Canada

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    Air Canada Engine Shut Down, Diverts to Montreal


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

    What: Air Canada Boeing 767-300 en route from Halifax to London Heathrow
    Where: Montreal
    When: Jun 2nd 2011
    Who: 138 aboard
    Why: After takeoff, the left engine emitted a loud explosive noise. Pilots shut down the engine but weather prevented a return to Halifax. The flight diverted to Montreal where it made a safe landing between two and three hours later. A replacement jet was sent to Montreal for passengers, resulting in a 13 hour delay on that flight.

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    Float Plane crashes in Lac Labelle

    What: float plane
    Where: Lac Labelle Laurentian Mountains, Quebec Canada
    When: May 30, 2011, 6 pm
    Who: 2 men aboard, 2 fatalities
    Why: The float plane crashed in the Laurentians in a lake resort area 160 km northeast of Montreal, between the towns of Alberton and Red River.

    The two men’s bodies have been recovered with difficulty in the remote area.

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    Virgin Airbus Diverts to St Johns

    What: Virgin Airlines Airbus A-340 en route from London to Washington DC.
    Where: St Johns International
    When: May 2011
    Who: 269 passengers
    Why: While en route, a passenger was ill. The flight diverted to DC to get the passenger assistance, and made a safe landing. THe passenger was transported to the Health Sciences Centre and the flight resumed.

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    Two Injured in Westjet Turbulence

    What: Westjet Boeing 737 en route from Toronto to Victoria
    Where: Victoria
    When: May 20, 2011
    Who: 116 passengers and six crew
    Why: While en route, the flight encountered turbulence, injuring a flight attendant, who was bruised, and a passenger who injured an ankle. Injuries tend to occur when a passenger takes off their seat belt, or a flight attendant is up performing duties when the turbulence strikes.

    The injuries suffered aboard the Westjet flight are not serious.

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    Chopper Pilot Dies Aswering Slave Lake Call

    What: Campbell Helicopters Ltd. Bell 212 Twin Two-Twelve
    Where: Slave Lake, Alberta, Canada
    When: May 20, 2011
    Who: 1 fatality
    Why: The chopper responding to a (wildfire) fire call crashed for unknown reasons 30 meters offshore Slave Lake, Alberta. The forest fire leveled a third of the Slave Lake community. The pilot’s name has not yet been released.

    The STARS Air Ambulance call was cancelled. The pilot died in the crash. Emergency responders were treated for hypothermia.

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    Spectrum Flies Students While in “EM” Status-School board Unaware

    Transport Canada’s Enhanced Monitoring System http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/civilaviation/opssvs/managementservices-referencecentre-documents-sur-sur-002-1028.htm is an aviaition surveillance program, the entry into which is based on an airline’s failure to meet minimum requirements. A score of 3, 4, 5 or a score of 2 where there are minor or moderate findings and there is no evidence of systemic failures, will return the certificate holder to routine monitoring. A score of 1 will result in the issuance of a Notice of Suspension.

    A plane which made an emergency landing (termed a miracle landing, and the pilot heavily lauded) while carrying three Grade 9 geography students from White Oaks Secondary School was under enhanced monitoring at the time; and since the emergency, has been suspended.

    The plane made an emergency landing with the students in a field. For twenty years, Spectrum Airways has had an agreement with the Halton District School Board to provide scenic flights for Grade 9 geography students. The Cessna Skyhawk 172 had run out of fuel, and the pilot landed with no damage or injuries, landing in a field behind Corpus Christi Catholic Secondary School.

    Burlington Airpark, Spectrum Airways and Kovachik Aircraft Maintenance are responsible for maintenance.

    What: Ontario Limited-Spectrum Airways Cessna 172M Skyhawk en route from Burlington Airport
    Where: 1 KM south of Corpus Christi Catholic Secondary School, Canada
    When: May 5, 2011
    Who: 23 year old pilot, 3 passengers
    Why: The plane made a safe emergency landing behind the school. On landing, the gas tank was empty. The pilot avoided homes, power lines, and a student rally in the parking lot.

