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    Jet Blue Diverts to Ft. Lauderdale

    What: Jetblue Airbus A320-200 en route from Ponce Puerto Rico to Orlando,FL
    Where: Ft. Lauderdale
    When: Oct 28th 2011
    Who: 1 sick passenger
    Why: Because of a sick passenger suffering seizures aboard the flight, the pilot diverted to Fort Lauderdale. On approach to the airport, the crew found hydraulic issues, and descended with little rudder control (due to the hydraulic issues.)

    The flight made a safe landing.

    Medical services was awaiting the passenger, who was transported to the hospital, after the safe landing.

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    Connecticut Travel Nightmare


    Six Jet Blue flights (and seventeen other flights) diverted to Bradley International Airport. Three of Jet Blue’s flights got stuck there for hours but at least some of them managed to wait IN the airport. To top off the handicap of area power outages, Jet Blue ran out of bottled water and snacks. The power outages stranded some passengers who were unable to book rooms; they were sleeping everywhere, on cots in the terminal, and the toilets backed up. Some of the luggage that should have gone to Bradley ended up at JFK. Flights were backed up as they were waiting to refuel, de-ice, etc.

    Jet Blue flight 504 landed at 1:30 pm with 123 passengers–Passengers sat on the Tarmac for over seven hours. The planes doors were not opened until 9:00 pm. Three hours is the max allowable; the FAA may fine Jetblue $27500 per passenger as a violation of the Airline passengers bill of rights.

    Captain Thompson praised Air Traffic Control and expressed disappointment in Jet Blue.

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    SunExpress Emergency Landing


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

    What: Sunexpress Boeing 737-800 en route from Antalya to Dusseldorf
    Where: Dusseldorf
    When: Oct 28th 2011
    Why: Coming in to Dusseldorf, the crew discovered a flaps problem on the 737.

    They aborted the initial approach and circled while they attempted correction.

    They made a fast landing on the second attempt.

    The outgoing flight was detained a couple of hours as repairs were performed on the flight.

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    PJ Helicopters Pilot Injured in Chopper Field Crash

    What: PJ Helicopters Hughes MD500D turbine
    Where: SW of Colusa
    When: 10 27, 2011, 3 PM
    Who: pilot
    Why: Thursday Bradley Hall had ported electrical workers to a platform when the chopper failed, lost altitude and made what has been described as a crash and a hard controlled landing. It crashed in a field off Wescott Road at Colusa National Wildlife Refuge.

    Hughes was airlifted to Enlie Medical Center in Chico.

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    Northern Thunderbird Air Crash in Vancouver BC


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

    What: Northern Thunderbird Air Beechcraft 100 King Air en route from Vancouver International Airport to Kelowna International Airport
    Where: Russ Baker Way, near Vancouver International Airport, Canada
    When: Oct 27, 2011 4 pm
    Who: 9 occupants, 2 fatalities
    Why: Reporting difficulty to ATC after a warning light came on in the cabin fifteen minutes after takeoff, the pilot, Luc Fortin attempted to return to the airport. The plane crash landed short of the runway. On impact, the fuselage separated from the tail section by 10 yards and was on fire beside the road. Fortin died of his injuries, and the co-pilot died later with burns on 80% of his body. There were 9 people aboard, and all of them were hospitalized. The plane had hit the ground and skidded, it’s wing striking a car. Two on the ground (in the car) were injured by debris.

    Fortin, a 14,000-hour pilot, died at Vancouver General Hospital, and leaves a wife Dagne and sixteen month old daughter Katelyn.

    After weeks in intensive care, co-pilot, Matt Robic, 26, died at Vancouver General Hospital on November 16, 2011 with 80% burns. He leaves his wife Natalie Redfearn.

    On landing on Russ Baker Way (street), the plane burst into flames. Passersby on the street pulled over and rushed to the burning plane to pull those aboard from the flames. Initially both pilots were alive and were rushed to the hospital in critical condition. Read the accounts of some of those involved by following the “read more” link below.

    The flight had been chartered as a private rental by an executive group with business in Kelowna.

    Jeremy Kerr, John Redmond, Haim Peri, Shawn Nagurny, Lonney Lee and half a dozen other good samaritans had been driving by (or worked in the immediate area) and pulled over to run into the burning plane and rescue those aboard. Thanks to their efforts, seven people survived. Carolyn Cross, Lorelei Sobolik, Cameron Sobolik, Tony (Troy?) Zanatta, Kelly Jablonski, Jeff McCord were among the survivors.

    The black box and data therein was recovered.

    Survivor audio


    Raw Video

    Read more

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    Delta Emergency Landing in Great Falls Montana

    What: Delta Boeing 757 en route from Atlanta to Seattle
    Where: Great Falls International Airport
    When: October 23, 2011, 12:30 pm
    Who: 177 passengers, 1 emergency
    Why: While en route, a passenger aboard flight 129 became unconscious.

    The pilots diverted to Great Falls where they made an emergency landing, and delivered the passenger to an ambulance which took her to Benefits Health System, facilitated by the Montana Air National Guard Fire Department.

