqual Valley
    When: Sunday, September 20, 2009
    Who: pilot and passenger
    Why: passengers were airlifted to the Palomar Medical Center

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    Everglades Crash

    What: Bull Gator Air, Inc. Piper-PA 32 en route from Gainesville to Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport
    Where: west of U.S. 27 at the Broward-Palm Beach county line in the Everglades
    When: Sunday Sept 20
    Who: 4 aboard. One “confirmed” dead though there are presumably no survivors.
    Why: After the pilot radioed in for help, the plane crashed in the Everglades while en route. The cause is unresolved and the search is ongoing for passengers’ remains.

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    Turbulence Strikes Outside of DC


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact Photographer Jason Bisson

    What: United Airlines Boeing 757-200 en route from Los Angeles Washington DC
    Where: United Airlines B752
    When: Sep 8th 2009
    Who: 177 passengers
    Why: Prior to landing at Dulles, the plane’s “fasten seat belt” sign flashed. The plane experienced turbulence; the turbulence was severe enough that galley carts fell over and spewed drinks on passengers, and a passenger was caught by turbulence coming from the bathroom, where she was flung about the plane, sustaining enough injury that on landing she was sent to the hospital for examination.

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    Bomb Threat on American Airlines and…Air France?


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact Photographer Daniel Werner

    What: American Airlines Boeing 757-200 en route from Miami to Boston
    Where: Miami
    When: Thurs September 17, 2009
    Who: 168 passengers and six crew
    Why: After take-off, a bomb threat note was found on board. The plane returned to Miami where it was investigated. No bomb or explosives were found.

    George’s Point of View

    Ladies and Gentlemen of the aviation world, please consider this and bear with me as I traipse off into the world of conjecture.

    It is a mere day after someone left a note in the bathroom of the above-mentioned plane, and already that fact has been picked up by all the news services. An unsigned, unattributed note that could have been written by anyone on board, for all we know on toilet paper written in lipstick, by anyone from someone hoping to miss a dental appointment, to employees wanting the flight cancelled so they could go take their fatigued selves home to bed. And the threat made the news.

    Even the whisper of bomb threats make the news.

    So when I read now, months after the fact that there was an Air France bomb threat on a completely untraceable and unverifiable phone call on May 27 prior to the Air France flight 447 crash, I hear with very skeptical ears.

    If you followed the coverage after the crash, you’ll be aware of how many ears were pinned to the ground, listening for every hint of possible news. The media hounds pretty much sniffed out every findable trace of even faintly related information and posted it repeatedly, echoing across the internet and print media like (if you will pardon the cliché) ripples in a pond. So this leaves me two choices of thought regarding how to consider the tidbit of a so-called Air France bomb threat.
    1. It’s not true.
    2. It’s true but somehow remained unbroadcast in spite of the ravenous appetite for news coverage of everything Air France/Air France flight 447 related.

    1 is the end of the line for that thought process.
    2…well, we can think about a little. If it is true, where has that little nugget of information been? Why hasn’t a bomb threat listed in an obscure Indian blog in June become big news regarding the Air France crash?

    THis brings me to two more conclusions:
    1. it was true and that fact was suppressed.
    2. it is a rumor.

    1. If it is true and the fact was suppressed, then that’s a very bad thing; the only ones who would suppress such a news item would be someone who would be hurt by Air France’s business being damaged, namely Air France.

    If it is a rumor, then why would anyone spread such a rumor? Who would profit from the rumor? I only think of maybe two or three possibilities offhand. Any party fearing to be held responsible for the crash could float just such a rumor. OR any unscrupulous journalist, or media glutton with an appetite for attention of any kind. A paranoiac (or a writer) who sees plots or the possibilities of plots, without regard to reality. Or anyone in a competitive travel industry who might get a couple of extra travelers if a few borderline fliers turned their back on the convenience of air travel.

    Now I am not saying any of this is true; I am just saying that I am skeptical about the rumors of a threat to a different flight BEFORE the Air France Flight 447 crash coming out as a new development in news months after the crash.

    I’m just saying.