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    Hot Light in Embraer Emergency landing


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

    What: American Eagle Embraer ERJ-145 en route from Montreal to Chicago O’Hare
    Where: Toronto
    When: May 13 2011
    Who: 49 passengers and 3 crew,
    Why: When an electrical odor was detected aboard the plane, the pilots diverted to Toronto where they made a safe landing. Passengers did not have to disembark using slides. There were no injuries.

    The source of the smell was an overheated fluorescent light

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    Moncton: American Airline Smokey Cockpit Emergency Landing


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

    What: American Airlines Boeing 777-200 en route from London to Chicago
    Where: Moncton
    When: May 3rd 2011, 3 pm
    Who: 150 aboard
    Why: While en route, the crew reported the smell of smoke, and diverted to Moncton in Canada.

    The plane landed with emergency services on standby and emergency services stayed until 5:20 p.m. The smoke in the cockpit turned out to be from an overheating battery. Dieppe Fire Department examined the plane. There were no injuries, and passengers were provided a room in the airport, so they didn’t have to go through customs.

    A replacement jet was flown in.

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    Rusty the Border Collie Rescued After his Master’s Fatal Crash

    What: Cessna 180 en route from Vulcan, Alta., to Springfield, B.C.,
    Where: Williams Lake, Rocky Mountains
    When April 26 2011, between 8 and 9 am
    Who: Fifty-nine year old pilot Ed Fedaj
    Why: Friday, the dog Rusty was found by Parks staff Rusty survived a plane crash that killed his owner Ed Fedaj, but before the dog could be recovered, he disappeared into the park. After being looked over by a vet, Rusty, a 6 yr-old Border Collie will be returned to his family, to be adopted by Ted Fedaj.

    The Cessna 180 was found where it slammed into a gorge at 1,500 metres on the side of Mount King. Ed’s body was retrieved in spite of an avalanche risk.

    Ed had been visiting relatives in southern Alberta and was returning home to Williams Lake when he crashed.

    The B.C. Coroners Service and the Federal Transportation Safety Board are investigating.

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    CRJ Makes Cautious Landing in Halifax With Unknown Haze

    What: Air Canada Jazz Canadair CRJ-200 en route from Halifax, NS to St. John’s
    Where: Halifax
    When: Mar 14th 2011
    Who: 42 passengers and 3 crew
    Why: After takeoff, the cabin was temporarily obscured by some kind of haze.

    The pilots returned to Halifax and made a safe landing. Passengers were booked on other flights. The plane was taken for maintenance to locate the source of the problem. Responding to haze is frequently termed “abundance of caution.”

    Haze can be an air conditioning problem, an electrical power source problem, but most frequently in icy weather, de-icing fluid can get into an air intake, causing a “vanishing” mist.

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    Display Failure Aboard Airbus: Now What?


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

    What: Air Canada Airbus A319-100 en route from Toronto to Winnipeg
    Where: Sault Ste Marie
    When: Mar 8 2011
    Who: 125 aboard
    Why: While en route, the plane was over Canada when the displays quit. The loss of the displays is being attributed to an electronic power failure. (Wonder if there was a short or if it was something else?) The displays were only offline for less than a minute, and subsequently began flashing error messages. Pilots continued on to Winnipeg and managed to land safely. The plane was taken out of commission in order to have an Airbus inspection to determine what exactly was going on.

    Flying an Airbus without electronic displays is, I think, tantamount to suicide. I am surprised they didn’t divert somewhere and land immediately. Is it not somewhat risky to continue flying an airbus when the display connections are flakey? This same sort of thing happened on a BMI Airbus A321. Apparently catastrophic failure in rough conditions is not unheard of. In fact, rough conditions are not required to cause the need for a reboot. The term for “rebooting” an airbus that has lost its electronics is called “recycling,” a common enough thing that there is recognizable pilot humor regarding it.

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    Newfoundland Cougar 491 Crash: Unanswered

    Families and the only survivor of the 2009 Sikorsky crash have petitioned Transport Minister Chuck Stahl to take action. Transport Canada did not enforce certification requirements, leading to sixteen factors that in their turn lead to the crash. Two of three titanium studs broke off the oil filter assembly.

