On Feb 22, 2013, a Boeing 737-800 Virgin Australia flight was in the air for ten minutes when the crew detected an odor in the cockpit.
The pilot returned to Melbourne and made a safe landing at 9:09 a.m.
Passengers were provided alternative flights. There were 129 passengers aboard.
The incident is under investigation. The source of the odor is not yet known.
In Trida, Victoria near Leongatha, on Feb 17, 2013, a helicopter went down, and caused a blackout.
The pilot managed to land and survive the landing, in spite of the contact with power lines. There were no passengers aboard.
Residents reported a loud bang to the police, who responded and found a crop dusting helicopter had clipped power lines and crashed around 5 pm Sunday between Allmans and Mottons roads.
The pilot was uninjured although an air ambulance did respond to the scene of the crash.
A Qantas Boeing 737-800 en route from Brisbane to Townsville made an emergency landing in Rockhampton. Emergency fire crews were on standby.
Passengers noted turbulence. After the pilot informed passengers of technical difficulties, air masks descended. The pilots descended to a safe altitude prior to landing.
Online reports indicate the cabin was losing pressure.
An alternative flight was provided to take passengers to Townsville.
On January 7, 2013, on a training flight, a Piper Cherokee VH-JXR with only the pilot aboard took off. He noticed a problem with flying the plane and did a flyby over the airport where his instructor discovered visually that the plane had lost a right rear wheel during takeoff from Mangalore Airport Australia.
The pilot circled to burn fuel, and talked with his instructor and emergency teams. He landed the plane safely on two wheels.
The 21 year old Chinese pilot trainee made a safe landing with emergency crews on standby. The pilot had 120 hours of flight experience. English is his second language.
An Oulton Investments Pty Ltd Cessna 182A Skyline was en route to fly for a skydiving company that hired the plane for a Christmas party at the Flame Lily Adventures park. A Santa Skydiving event was planned. While en route, the plane struck four electricity transmission lines, cutting power to 1600 homes.
The plane crashed in Barrum Heads, Queensland north of Hervey Bay, and caught on fire. Three fire crews responded to put out the blaze as well as three police crews, including an inspector and the forensic crash unit. The 59 year old pilot died in the crash.
According to the ATSB:
The ATSB is investigating a fatal accident involving a Cessna 182A aircraft (registration VH-SBG) that occurred near Burrum Heads, Queensland on 17 December 2012.
Update 18 December 2012
ATSB investigators arrived on the accident site this morning.
The investigators are seeking witness reports including any video footage that might assist the investigation. Witnesses can call the ATSB on 1800 020 616.17 December 2012
It was reported that the aircraft struck a powerline before colliding with terrain. The pilot—the only person on board the aircraft—died in the accident.Four ATSB investigators (with specialisations in engineering and aircraft operations) are expected to arrive on the accident site tomorrow morning.
Over the next three days of the on-site investigation, the team will be interviewing witnesses and examining the wreckage and accident site, including the powerline.
More information will be posted on this page as it comes to hand.
What: private Tiger Moth
Where: Jandakot Airport Australia
When: Dec 14, 2012, 10:15 a.m.
Who: pilot and passenger
Why: The flight was en route when smoke started coming from the engine. The smoke was seen at 10: 15.
Shortly later, the pilot made a safe landing at Jandakot Airport Australia with four crews of emergency services standing by.
The smoke seemed to originate from an oil leak.
What: Robinson 44 helicopter
Where: Mudgee Australia
When: Dec 9, 2012
Who: 1 fatality
Why: A 48 year old man on an agricultural flight was flying a Robinson helicopter and crashed in steep and rugged bushland at Grattai in New South Wales. Emergency services responded to the scene at 11:00 a.m.
The pilot is thought to have been spraying for weeds.
The pilot was pronounced dead at the scene. The Australian ATSB is investigating.
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Gary Claridge-king
What: Emirates Airlines Airbus A380-800 en route from Sydney to Dubai
Where: Sydney
Who: 380 aboard
When: Nov 11, 2012
Why: After takeoff, one engine on the Emirates Airlines Sydney-Dubai flight developed a problem and was shut down. Passengers reported hearing a bang and saw flames from the engine. We do not know if it was a bird strike.
Pilots dumped fuel, returned to Sydney and made a safe landing. Passengers were provided alternative flights.
What: NSW Air Ambulance A Beech King Air 350 (VH-NAO) o en route from Sydney to Wagga Wagga
Where: Sydney
When: Oct 23, 2012
Who: 3 aboard
Why: A patient, flight nurse and pilot were uninjured when an emergency developed aboard the flight.
The patient was being taken to Wagga Wagga when the plane had an undercarriage indication failure. The pilot returned to the airport and did a flyby for visual confirmation that the landing gear was not locked in place; and then made a safe landing at Sydney Airport in Mascot.
The elderly female passenger was transferred to an ambulance and driven to a hospital.
