weather

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    Robinson R22 Blown Down in Hong Kong

    What: Robinson R22
    Where: on the site of Hong Kong’s former Kai Tak international airport
    When: May 3
    Who: 2
    Why: During strong winds, the helicopter crashed into a coach parked about 100m away from the Hong Kong Aviation Club. The pilot and his son who was aboard were injured, as well as the coach driver; and all involved were taken to a local hospital. After the crash, the helicopter was reported as leaking fuel.

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    Medevac Disaster

    What: Medical evacuation helicopter en route from Ponte Lettia heliport in Upper Corsica
    Where: on the French Mediterranean island of Corsica in the mountainous area near the city of Bastia. The helicopter “brutally” flew into a mountain in poor weather.
    When: Sun Apr 26, 2009
    Who: Five people: two pilots, a medic and two patients
    Why: In spite of bad weather (fog, wind and rain), there was no distress signal. The medical team hadn’t realized how close to delivery the mother was; the helicopter was en route to the hospital as the Frenchwoman was giving birth. Mother and newborn perished in the crash along with everyone aboard. A rescue team of 150 found the wreckage.

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    Turbulence over Hawaii

    What: Air Canada Boeing 777-200 LR en route from Australia to Vancouver
    Where: emergency landing in Honolulu
    When: Friday 7:10 a.m.
    Who: 256 passengers and 17 crew members
    Why: When the flight encountered turbulence SW of Honolulu, twenty-two people suffered minor injuries following severe air turbulence. Two passengers were treated at the hospital and released; two crew members were hospitalized; the rest were treated on site. The flight left later, scheduled to arrive in Vancouver at 2:44 p.m.

    The turbulence was related to a thunderstorm.

    George’s Point of View

    It’s not brain surgery. When the seatbelt sign says “Fasten,” please “Fasten.”

    map image

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    Three Lightning Strikes A Charm.

    What: Republic Airlines Embraer ERJ-170 on behalf of US Airways en route from Montreal to Philadelphia, PA
    Where: on approach to Philadelphia,
    When: Apr 22nd 2009
    Why: On approach, the airplane was struck by a lightning. The crew did not declare emergency and landed safely with no damage sustained.

    What: US Airways Boeing 757-200 en route from Saint Maarten (Netherlands Antilles) to Philadelphia,PA
    Where: on approach to Philadelphia
    When: Apr 22nd 2009
    Who: 96 passengers and 7 crew
    Why: Although on approach, the plane was struck by lightning at 6000 feet, it landed safely 14 minutes later. Skin damage was reported. This was reportedly lightning strike number two.

    What: AirTran Airways Boeing 717-200 en route from Orlando,FL to Philadelphia,PA
    Where: on approach to Philadelphia
    When: Apr 22nd 2009
    Why: The crew declared emergency an emergency when their nose cone incurred a direct lightning strike. Fortunately the airplane landed safely on runway 27R. ( Runway 27L was still in the process of accommodating the prior lightning strike.) Strike number three.

    George’s Point of View

    This may be hindsight, but it seems to me like three different planes hit with lightning at the same city reportedly within a time span of minutes–maybe air traffic control should have checked weather.com or looked out the window or something…

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    Lightning Strikes Southwest Airlines Boeing

    What: Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-300 en route from Dallas Love,TX to Lubbock,TX
    Where: Amarillo,TX
    When: Apr 16th 2009 8:35 pm
    Who: 123 passengers
    Why: Approaching Lubbock in a storm, the Boeing was struck by lightning and successfully diverted to Amarillo. Later, a Boeing 737-700 took the passengers from Amarillo to Lubbock.

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    Plane Crashes Mountain; 6 Fatalities


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Jim Groom
    What: Aviastar Mandiri British Aerospace BAe146-300 en route from Jayapura to Wamena Indonesia
    Where: Mount Pike
    When: Apr 9th 2009
    Who: 6 crew: captain, co-pilot, engineer, loadmaster and two flight attendants
    Why: The plane was approaching runway 15 at Wamena Airport in foggy conditions, turned and air traffic control lost contact. The controller observed smoke coming from side of Gunung Pike Mountain. When search crews went to the source of the smoke, there were no survivors.

