A computer fault on a Qantas Airways Ltd. flight switched off the autopilot and generated false data, causing the jet to nosedive. This failure in the onboard computer system caused the violent drop in altitude on the Qantas Airbus A330-300. The flight control system was supplied by Litton Industries, a subsidiary of Northrop Grumman Corp., Airbus issued a telex late yesterday to airlines that fly A330s and A340s. The fault originated in the main on board computer system which caused other system failure. Airbus has now issued guidelines in case the incident happens again.
Preliminary analysis of the Qantas incident revealed the error occurred in one of the jet’s three air data inertial reference units, which caused the autopilot to disconnect.
The crew flew the aircraft manually to the end of the flight,
On 14 October 2008, Mr Julian Walsh, Director, Aviation Safety Investigation, discussed factual information known to the investigation team in a media conference in Canberra City discussing the progress of the investigation.
What: British Airways Flight BA 341 Boeing 757, en route from France Where: priority landing at Heathrow airport When: British Summer Time (BST) 063 Sunday Who: 137 passengers Why: Fumes were detected in the passenger cabin, instigating an emergency landing. There were no injuries.
What: Raytheon A36 registered to ST Inc. in Peoria, Ariz. Where: Crashed a mile and a half northwest of the Santa Teresa airport runway where it took off When: Saturday 6 p.m. Who: Michael Perry and Jim Crosby were killed. Why: Witnesses saw the plane fly into the storm. The plane crashed during a storm and burned.
What: London-bound Air India Boeing 777-300 flight AI-111 en route from Delhi Where: Delhi When: Saturday. The flight took off at 6:50 am. Emergency was declared at the airport at 7:50 am and it was withdrawn at 8:25 am after a safe landing. Who: 115 passengers and 15 crew members, all safe Why: After flying for 30 minutes, the alarm sounded, the pilot detected smoke in the cabin. and returned to the airport under Emergency conditions.
So far there have been no groundbreaking discoveries regarding the cause of the Aug. 20 Spanair crash beyond what was known originally: a problem with the plane’s wing flaps and the failure of a cockpit alarm, evidence of which is backed up by the plane’s black boxes. The plane’s history indicates that this was not the first time the wing slats were an issue. Two days before the accident, they were repaired.
Before the crash, on the plane’s first pass, a warning sounded from a “heat sensor in the engine inlet” which prompted the pilots to return to the gate and get it inspected. The system was “isolated, ” i.e. unplugged.
The technician discusses the disconnected probe.
http://www.elpais.com/articulo/espan…/elpepiesp/20080823elpepinac_5/Tes
What: GoAir Airbus A-320 flight from Mumbai–a new plane delivered in November 2007 Where: Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport When: Thursday evening at 1648 hours (around 5 pm.) Who: Undetermined number of passengers on board. (From 114 to 223 passengers were reported to us.) Why: After Air Traffic Control visually verified the nosewheel was stuck, the Airbus landed safely. There was significant drama on board, however, as passengers in the front eleven rows of the plane were directed to move toward the back prior to the landing. Credit for the safe landing was given to Captain Hardeep Singh. All air traffic was put on hold untill the Airbus plane had made a safe landing.
What: Korean Air Boeing 777-200 en route from Sao Paulo to Seoul Where: Sao Paulo Brazil When: Wednesday Who: There were 138 people on board Why: The jet hit an American black vulture, (2 kilograms (4.4 lbs) and has a wingspan of 1.5 m) and suffered turbine engine failure. The plane landed without incident with no reported injuries.
From now on in Maryland, it’s Doctor’s Choice. Doctor consults will be required for ambulance teams to decide on flying some accident victims with non-traumatic injuries. This because in the accident listed below, the victim survived the initial car crash but -along with the emergency crew-not the air ambulance ride. Maryland has been criticized for using expensive and potentially dangerous helicopters when a ground ambulance would do. Across the US, there have been eight fatal crashes in the past 12 month period.
What: American Eurocopter Dauphin II
Where: Helicopter left its hanger at Andrews Air Force Base. suburban Washington park in a wooded area of Walker Mill Regional Park off of Ritchie Road.
When: Sunday
Who: Killed in the crash besides Bunker were Trooper First Class Mickey Lippy, EMT-B Tonya Mallard of the Waldorf Volunteer Fire Department and Ashley Younger, a 17-year-old who was the second victim from the Waldorf car accident.
Why: The helicopter was transporting car crash victims to the hospital. One eighteen year old crash victim survived both the car crash and the helicopter crash, and was transported to the hospital in critical condition.