    The flight took off again, promptly.

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    Helicopter Crashes in a Street in Mexico

    What: Gobierno del Estado de Mexico Agusta A109S Grand
    Where: Peréz Valenzuela (street), Del Carmen district, in Coyacán, Mexico
    When: Oct 21, 2011
    Who: 4 aboard, 2 fatalities
    Why: If you imagine going about your normal daily life, you do not expect a chopper to fall in the street, crush your cars and slam into your house.

    A chopper owned by the government of Mexico fell in the streets of Coyoacán, between Guillermo Pérez Valenzuela and Avenida Universidad, landing on two vehicles and striking the wall of a house. Because of a fuel spill, the area was cordoned off.

    The chopper is an Agusta A-109-S Grand, XC-EDM

    Initial coverage was confusing and indicated no fatalities, then three fatalities, then two fatalities with identities unknown.

    Eventually two people were confirmed to be deceased, and two as survivors, but the identities took some time to sort out. Two names were released: Juan Estevan Rodriguez (Ruiz Rodriguez) and Julius Caesar Maturano Gomez were reported to be the fatalities—that is, one of the pilots, and the assistant of the secretary of Metropolitan development. We can assume this is correct because of reports of officials attending the funerals in #7 Rue insurgentes in Sapotian neighborhood, Santa Maria Cuevas, Zumpango.

    Fernando Alberto Garcia Cuevas (the government official) and the surviving pilot were rushed to Hospital Ángeles Pedregal by emergency responders. Cuevas suffered bleeding of a kidney, which is being addressed by catheter embolization. The surviving pilot, Juan Manuel Ramírez Rivera will be undergoing surgery for broken vertebra in his chest, when he is stabilized.

    The pilots attempted to land and save the lives of their passengers and we acknowledge their heroic effort.

    Our sources have one photo of the chopper in question:


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Luis Tena Orozco – AeroImagenes de Mexico

    There was significant confusion in the reportage, so that based on reported coverage, all I can say is this:

    There may have been a flaw in the rotor of the aircraft, though it is not clear if it was something that the pilots had been informed of prior to the flight, or if there was a failure during the flight. There was also a statement published that the chopper fell out of the sky, and was seen plummeting, and that the rotor stopped because the hasp detached (or did not detach) from the main rotor. I am sure the truth come out in the investigation; it is too soon to know what happened, but if any parties in the know want to comment or make corrections, we welcome the input.

    As always, condolences to the families of Rodriguez and Gomez, and best wishes to the recovery of the injured.

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    Airbus Emergency Landing in Perm


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Luigi Maccio – SpotIT

    What: Lufthansa Airbus A320-200 en route from Ekaterinburg Russia to Frankfurt Germany
    Where: Perm
    When: Oct 25th 2011
    Who: 116 passengers and 6 crew
    Why: While en route, smoke appeared in the cabin of the Airbus.

    The pilots reported the smoke to ATC and diverted to Perm.

    They made a safe landing. Passengers waited while a replacement flight was provided.

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    Yemeni Military Crash Kills 5

    What: Yemen Air Force Antonov
    Where: Al-Anad Air Base, Yemen
    When: October 25, 2011
    Who: 15 aboard, 5 fatalities
    Why: A plane carrying eight Syrian engineers and seven Yemenis crashed while landing at Al-Anad on October 25 in the southern province of Lahij.

    Three Syrian technicians and one Yemeni died at the scene. Four, then five deaths have been reported.

    The condition of the survivors has not been released.

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    Embraer Flaps Down Landing in Montreal

    What: Air Canada Embraer 180 en route from Halifax
    Where: Trudeau Airport, Montreal Canada
    When: October 24, 2011, 9:00 am
    Why: While en route from Halifax, the pilots received an indication that the flaps were not performing.

    The flight diverted to Trudeau airport where the plane made a safe if high-speed landing with emergency vehicles on standby.

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    Baby Arrives Via Air India


    What: Air India Boeing 777-300 en route from Delhi India to Toronto,ON Canada
    Where: Kazakhstan
    When: Oct 22nd 2011
    Who: 1 baby
    Why: While en route, 35-year-old Kulraj Kaur (Kuljeet), a pregnant passenger in her 32nd week was traveling with her husband when she went into labor. A pediatrician and an oncologist were on board to deliver the baby. The eight hour delivery occurred at 31,000 feet and was considered “normal”. The flight continued, and the baby was born while the flight was still in the air.

    According to aviation law, an infant born on a flight is granted citizen ship to the country where the plane is registered, regardless of the parents’ citizenship or location of the event.

    The pilot Captain Kapil Kohli told Canadian ATC that “We departed with 268 passengers, but will be landing with 269.”

    Most airlines allow women to fly up to 35th weeks, after which they require a note from their obstetrician.

    In George’s Point of View


    A whole new meaning to Express Delivery!

    Congratulations to the family.