    Reportedly, the plane had been carrying rice and flour and 9 tons of Aviation Turbine Fuel. The airport is surrounded by mountains.

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    Fed Ex Crash in High Wind in Tokyo


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Michael Carter
    What: FedEx McDonnell Douglas MD-11F en route from Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, China to Tokyo-Narita Airport, Japan
    Where: Crash occurred on the runway Tokyo-Narita Airport, Japan
    When: 23 MAR 2009 06:48
    Who: 2 crew members aboard, both fatalities
    Why: The plane landed in high winds, bounced on to the nosewheel, banked left and when the left wing, hit the runway, a fire ensued.

    News Footage includes audio of Bob Francis, former NTSB VC

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    Dust Storm Diverts Turkish Plane

    What: Turkish Airlines flight TK-260 en route from Istanbul to Kayseri.
    Where: Nevsehir
    When: Sunday
    Who: 194 passengers
    Why: The plane could not land at it’s scheduled Erkilet Airport destination, because of the wind and limited visibility due to dust. The flight was rerouted to Kapadokya Airport in Nevsehir where it made an emergency landing. Passengers were bused to Kayseri.

  • Banner-flying plane Downed by Weather in Co.

    What: single-engine plane pulling a Valentine’s Day “Happy Valentine’s Day Kim.” banner en route from Erie to Centennial Airport
    Where: near the town of Parker, about 25 miles southeast of Denver
    When: Saturday afternoon
    Who: pilot
    Why: Wind and snow forced an emergency landing in a field. The pilot’s business is flying banners.

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    Catalina Island Crash


    What: Fixed-wing Beechcraft Bonanza aircraft which flew out of Orange County’s John Wayne Airport at 1:30 expecting to return at 4:50 p.m
    Where: crashed in the rain on a remote Catalina Island hilltop near Mt. Orizaba, southwest of Catalina’s Airport in the Sky
    When: Thursday
    Who: Pilot Mark Hogland president of a Dana Point charter flight company,and passengers, an out-of-state man and woman: Marshall Goldberg, a 39 year-old Florida man and Amy Marie Judd, 24 years old of Idaho. There were no survivors.
    Why: The flight failed to return to John Wayne Airport Thursday. On Friday, rescue teams discovered the wreckage. It is speculated that the rainy, foggy weather played a part, although the pilot was FAA qualified to fly on instruments.

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    Norwegian Helicopter Crash

    What: HeliTeam Eurocopter AS350 en route from Harstad to Alta.
    Where: near the Swedish border.
    When: Wednesday
    Who: One person killed, one injured. It is unclear from our sources which was the pilot.
    Why: The crash occurred during heavy snow showers so weather may have been a factor.
    =

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    Cyprus Airways Grounded in London


    What: Cyprus Airways Airbus 330 from Cyprus
    Where: Heathrow Airport
    When: Monday, Feb. 2, 2009
    Who: 104 passengers
    Why: The Airbus flight was one of many victims of the worst snowstorm in 18 years– Weather caused hundreds of flight cancellations and virtually shut down public transportation.

    Vias aéreas de Chipre aterradas em Londres

    Que: Vias aéreas Airbus 330 de Chipre de Chipre
    Onde: Aeroporto de Heathrow
    Quando: Segunda-feira, fevereiro 2, 2009
    Quem: 104 passageiros
    Porque: O vôo de Airbus era uma de muitas vítimas da tempestade de neve a mais má em 18 anos– Centenas causadas tempo de cancelamentos do vôo e de transporte público virtualmente interrompido.

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    Emergency Landing in Indiana at Purdue University Airport

    What: BE19 Musketeer Sport Regis#6509T
    Where: LAFAYETTE Indiana, PURDUE UNIVERSITY AIRPORT
    When: 01/18/2009 7:00 pm
    Who: pilot Brian McMillen of North Liberty and his wife Jill
    Why: sleet caused the aircraft’s windshield to ice up. The plane undershot the runway while trying to land, but the couple escaped the crash uninjured.