    The helicopter’s design is to be able to continue flying for thirty minutes after the gearbox runs dry.

    The last conversations between air traffic controllers and the Sikorsky’s pilots, Capt. Matt Davis, 34, of St. John’s, and First Officer Tim Lanouette, 48, Comox, B.C., were released by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada.

    The news from the day of the tragic accident.

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    The Union of Canadian Transportation Employees (UCTE) is Pleased that the B.C. Supreme Court Ruling Affecting Aviation Liability Supports UCTE Positions on Safety Management Systems (SMS) Implementation

    OTTAWA, Feb. 7 – “The Union of Canadian Transportation Employees (UCTE) is pleased that the recent B.C. Supreme Court ruling (2010 BCSC 1744) supports much of what we have been saying about our concerns with Safety Management System (SMS) implementation,” stated National President Christine Collins.

    The ruling came about when Transport Canada resisted amendments to a lawsuit brought about by the surviving spouses of a pilot and his passenger killed in a helicopter crash in 2005. The amendments sought to include liability allegations against Transport Canada given that this department had delegated Ministerial oversight powers to a private contractor under the current SMS regime.

    UCTE represents Transport Canada airworthiness inspectors and, according to Collins, “we have been saying for more than five years that SMS at Transport Canada is not being implemented with the full safety of the public in mind.” In 2009, UCTE published its own Aviation SMS Policy recommendations entitled ‘What’s not Right and Why Change is Necessary’. One of the key recommendations is that Transport Canada should not be delegating Ministerial powers to private contractors or Associations, especially those that have a clearly identified conflict of interest.

    “We need significantly more government oversight of contractors, not less, especially over private contractors who are allowed to certify the airworthiness of aircrafts under Transport Canada delegation,” noted Collins.

    “This case speaks to the critical need to have sufficient numbers of highly trained and experienced inspectors that work for Transport Canada, with the authority and delegations to oversee all private sector safety activities,” concluded Collins. This is essential to ensure the safety of the travelling public.

    UCTE will follow closely the hearings that are slated to begin in May of 2011, now that the additional liability allegations against Transport Canada have been allowed to stand.

    The Union of Canadian Transportation Employees (UCTE) is a Component of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC). UCTE represents over 8 000 members working at Transport Canada, the Transportation Safety Board, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (Canadian Coast Guard), airports, private employers, NAV Canada and the Parks Canada Agency.

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    Emergency Airworthiness Directives issued by Transport Canada

    Inspection of Bombardier Q400 main landing gear has been ordered after line checks uncovered two cases of cam mechanism failure in the gear’s alternate extension system (AES). The cam mechanism operates the cable to open the main landing gear door and releases the MLG uplock in sequence. In cases where an operator must use the alternate extension system to deploy the MLG, the failure of the cam mechanism on one side will lead to an asymmetrical landing configuration.

    Bombardier (Boeing Canada/De Havilland) DHC-8 Series Aeroplanes


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    British Airways Flight Encounters Turbulence


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

    What: British Airways Boeing 747-400 en route from London Heathrow to Vancouver
    Where: Vancouver
    When: Jan 5th 2011
    Who:
    Why: While en route, the plane encountered severe turbulence with wind shear so extreme, the crew temporarily lost control of the plane. However they established control, and made it to Vancouver where they landed safely.

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    Airbus Makes Emergency Landing in Stephenville

    What: A-310 Airbus en route to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
    Where: Stephenville International Airport, Canada
    When: Dec 16, 2010
    Who: 8 crew
    Why: Overheating batteries convinced a pilot to land the privately owned airbus at Stephenville International Airport.

    After landing, members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police met the jet on the tarmac. The crew will be staying at local hotels until the plane is repaired.

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    Air Canada Boeing Returns to Vancouver

    What: Air Canada Boeing 777 en route from Vancouver to Toronto
    Where: Vancouver International Airport
    When: Dec 16, 2010
    Who: 224 passengers
    Why: While en route, the Boeing developed an oil pressure problem (indicator) in one of the engines. No smoke was reported.