What: Spirit Airlines Flight 436 Airbus 319 was en route to Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport after leaving Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport Where: Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport When: The bird struck at 11 a.m Monday, and shortly after, the pilot returned to the airport. Who: 115 passengers and four crew members Why:struck a bird shortly after takeoff and reportedly the bird got ingested by the left engine.
What: Qantas plane en route from Singapore to Perth in Western Australia when it was Where: forced to land at Learmonth airport near the remote coastal town of Exmouth, 745 miles north of Perth When: 1:45 p.m. local time. Who: 303 passengers, 10 crew members. Half of the passengers were from Australia, the other half from China. Thirty-six people suffered broken bones and other injuries (spinal, broken noses, broken limbs, lacerations, etc) Why: A “mid-air incident†forced the plane to make an emergency landing. sudden change of altitude caused problems while the Airbus A330-300 was traveling in what is known as “level flight.†Passengers and crew sustained injuries, including fractures and lacerations, on board QF72. Australian Transport Safety Bureau said it is sending seven investigators to work on the investigation. Confidence in Qantas sterling safety reputation is falling.
What: Medical Beech B200 two-turbo prop registered to Keewatin Air of Winnipeg. en route from Rankin Inlet, Nunavut Where: emergency landing in Manitoba When: Wednesday night Who: a woman , her 11-month-old boy, two nursing staff and two pilots Why: The plane caught fire. The pilot advised he would have to land at the local airport.
After landing, the occupants were all taken to the Cross Lake nursing station before they were put on a flight to Winnipeg
What: Citation plane en route from Gander Airport in Newfoundland to La Bourgeois in Paris Where: emergency landing at Shannon airport When: Friday, 3 October 2008 Who: five people on board Why: hydraulic problems
What: Plane landing at McClellan-Palomar Airport Where: plane crashed into a hillside about two miles southeast of the Carlsbad airport When: 7:30 a.m. Sunday morning Sept. 28 Who: Pilot Giuseppe Puzzo. a 42-year-old resident of Lake Havasu, Ariz died of multiple blunt force injuries Why: Puzzo missed his first attempted landing in foggy conditions and was performing a fly around for a second approach when the plane went down.
update:
Survivor eighteen year old Jordan Wells critical at Boston Hospital where she was operated through the night Sunday, which alleviated fears that they might have to amputate one or both of her legs. When Ashley Younger (the other victim) never showed up, Younger’s mother probed the hospital staff, learned the helicopter had been rerouted to Andrews Air Force Base. The three women rushed there only to find that no helicopter had landed, so they returned to the hospital where they found Wells rushed through on a gurney. In spite of asking ‘Where’s my daughter? Where’s Ashley?’ ” no one told her that her daughter had died on the scene. The medical helicopter was carrying victims of a Saturday night traffic accident when it went down around midnight.
What: American Eurocopter Dauphin II Where: Helicopter left its hanger at Andrews Air Force Base. suburban Washington park in a wooded area of Walker Mill Regional Park off of Ritchie Road. When: Sunday Who: Killed in the crash besides Bunker were Trooper First Class Mickey Lippy, EMT-B Tonya Mallard of the Waldorf Volunteer Fire Department and Ashley Younger, a 17-year-old who was the second victim from the Waldorf car accident. Why: The helicopter was transporting car crash victims to the hospital. One eighteen year old crash victim survived both the car crash and the helicopter crash, and was transported to the hospital in critical condition.
On the twenty-five mile trip from the traffic accident to the hospital the flight was diverted due to bad weather. On approach to the runway, the pilot radioed that he was having trouble assessing his surroundings. Under deteriorating weather conditions, the pilot had requested an instrument approach and reported problems “capturing the glide slope”. The glide slope is the part of the instrument landing system that helps keep the aircraft at the proper altitude during the approach. It appears the helicopter first hit a tree at about 80 feet above the ground. The chopper landed on its left side with a tree crashing down on top of the helicopter.
Accident victim Jordan Wells, 18, survived the crash and is at a hospital in critical condition
The law enforcement agency’s helicopter fleet has been grounded until further notice.
What: 1964 Cessna 150D airplane en route from Gene Snyder Airport in Pendleton County, Ky. Where: Gene Snyder Airport in Pendleton County, Ky.in a wooded area near the end of the runway. When: 1:20 Sunday afternoon Who: Pilot Mark Martin and his sixteen year old son Why: The engine stalled on takeoff. The crash is under investigation. This is the second time this week that a small plane taking off from this particular airport stalled and crashed.
What: Cessna 150 en route to Lamar, Joplin, Neosho, and Bolivar, Where: emergency landing on U.S. 54 Highway near Iola When: Who: Malcolm E. Kucharski, 60, Pittsburg Why: Pilot error. The pilot left at 1 p.m. to go to Nevada MO, then the sun got in his eyes, he went to Iola and ran out of fuel.