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    Rooney Family Crash

    What: PC-12 Eagle single-engine turboprop from (to) Yampa Valley Regional Airport.
    Where: Hayden Colorado (Routt County)
    When: 01/11/2009 9:40 a.m.
    Who: 2 fatalities-William “Bill” Rooney Jr. and son William Patrick Rooney III
    Why: The Pilatus PC-12 crashed 2 miles from Hayden Colorado ten minutes after takeoff, apparently attempting to return to the airport. They had already delayed their trip home to Yorba Linda from Steamboat Springs with the intention of avoiding strong Santa Ana winds near Chino Hills.

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    Utah Helicopter Crash


    What: R-44 Astro
    Where: on the outskirts of West Valley City as it was headed to airport No. 2 in West Jordan
    When: 01/09/2009
    Who: pilot Scott Robinson and passenger Anthony Meredith both taken to Intermountain Medical Center
    Why: The helicopter departed from Provo on an IFR training flight to Windover.
    The pilot attempted to fly around the northern end of the Oquirrh mountains and flew into bad weather.

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    Cropduster Lost in Mississippi


    What: Yellow and blue crop duster en route from Greenville, Ala., to Cleveland, Miss
    Where: wooded area in the Bogue Chitto community, Mississippi
    When: Friday
    Who: Monty Hudson
    Why: Hudson and his brother (in a separate plane) were traveling from Greenville and encountered bad weather. The plane dropped off radar in Alabama Friday–Hudson died Friday–and was missing until Monday. WHen the wreckage was found in Neshoba County, it was hanging nose down in pine trees at 5:30 p.m. two miles northeast of Bogue Chitto off Road 765. Apparently the plane had caught on fire after crashing.

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    Lear Jet crashes on Landing in Telluride


    What: Aero Jet Lear Jet en route from Scottsdale Airport to Telluride
    Where: Telluride Regional Airport, CO
    When: Jan 3 2009
    Who: 2 crew members suffered injuries.
    Why: The Lear Jet suffered a landing accident in snowy conditions at Telluride Regional Airport

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    Indiana County Crash


    What: Piper Cherokee registered to Mark Goldinger, of Dayton, Armstrong County.
    Where: wooded area of White Township about a half mile from the Jimmy Stewart Airport.
    When: Jan 4 2009
    Who: The pilot was flying with his son and a friend
    Why: conditions deteriorated after Goldinger’s plane took off, including heavy fog and light rain. The pilot made several unsuccessful attempts to land. Everyone on the plane was taken to Conemaugh Memorial Hospital

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    New South Wales Crash on Christmas Day


    What: single-engine Cessna en route from Mudgee to rural NSW
    Where: west of Merriwa in the Great Dividing Range, New South Wales
    When: Dec 25
    Who: pilot Scott Kennedy-Green and brother-in-law, Matthew Green. Green died at the scene. The pilot survived and was winched to safety at 1 pm, with chest and pelvic injuries, and leg fractures. He is recuperating at Sydney’s Westmead Hospital.
    Why: The pilot lost control in heavy cloudcover and rain, and crashed in a ravine in the upper Hunter Valley

    The piliot set crash site co-ordinates by CB radio but had to spend the night out in the elements as conditions prevented his recovery until 1 pm the next day.

    The wreck was located at 10 in the morning Dec 26th, lying upside down with a wing torn off

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    Culebra Mountain Crash Update


    What: Beechcraft Baron registered to a party in Canada en route from Pueblo to Santa Fe, N.M
    Where: the crash site was found Sunday near Vermejo Peak in the Culebra mountain range near Las Animas County
    When: around 10 p.m. Saturday.
    Who: Two people died in the crash, Gerrit Maureau and his wife, Dr. Shiela Malm died when their twin-engine plane crashed after refueling in Pueblo.
    Why: Air Traffic Control lost contact with the plane around 10 p.m. Saturday. Weather has hampered recovery efforts. 15 rescuers will be flown by the military helicopter above the crash site. They will then be dropped off near the site and do the rest of the trek on foot. It is still snowing.

