Germany

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    Lufthansa Jet Makes Emergency Landing in Munich

    LufthansaLufthansa flight LH-1679 had to make an emergency landing in Munich, Germany, on October 11.

    The Airbus A320-200 was descending towards Munich when the crew declared emergency due to smoke in the cockpit. The plane was flying from Budapest, Hungary, at the time.

    The plane landed safely. No injuries were reported.

    Authorities said the smoke had dissipated before landing.

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    Luxair Plane Crash-Lands in Germany; No Injuries Reported

    LuxairLuxair flight LG 9562 had to return and make a gear-up landing at Saarbrücken airport, Germany, on September 30.

    Authorities said the pilots of the Luxembourg-bound Bombardier Q400 aircraft decided to abort take off due to a cabin fire warning. The plane then landed on its underbelly because apparently the landing gear failed to deploy.

    There were 16 passengers and 4 crew members aboard at the time; none of them was hurt.

    According to an airline spokesperson, the passengers were transported to Luxembourg by road.

    The FAA was investigating.

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    Air Canada Plane Diverts to Frankfurt to Save Dog

    Air CanadaAir Canada flight AC-85 had to divert and make an emergency landing in Frankfurt, Germany, on September 13.

    The Boeing 787-800 was heading from Tel Aviv, Israel to Toronto, Canada, when heating system of a cargo bay malfunctioned. The captain decided to divert the plane as there was a French bulldog named Simba travelling in the bay. According to airline spokesperson Peter Fitzpatrick, “As soon as the crew became aware of the temperature issue, the captain grew rightfully concerned for the dog’s comfort and well-being… With the altitude it can become very uncomfortable, and possibly the situation could have been life-threatening if the flight had continued.”

    The plane landed safely. Everyone aboard remained unhurt.

    The plane was able to continue its journey with a 90-minute delay.

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    British Airways Plane Diverts to Germany due to Fumes in Cabin

    British airwaysBritish Airways flight BA-143 diverted and made an emergency landing at the runway of Frankfurt Airport, Germany, on September 4.

    The Boeing 777-200, flying from Heathrow Airport, England, to Dehli, India, had to be diverted after the crew noticed fumes in cabin.

    The plane landed safely and no injuries were reported.

    The incident was being investigated.

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    Air Berlin Plane Diverts to Cologne Bonn Airport

    Air downloadBerlin flight AB-7001 had to make an emergency landing at Cologne Bonn Airport, Germany, on July 20.

    The airbus A330-200 was heading towards Dusseldorf, Germany, from Miami, Florida, when its main gear tires lost pressure, forcing the pilot to divert.

    The plane landed safely. All the passengers aboard remained unhurt.

    The flight resumed after replacing wheels.

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    EasyJet Flight Diverts to Germany after Medical Emergency

    EasyjetEasyJet flight EZY 4784 had to divert and make an emergency landing at Berlin Schönefeld Airport, Germany, on July 16.

    The plane, en-route from Manchester, England to Tel Aviv, Israel, had to be landed in emergency after 3 cabin crew members and some passengers suspiciously started feeling unwell.

    The plane, carrying 175 passengers and 6 crew members, landed uneventfully. All passengers were checked by the medics and 4 of them were hospitalized.

    The flight resumed shortly afterwards.

    The incident is under investigation.

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    Return of Germanwings Crash Victims’ Remains Delayed

    GermanwingsThe relatives of Germanwings flight 9525 crash victims have expressed “rage and despair”, after Lufthansa delayed return of the victims’ remains to Germany.

    The plane, which crashed in France on March 24, was carrying 150 people, around half whom were German.

    The airline had originally planned to bring the victim’s remains to Germany on June 9 and 10. However, on June 3, it sent an email to the families, informing them that the plan had been “temporarily interrupted” for an indefinite period.

    Elmar Giemulla, an attorney representing several victims’ relatives, said “anger and despair are growing” among the families.

    According to Germanwings spokesman Joachim Schoettes, errors in death certificates of victims forced the delay. “We’re working intensively on finding a solution as quickly as possible in the interests of the relatives,” he said.