What: Privately chartered twin-engine King Air belonging to Adelaide-based company Corporate Aircraft Charter en route to Kingscote on Kangaroo Island Where: Adelaide Airport Australia When: September 27, 2008 at 11.20am Who: Brenton Hollitt and passengers Why: Pilot Brenton Hollitt reported difficulties with its landing gear. The plane landed safely , remaining upright despite its landing wheels not locking into place. The plane landed “on its fuselage in a cloud of smoke, with the aircraft skidding sideways on the runway.” The pilot was praised as ” professional, calm, just terrific, I can’t praise him highly enough.” “
What: American Airlines regional jet en route from Baton Rouge to Dallas Where: Alexandria International Airport, Alexandria Louisiana When: Friday 5:40 p.m. Who: 47 people Why: Emergency landing called for when smoke was detected in the cockpit. No injuries.
What: Piper Saratoga PA-32 registered to Women’s Medicine Incorporated of Jacksonville Beach, Florida (but the plane was recently sold) ) from Craig Airport in Jacksonville, after stopping at DeKalb Peachtree Airport en route to Coldwater, Mich. Where: went down in a neighborhood near Interstate 285 just north of Atlanta. When: 2 p.m. Tuesday. Sept 23 Who: The pilot is dead. No one else was injured. Why: The plane appeared to clip power lines and trees as it went down.
What: P-51 Mustang en route from Schenectady County Airport. Where: GLENVILLE, N.Y in a wooded area north of the Empire State Aerosciences Museum and east of Route 50. When: Tuesday Sept 23 Who: The pilot Charles Hudson, 42. was the only one on board. He is in critical condition. He was not the owner of the plane. Why: Prior to takeoff, the pilot had been working on the engine. The plane lost power during takeoff, veered off to the side and crashing into the trees.
What: Learjet N999LJ owned by Global Exec Aviation en route to Van Nuys, Calif Where: South Carolina When: departed shortly before midnight Friday Who: carrying six people Chris Baker, 29, of Studio City, Calif., and Charles Still, 25, of Los Angeles — died, as did pilot Sarah Lemmon, 31, of Anaheim Hills, Calif., and co-pilot James Bland, 52, of Carlsbad, Former Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker and celebrity DJ AM were critically injured Why: air traffic controllers reporting seeing sparks. The plane was traveling at least 92 mph, its minimum takeoff speed, when the crew thought the tire burst The plane hurtled off the end of a runway and crashed through antennas and a fence, crossing a five-lane highway and ending up on an embankment in flames.The plane was heading to Van Nuys, Calif.
The FAA is researching the possibility that a blown tire caused the jet crash. Investigations have turned up evidence that tire may have blown just before takeoff at the Columbia Metropolitan Airport. The cockpit voice recorder indicates that the pilot and co-pilot informed air traffic controllers they’d heard a tire burst and they attempted to abort takeoff.
In serious condition is Travis Barker, who was the drummer for the band Blink-182. Barker was one of the two people wounded when the Learjet 60 crashed on a highway and caught fire.
Listed in critical condition is Adam Michael Goldstein otherwise known as celebrity disc jockey DJ AM. He reportedly saved his own life by jumping from the burning plane while it was skidding down a runway.
Joseph M. Still Burn Center said they both suffered second- and third-degree burns
What: German airline Air Berlin Airbus A320 en route from from the Spanish resort of Mallorca to Nuremberg When: Sunday Sept 21 Who: 167 people Why: Although a light indicated one of four brakes was overheated, the plane landed safely.
What: US Airways Bombardier CRJ900 regional jet en route from Edmonton, Canada, to Phoenix, Arizona. Where: Diverted to Salt Lake City –Salt Lake City International Airport When: 10:20 am Who: 86 passengers and three crew members transferred to other flights to Phoenix Why: Diverted due to a crack in the front windshield.
What: Delivering new plane to Minnesota. Where: When the engine quit, the pilot found the La Porte County soybean field. North of Indiana 4 next to Whispering Meadows subdivision, pilot executed a textbook emergency landing. When: 9/18/2008 Thursday Who: flight instructor/plane salesman/Pilot Anthony DeBaney Why: Engine quit at noon Thursday. The single passenger plane dropped 4,500 feet several miles from La Porte Municipal Airport.
The pilot is quoted as saying “Planes glide when the engine quits and so you have several miles to figure out what to do”
The pilot radioed of his difficulties and described seeing a water tower and other landmarks to try and pinpoint his location. The plane’s purchaser lives north of Duluth.