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    Sabine Helicopter Crash update


    What: Helicopter owned by leasing company Rotorcraft en route to an unmanned oil rig platform 18-miles off-shore
    Where: Gulf of Mexico, about two miles below Sabine Pass at the border of Texas and Louisiana
    When: Thursday, Dec. 11, 2008
    Who: 5 on board. The pilot of the helicopter was identified as Joe Laugelle
    Why: Cause is under investigation; however there was a weather advisory in effect at the time of the crash
    One of the victims of the crash –Jacob Matt–has washed ashore near the McFaddin Wildlife Refuge. One victim John Larry Conn, was buried Sunday. James Cody Smalts who had just moved in with his fiance, Monica Lopez was buried Monday. One victim –Nick Hebert from Basile, Louisiana–hasn’t been recovered.

    original post follows
    At the time of the crash, air temp was 36 degrees; water temp 62 degrees. Wind was from the west at 23 knots, and there was a weather advisory. The body of John Laguelle is one of those recovered. Two other crew members whose bodies were recovered were wearing personal floatation devices. A search is ongoing for two others. All four passengers were crew members for a contract customer of Rotorcraft. The pilot also worked part-time as a helicopter pilot for a television station in Boston.


    Video opens in separate window

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    Two Still Missing in Gulf Helicoptor Crash


    What: Helicopter owned by leasing company Rotorcraft en route to an unmanned oil rig platform 18-miles off-shore
    Where: Gulf of Mexico, about two miles below Sabine Pass at the border of Texas and Louisiana
    When: Thursday, Dec. 11, 2008
    Who: 5 on board. The pilot of the helicopter was identified as Joe Laugelle
    Why: Cause is under investigation; however there was a weather advisory in effect at the time of the crash

    At the time of the crash, air temp was 36 degrees; water temp 62 degrees. Wind was from the west at 23 knots, and there was a weather advisory. The three crew members who were recovered were wearing personal floatation devices. A search is ongoing for two others. All four passengers were crew members for a contract customer of Rotorcraft.


    Video opens in separate window

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    Puerto Rican Crash Found

    What: Rockwell International 690B, took off from Tortola in the British Virgin Islands en route to the Puerto Rican capital
    Where: Puerto Rican rainforest fog-shrouded El Yunque mountain
    When: on Wednesday
    Who: Caribbean pilot Ken Webster owner of Websta’s Aviation Services Inc. in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. ; and two U.S. tourists Tracy Turner and Ken (Kent) Clapp
    Why: During foggy weather, the plane apparently slammed into El Yunque mountain.


    View Larger Map

    Video taken by hikers hiking to top of El Yunque in Puerto Rico May 2008. El Yunque National Forest is the site of the crash.

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    Coalinga Crash Kills One


    What: single-engine BE 36 Beechcraft Bonanza en route from Long Beach to the Harris Ranch
    Where: Coalinga
    When: 8:30 p.m. Sunday.
    Who: Fifty-one-year-old Marya Yee died of her injuries at a Fresno hospital. Two others were injured.
    Why: dense fog forced the pilot to abort the landing and turn back to Santa Barbara; then plane lost power . 16 local flights were delayed late Sunday and Monday morning because of fog.

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    Plane Lost in Gulf


    What: twin-engine, fixed-wing 44-year-old Beech 35 Debonair aircraft en route from Tallahassee, Fla., to Vandenberg Airport in Tampa
    Where: crashed about 14-miles west of Yankeetown in the Gulf of Mexico
    When: 7:45 p.m., Sunday
    Who: two people onboard, 35-year-old Darien Peckham and 28-year-old Zachary Schlitt
    Why: Jacksonville air-traffic controller reported the plane missing during 20 to 25 knot winds and strong thunderstorms