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    German Air Controllers Express Need for Remote Control of Aircrafts

    In the wake of recent Germanwings flight 9525 crash, German air traffic control authority has expressed the need for remote control of aircrafts.

    At a press conference on April 15, head of the Deutsche Flugsicherung air traffic control authority, Dieter Scheurle, urged the aviation industry to develop a system that would enable the on-ground staff to remotely command the aircrafts. “We have to think past today’s technology,” he said, adding that, “I wouldn’t say it’s the simplest solution though.”

    However, according to German pilots’ union Vereinigung Cockpit, such a system would be prone to misuse as well. The union spokesperson Markus Wahl said, “We also have to ask whether such a solution would really be an improvement, after all it’s the pilots who are sitting in the cockpit and they’re the ones with all the information.”

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    Bomb Threat Prompts Evacuation of Germanwings Plane

    GermanwingsA Germanwings Airbus A320 had to be evacuated at Cologne/Bonn airport in Germany, on April 12.

    The airline said Milan-bound flight 4U 826 was taxiing to the runway when the air traffic tower asked the pilot to abort the flight due to a bomb threat.

    All 132 people aboard were evacuated safely. The airline confirmed that the plane was thoroughly searched but not explosive device was found.

    An alternate aircraft was arranged for the passengers.

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    EasyJet Flight Makes Emergency Landing in Germany

    EasyjetEasyJet flight EZY5455 had to make an emergency landing at Cologne Bonn Airport in Germany, on April 11.

    The plane was heading from London Gatwick Airport to Paphos, Cyprus, when the pilot reported smoky odor in the cockpit and declared emergency.

    The Airbus A320 made a safe emergency landing in Cologne. All 169 passengers and 6 crew members aboard remained unharmed.

    The airline arranged an alternate aircraft for the passengers.

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    Turkish Airlines Jet Lands in Emergency with Cracked Windshield

    Turkish airlinesTurkish Airlines flight TK1530 made an emergency landing at Nuremberg Airport, Germany, on April 8.

    The Airbus 321 was heading from Düsseldorf to Istanbul when its windshield began to crack. The pilots then immediately reported the situation and requested an emergency landing at the nearest airport.

    The plane landed uneventfully and everyone aboard remained unhurt.

    The aircraft was taken for repair.

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    Venice-Bound Germanwings Flight Diverts to Stuttgart Airport

    GermanwingsGermanwings Flight 4U 814 had to divert and make an unscheduled landing at Stuttgart Airport, Germany, on April 4.

    The airline said the Airbus A319, en-route from Cologne, Germany, to Venice, Italy, had to be diverted after the pilot reported suspected oil leakage and shut down one of the engines. “This is a standard safety procedure. It was not an emergency landing,” the statement said.

    The plane landed safely and all 123 passengers and 5 crew members remained safe.

    The aircraft was taken for inspection while an alternate plane was arranged for the passengers.

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    The Ironic Tragedy of Germanwings Flight 9525

    mountain

    Cockpit door designed to lock trouble out locks in Suicidal Pilot

    Pasadena, CA — (ReleaseWire) — 04/02/2015 — As an advocate (not a lawyer) of fair compensation for the victims of plane crashes, I have been closely following the story behind the crash of Germanwings Flight 9525 and the now notorious 27-year-old co-pilot, Andreas Lubitz. As is always the case, a team of expert investigators will dig out the facts to determine the most likely scenario behind the crash. That careful investigation will take a year at the very least. In this Germanwings accident, the one factor that stands out already is the role played by the pilot’s state of mind in what appears now to be his deliberate collision course with the French Alps. It is now common knowledge that the plane disintegrated on impact with the Massif des Trois-Évêchés. Imagine how horrified the families were when the transcript of the CVR (Cockpit Voice Recorder) was quickly leaked by tabloids. Journalists have been shouldering each other out of the way to get to the front of the line, “scooping” each with another “leaked” nugget. A girlfriend’s interview. A medical report here. A video there. TV commentators and newspapers from CNN and the venerable New York Times to the most scurrilous tabloids are spouting “the facts” faster than investigators can have gotten to the information. Tweeting the news as I do results in loads of source-checking, and plenty of on-going head-scratching moments while weeding out wild supposition masquerading as news in sources one would normally consider impeccable. When one source says “the plane is blue,” another says “the plane is red.” Sometimes I can determine which is the truth, but sometimes I have to leave it to readers to puzzle out.