What: Qantas Boeing 737-800 en route from Darwin to Melbourne
What: Qantas Boeing 717 arriving en route from Alice Springs to Darwin
Where: Darwin
When: Oct 2, 2012
Who: (up to) 295 aboard
Why: Two Qantas flights came to within 250 metres of each other over Darwin were caught not by the human ATC, but only by the traffic collision avoidance system on board the plane from Alice Springs. The system reported the other plane was 247 metres below.
An investigation is currently underway to determine if the Darwin a defence air traffic controller sent the jets on a collision course.
The Qantas-badged 717 was operated by Cobham, a flight contractor.
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Contact photographer John Richard Thomson
What: Qantas Boeing 747 en route from Sydney to Singapore to Germany
Where: Darwin Airport
When: Oct 4, 2012
Who: 305 passengers
Why: The Qantas flight diverted to Darwin after the cabin started to smell like something was on fire. The captain described the smell as burning plastic.
No injuries were reported. Passengers were provided hotel accommodations and many of them tweeted about the incident
What: 930s de Havilland Dragon
Where: Kilcoy, Australia
When: Oct 1, 2012
Who: 6 missing
Why: Six people who were aboard a vintage plane were returning to Caboolture after spending the day raising money for charity by hosting joy flights at the Monto Fly-In in central Queensland have been missing in Australia since Monday:
The AMSA (Australian Maritime Safety Authority) received a distress call from Mr Porter saying he was having trouble “fixing his position in heavy cloudcover.” That was the last contact with the plane.
3 Canberra search and rescue co-ordinators flew in assisting AMSA.
Sixteen helicopters and two planes are participating in the search.
What: DAVCRON PTY LTD Bell 206
Where: South Turramurra near the Canoon Rd netball courts
When: July 20121
Who: 2 fatalities
Why: The pilot had picked his passenger to take him to Sydney Adventist Hospital apparently without checking weather reports which resulted in the Bell helicopter crashing in a cliff. Inclement weather and hazardous conditions in Lane Cove National Park led to the decision to call off the recovery operation on July 22, 2012, the same inclement conditions which caused the accident. Businessman Bruce Campbell, 65, and freelance pilot Colin Greenwood died in the crash at the foot of 15m cliff in Lane Cove National Park.
What: Microlight
Where: West Wyalong Australia
When: May 18 2012
Who: 2 aboard, 0 fatalities
Why: Two men were aboard a trike style microlight which crashed in a paddock south of West Wyalong. A 35-year-old local man with pelvis and spinal injuries was airlifted to Canberra Hospital. A 27 year old man had lacerated leg injuries.
Police established a crime scene at the Wargin Road location but ATSB is not investigating.
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Alexander Watts
What: Qantas Boeing 737-800 en route from Perth to Kalgoorlie Australia
Where: Kalgoorlie
When: May 13th 2012
Why: The flight was on approach to Kalgoorlie when it was struck by lightning.
Pilots returned to Perth and made a safe landing. A replacement jet was provided for the passengers.
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Contact photographer John Richard Thomson
What: Virgin Australia Boeing 737-800 en route from Coolangatta/Gold Coast,QL to Melbourne,VI
Where: Coolangatta
When: Apr 15th 2012
Who: Essendon Football Team
Why: The flight was en route when a problem developed with the fuel. Pilots diverted to Brisbane and made a safe landing. Emergency services met the plane on the tarmac. Virgin’s public statement said the problem was a minor maintenance issue.
The football team won against the Gold Coast Suns on Saturday night but ended up stranded in Brisbane. The spokesman for Essedon said “There was definitely no emergency. It’s probably been overplayed a bit.”
The flight was cancelled.
What: REX flight ZL114 en route from Merimbula to Moruya to Sydney
Where: Moruya airport
When: Mar 09, 2012
Why: First the flight was delayed.
Then it made a scheduled landing in Moruya; but ten minutes after it took off, the pilot saw the engine overheating, and had to return to Moruya.
Alarmed passengers felt a jolt when an engine was shut down. They didn’t know the alarm indicated one engine was on fire but some noticed that one propeller was down.
Passengers were relieved by the safe landing in Moruya with emergency services from Moruya, Broulee, and NSW Fire and Rescue standing by.
Interviews of the passengers indicate a range of emotions-passengers who were calm because flight crew was calm, alarmed because the flight crew looked worried, alarmed by the engine failure and inactive propellor, but everyone was relieved to be on the ground.
Some of the stranded passengers continued to their destination on the alternative flight provided by Rex, which left at 11:20 a.m. their lives made more difficult after missing connecting flights; at least one decided to return home.
Maintenance discovered no engine fire, but said that a faulty sensor might have been waterlogged. Rex engineers were scheduled to fly in to check out the plane.
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Contact photographer Mehdi Nazarinia
What: Qantas Airbus A330-200 en route from Sydney to Melbourne
Where: Sydney
When: Mar 6th 2012
Why: The flight was taking off when the plane suffered a bird strike. Passengers inside the plane heard a “bang” and an engine began vibrating.