    The pilots returned to Vancouver and made a safe landing. No injuries were reported. Passengers disembarked and boarded another plane which left for Toronto around noon.

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    Jazz Rejects Takeoff


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

    What: Air Canada Jazz Canadair CRJ-100 en route from Montreal to Charlottetown
    Where: Montreal
    When: Dec 6th 2010
    Who: 46 aboard
    Why: On takeoff, the pilots were reported smoke in the cabin and flight deck and rejected takeoff.

    The flight was cancelled. Passengers disembarked after the plane taxied to the gate. The problem was attributed to deicing fluid ingested into the engine.

    George’s Point of View

    My maintenance guys tell me that this is a technical maintenance issue.

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    Porter Airlines Emergency Landing

    What: Porter Airlines
    Where: Ottawa Airport
    When: Dec 6 2010 8:40 am
    Who: 28 aboard
    Why: The pilot informed the airport that he was having problems with his landing gear, and did a flyby to confirm the issue. But the plane landed safely with the gear down.

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    Delta Diverts for Stroke Victim


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer David Roura – Iberian Spotters

    What: Delta Airlines Airbus A330-300 en route from Paris Charles de Gaulle France to Atlanta,GA
    Where: Stephenville
    When: Nov 30
    Who: 1 passenger
    Why: Due to a passenger apparently having a stroke, the flight diverted to Stephenville Canada where a passenger was rushed to Sir Thomas Roddick Hospital. ATC suggested Saint Johns, but the weather was not permitting. The medical emergency delayed the arrival in Georgia by four hours. The ill passenger arrived at the hospital in critical condition

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    American Airlines: In the Mud


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

    What: American Airlines Boeing 737-800 en route from Dallas Ft. Worth,TX to Montreal
    Where: Montreal
    When: Nov 30th 2010
    Who: 105 passengers and 6 crew
    Why: After landing safely, the plane missed the turn to the proper taxiway and ended off the pavement, described as the front tires sliding “off the runway at low speed” Passengers disembarked via stairway with no injuries, and only minor injury to the plane.

    George’s Point of View

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    First Air Lands Safely at Iqaluit with One Engine Down


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Invader26

    What: First Air Avions de Transport Regional ATR-42-300 en route from Pangnirtung to Iqaluit
    Where: Iqaluit
    When: Nov 9th 2010
    Who: 13 on board
    Why: North East of Iqaluit, low oil forced pilots to shut down an engine. The pilot dropped to a lower altitude and landed safely at Iqaluit.

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    Maintenance, Smoke Grounds UA Flight to Shanghai

    What: United Airlines Boeing 777 en route from Chicago to Shanghai
    Where: Winnipeg
    When: Oct 25, 2010 1:40 pm
    Who: 194 passengers
    Why: While en route, the plane developed smoke in the cabin. The nearest place to land a 777 (requiring a long runway) was Winnipeg, so the pilot diverted to Winnipeg and made a safe landing with emergency crews on standby on the tarmac. Monday afternoon, a UA crew was assessing the plane; but a replacement plan is scheduled to arrive Tuesday to take the passengers to Shanghai.

    George’s Point of View

    Sometimes it seems as if it takes an emergency for a plane to get maintenance.

    Airliners never stop; they land, unload passengers, cleanup, fuel up, load more passengers and they are off again.

    When do planes get maintenance? After they see smoke?

    It’s not just United.

    Look at our posts: Engine failures, engine fires, cracked windshields, no oil pressure, low air pressure, breaking landing gear, non-working nose gear, shredding tires, smokey cabins…

    When do they stop a plane long enough for it to truly get a little TLC?

    I knew a former navy mechanic who said he would never fly on a commercial plane. Before AND After every flight, the crew checks every plane from nose to tail, ensuring everything is in perfect working order. It seems like a commercial plane only gets a good once over once it’s too late.

    We don’t do that with our cars. You know once the car’s warning light comes on, it’s already too late, and damage has already happened. So we get timely oil changes, and basic care because every dollar spent on maintenance is a hundred dollars not spent on repair.

    Sure, flight 835 plane is getting a once over now, but for that to happen, a plane full of passengers had to be put at risk.