    I have been working Wrongful Death cases for some forty-seven years now. I am a consultant to attorneys across the globe who represent the families of Wrongful Death victims. Each investigation is exactly the same in terms of the emotional impact of the accident. Devastating. Whether the case may or may not end up in court, whether or not the accident catches the media’s attention, every aspect is always impossibly difficult for the families. Some accidents seem similar because they share a factor, whether it be similar weather conditions, mechanical difficulties, or a particular flaw in a particular model of plane.

    Some aviation accidents personify extremes. Consider that while there is always some degree of speculation as to an accident’s cause, MH370 brought as many conspiracy theorists out of the woodwork in this past twelve months as Amelia Earhart’s disappearance has in the past 87 years. Everything seems plausible when people are desperate for an explanation. Because in this age of cell phones and satellites, there is simply no explanation for a plane to vanish, MH370 has become the “poster child” for speculation. I expect MH370 will continue to spawn new theories and will endure as a mystery until, at some point, the wreckage will be found and examined.

    If I were comparing MH370 and Germanwings 9525, I could write a whole piece examining the conflict of government transparency vs. individual confidentiality, but that was not my intent today. I was just thinking of aviation safety, and how 9/11 became the catalyst for upgraded multifaceted flight deck security. One outcome of 9/11 is the impregnable, indestructible cockpit door, the brain child of countless engineering hours, security and scientific research. Passengers since 9/11 have flown safe in the knowledge that no intruder could again gain entry to the cockpit and overpower the pilot thanks to redundant enhanced security precautions and a door designed to keep the dangerous people out. Now there’s a cockpit voice recording that appears to show that same safe cockpit door is the barrier that kept the PIC from being able to save everyone aboard. Captain Patrick Sondenheimer died trying to get that door open.

    The impregnable cockpit door, the terrible irony of Germanwings Flight 9525.

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    A division of Wrongful Death Consultants, Air Crash Consultants was established to network between lawyers and their clients, bridging the gaps, especially in regard to International clients, freeing and enabling the lawyer to concentrate on higher priority commitments. Air Crash Consultant services might also be designated as an umbrella, because the company’s functions encompass a variety of problem-solving areas in support of the lawyer-client relationship as needed. Services are not limited to finding experts, developing translation teams, client support, document handling, drafting demand letters, client interviews, etc. Visit the company websites at”
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    Airbus Video on Secure Cockpit door

    Security measures were taken by aviation designers after 911 to ensure a safe cockpit door in the A320,resulting in a door designed to stop intruders and protect the pilot within.

    Since the Sept. 11 attacks, flight crews no longer have keys to open the cockpit door. The door remains locked during flight. When entry is requested on the outside keypad, a buzzer goes off. The pilot can toggle the switch and unlock the door.

    The CVR now seems to indicate that copilot Andreas Lubitz locked out the Pilot In Command, Captain Patrick Sondenheimer. There is audio record of him attempting to get through the invincible door.

    Read more about Germanwings Flight 9525

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    2 Killed as Sport Plane Crashes in Germany

    A sport plane crashed in a residential area near Goeppingen city of Baden Wuerttemberg, Germany, on January 18.

    Authorities said the plane crashed between apartment buildings, scratching various houses, and ended up in a garden.

    There were 2 people aboard the plane; both of them were killed in the crash.

    According to Police officials, no one on the ground was injured however, the accident caused damage of around 100,000 euros.

    The cause of crash is being investigated.

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    MH17 Crash: Mother of German Victim Sues Ukrainian Government

    Malaysia AirlinesMother of a German victim of the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 has sued the Ukrainian government for keeping the airspace open during military conflict.

    The MH17, en-route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, crashed on July 17 in the Ukrainian airspace. It is presumed that the plane crashed after it was shot by a surface-to-air missile fired from Donetsk region of Ukraine. All 298 people aboard the plane were killed in the crash.