Pilots the plane safely in Sydney, where passengers disembarked and waited less than three hours for a replacement plane.
Passengers commended the Qantas crew for handling the situation efficiently.
One gets the impression that a Qantas flight crew emergency response is the direct opposite of the chaotic endangerment response of the Costa Concordia (cruise) crew. Not at all the same situation, and yet, in many ways, similar. In both situations, the lives of the passengers are dependent on the efficiency and emergency response of the captain and crew.
Brisbane’s budget airline Air Australia just announced that flights are canceled and there will be no more new bookings because it can’t pay its bills. The company is now in Australia’s version of bankruptcy protection (voluntary administration). A portion of 4000 passengers were left stranded in places like Phuket and Honolulu. Jetstar and Qantas are considering selling return seats to passengers. Passengers will likely be able to recoup their Air Australia purchase price through their credit card company. The airline has only been in operation for two months. 300 jobs were just lost if the business is unable to recover.
Frankly, it is better for the operators who are running short of cash to get out fast. Maybe this bankruptcy will uncover some well-heeled investors. If not, getting out fast is the right thing to do. A shortage of cash can result in scrimping where there is no room for cost-cutting, like maintenance, etc. Cash shortages can cause budget cuts that can too easily result in loss of life.
What: QANTAS Dash-8
Where: Moranbah Airport
When: Feb 9 2012, 12:30 pm
Who: 3 crew, no passengers
Why: While ferrying the plane, the crew made an emergency landing at Moranbah Airport after circling.
They reported smoke in the cockpit, but on landing, no fire was found. Queensland Fire and rescue crews stood on standby during the landing. The ATSB is investigating.
What: Bankstown Helicopter Pty. Ltd. Robinson R44 Raven II
Where: Jaspers Brush Airfield, Berry, NSW, Australia
When: Feb 2, 2012, 3:55 pm
Who: 2 aboard
Why: Taking off, the helicopter was carrying two men scouting locations for a Jervis Bay documentary when the Robinson crashed and caught the field on fire.
Andrew Wight, The fifty year old pilot was from Melbourne, writer-producer of the 3D movie “Sanctum” based on Wight’s near-death experience in an underwater cave.
Mike DeGruy, 60, of Santa Barbara, California, won multiple Emmy and British Academy of Film and Television Arts, or BAFTA, awards for cinematography. He was a specialist in underwater photography.
Four ATSB investigators will be investigating.
A Rural Fire Service (RFS) responded. The cabin of the chopper burned, and sparked a brush fire.
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Contact photographer red750
What: De Havilland DH.82A Tiger Moth
Where: Maryborough Airport on Leviathan Road, Australia
When: Jan 27, 2012, 5pm.
Who: 2 fatalities
Why: After taking off, the plane hit trees at the end of the runway.
Witnesses described seeing a ball of flames, which ignited a field of dry grass. The grass required seven Country Fire Authority crews to extinguish it.
The two men aboard the vintage plane were John Fisher and David Oxley. In the past, John Fisher, who worked at Maryborough airport, had flown the Tiger Moth from England to Australia. He was the pilot and the owner of the plane.
The accident is under investigation by three investigators from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau.
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Contact photographer
What: Qantas Boeing 767-300 en route from Darwin to Brisbane
Where: Mount Isa
When: Jan 29th 2012
Who: 170 passengers
Why: While en route to Brisbane, a smokey odor developed in the cockpit. Pilots diverted to Mont Isa where they made a safe landing. Two Queensland Fire and Rescue Service firetrucks met the grounded plane. The investigation revealed no sign of smoke.
The 767 does not normally land in Mount Isa, so stairs were unavailable. Passengers exited with the assistance of a wheel chair lift.
A 737 has been sent as a replacement flight.
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Andrei Bezmylov
What: GT Gyroplanes Kruza
Where: off Willis Road, near Mangalore Airport
When: Jan 14, 2012, 12:30
Who: pilot and student aboard, 2 fatalities
Why: A local pilot reported that the ultralight crashed, looking as if it came straight down and smashed up. The wreckage was found in a paddock in a field. No one witnessed the crash, but at 10:00 someone witnessed the chopper being buffeted by “gale force” winds.
The flight was discovered after it failed to return to the airport to pick up the next student.
The wreckage is in several pieces. The gyrocopter broke up on impact. It had normally been used for training exercises. The Mangalore airport is in Australia.
Cracks have been found on Airbus A380 wings by Singapore Airlines and Qantas.
The cracks occurred on the wing ribs of their Airbus A380s. Qantas discovered the problem while repairing a Royce Trent 900 engines blowout in 2010.
Airbus says they know the origin and have developed an inspection and repair procedure for scheduled four-year maintenance checks.
The problem has been found on at least five planes.
The Australian Licensed Aircraft Engineers Association says Airbus A380s should be grounded, that flying with them is gambling with people’s lives, that it is risky to wait for a 4 year maintenance check. Airbus counters that the cracks are “on non-critical wing attachments” and pose no threat.