    According to media reports, the mother of a German victim has claimed that the government of Ukraine did not close the airspace during military conflict because of millions of dollars which the country makes through foreign commercial flights. She has filed the case in the European Court of Human Rights, asking for about $1 million as a compensation for the suffering she had to endure.

    Renowned German lawyer Elmar Giemula, who is a professor of aviation law, will be presenting the case in court.

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    U2 Singer Bono in Mid-Air Scare

    U2 singer Bono had a midair mishap on November 12 when the luggage-compartment door of his private Learjet 60 fell off over Germany.

    The incident happened when rockstar was on his way from Dublin to Berlin, to perform at the Bambi Awards.

    The plane landed safely at the Berlin Schonefeld Airport at around 12:26 a.m. Besides Bono, there were 4 passengers and 2 pilots in the plane. None of them was harmed.

    Germout Freitag, from the German Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation, said, “The ground crew realized the door was gone and two suitcases had fallen out…Officials have not yet located the two suitcases or the hatch door, but they have been able to pinpoint the area where they are likely to have landed by the radar.”

    The cause of accident is under investigation.

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    Unusual Odor in Cockpit Forced Lufthansa Flight to Divert

    LufthansaLufthansa flight LH2505 made an emergency landing at Stuttgart Airport, Germany, on November 13.

    The flight heading from Manchester to Munich wad forced to land in emergency after an unusual odor was discovered in the cockpit.

    Ambulances and fire services were put on alert at the airport when the Airbus A321-231 landed uneventfully. All 82 passengers aboard remained unharmed.

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    2 Killed After Plane Crashes into Warehouse in Germany

    Two people were killed after a small plane crashed into a tires warehouse in Bremen, northern Germany, in the early afternoon of August 1.

    According to police spokesman Dirk Siemering, the aircraft came down shortly after taking off from Bremen airport.

    The rescue workers found two bodies at the tires warehouse, however, their identities have not so far been released.

    The cause of the crash is not yet clear.

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    2 Presumed Dead after Civilian Plane and Fighter Jet Collide Mid-air in Germany

    plane crashA military-chartered jet and a German Eurofighter aircraft collided mid-air in western Germany.

    Police officials confirmed that the Learjet had two people on-board when it collided with the fighter plane on June 23. They also revealed that both aircrafts were hit on the wing and the fuselage.

    The Learjet caught fire and crashed into a forested area in Sauerland region; both on-board have been presumed dead. The fighter jet was also badly damaged but it was able to land on its base in Norvenich near Cologne.

    Joerg Langer, a spokesperson of German military, said there had been a contact between a Eurofighter jet and a Learjet. He also confirmed that the Eurofighter landed safely.

    The Learjet was operated by an Airbus Defence and Space’s subsidiary, Gesellschaft für Flugzieldarstellung” (GFD), which assists German military in maneuvers.

    It is believed that the Learjet was involved in a training exercise along with two Eurofighters, one of which was involved in the accident.

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    Crack in Outer Window Prompts SAS Flight to Land in Emergency

    Cracked windowA Scandinavian Airlines flight had to make ab emergency landing after a passenger noticed that the aircraft had a cracked window.

    The incident happened on May 16, when the flight SK-4718 was on its way from Milan, Italy to Oslo, Norway. The pilot then requested emergency protocol for landing in Frankfurt, Germany.

    The plane touched down at 09:03 UTC. All passengers and crew members were safely evacuated. A ferry later transported the Boeing 737-600 aircraft to Oslo for examination.

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    Helicopter Skids Down German Slope


    On January 26, 2014, a Deutsche Rettungsflugwacht e.V. Eurocopter EC135 P2 flew a medical evacuation of a skiing accident victim.

    The pilot aborted two landings that were too steep, and had landed on the third try on the snow-covered hill near a ski run in Oberwiesenthal.

    The pilot had just left the helicopter when it slid under its own weight thirty meters into the valley, and collided with a post and a vehicle, and sustained damage. There were skiers around as the helicopter slid by but they managed to get out of the way. There were no casualties except for the rotor blade of the helicopter. The investigation is underway.