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    Lion Air Runway Excursion

    What: Lion Air Boeing 737-900 en route from Tarakan to Balikpapan (Indonesia)
    Where: Balikpapan
    When: Oct 23rd 2011
    Who: 198 passengers and 7 crew
    Why: On landing in wet weather, the Lion Air Boeing 737-900 skidded off the wet runway off the paved area. There was heavy wind and rain, at the time of the landing. There were no injuries in the runway excursion.

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    Private Cessna Blows Up Over Veracruz


    Click to view full size photo
    Contact photographer Paul Chandler

    What: Cessna 210G Centurion #N5894FN en route from Puebla to Villahermosa, Tabasco.
    Where: Veracruz Mexico
    When: October 23, 2011, 10.00 local tim
    Who: 2 fatalities
    Why: Over the town of Angel R. Cabada, the plane was flying in a westerly direction, made a turn and then exploded in the air. Documents found on the bodies belong to a married couple, Reggie and Andrea Henkart . The occupants were employees of U.S. company Agfa Phoenix.

    Rescue services responded to the call but there was not much they could do for the victims but secure the scene.

    There was a slight rain at the time of the event, and the location is one that is difficult to access in a sugar cane field and tropical rainforest. The two aboard were Americans.

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    ANA Flight Emergency Landing


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

    What: ANA All Nippon Airways Airbus A320-200 en route from Nagoya to Sapporo
    Where: Nagoya
    When: Oct 20th 201
    Who: 169 aboard
    Why: On taking off from Nagoya, the pilots found a cabin pressure problem. They returned to Nagoya to make a safe landing. The plane was in the air less than half an hour.

    The error appears to have been the indicator. An investigation is underway.

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    A380 Emergency Landing at Shamshabad

    What: Emirates A380 en route from Bangkok to Dubai
    Where: Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Shamshabad
    When: October 23, 2011, 3:40 a.m.
    Who: 481 passengers
    Why: While en route, the plane developed problems. Pilots planned to land in Chennai but could not get clearance, and diverted instead to Shamshabad, where they were able to be cleared to land.

    The flight did land safely. The passengers disembarked with no reported injuries, and were provided a plane to take them the rest of the way to Dubai. Some took alternative flights.

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    Journalists Die in Belarus Chopper Crash

    What: Belarusian Eurocopter AS 355NP Ecureuil II AS355 NP border patrol helicopter
    Where: Lithuanian border about 800 metres from Vileity
    When: October 20 2011, 3:45 p.m
    Who: 5 fatalities
    Why: Three journalists, Vitaly Prochkovsky, 36; Sergei Shamalov, 39; and Yulia Shaternik, 28 died working on a report about border security for Union, a Belarus television and radio company. Pilots Igor Skvortsov and Andrew Pekarsky also died in in the crash. The chopper circled a house, and fell out of the sky. The Twin Squirrel helicopter they were on crashed for an unknown reason. Forester Elena Kirplyuk witnessed the crash. Crash site specialists converged on the scene. An investigation is underway.

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    Air India Emergency Landing in Bhopal

    What: Air India Airbus A319-100 en route from Bhopal to Indore
    Where: Bhopal
    When: Oct 19th 2011
    Who: 70 passengers
    Why: The Air India flight took off normally but once in the air developed a hydraulic failure.

    The flight returned to the airport and made a safe landing after being in the air for a quarter of an hour.

    Passengers were booked on alternative flights.

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    Sky King Flight Cancelled

    What: Sky King/Direct Air Boeing 737-200 en route from Lakeland,FL to Niagara Falls,NY
    Where: Lakeland
    When: Oct 15th 2011
    Why: The charter flight took off once and returned to the Lakeland with cabin pressure problems, then took off again, again with cabin pressure problems.

    The passengers were booked on alternative flights.

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    One survives Nairobi Crash

    What: Cezanne Air Express Cessna 401A
    Where: 10km west of Nairobi, Kenya
    When: Oct 21, 2011
    Who: 2 fatalities, 3 aboard
    Why: The flight took off from Wilson Airport taking Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education exam papers to Marsabit and Lodwar and crashed. Witnesses describe the flight as spinning out of control before it crashed near a school. Kenya Red Cross Action team and Emergency Medical Services (Eplus Kenya) responded.

    The pilot and two passengers were hospitalized at Karen Hospital. Two died from the crash, one at the hospital. One passenger is still alive in critical condition.

    Extensive photos of the wreckage of this tragic event are available on facebook at Facebook Photos

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    Lufthansa Oil Pressure Down over Cologne


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Ruud Brinks – Aerospray

    What: Lufthansa Cityline Embraer ERJ-190 en route from Frankfurt to Hanover
    Where: Cologne
    When: Oct 21st 2011
    Who: 41 passengers and 5 crew
    Why: After takeoff from Frankfurt, an engine was shut down (for the second day in a row). The pilots diverted to Cologne where they made a safe landing. Passengers were driven to Hanover.

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    British Airways Engine Shut Down over Atlantic


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Gary Claridge-king

    What: British Airways Boeing 777-200 en route from Santa Maria Azores Islands (Portugal) to London Heathrow
    Where: Atlantic
    When: Oct 19th 2011
    Why: While en route to Portugal, one of the plane’s four engines (right engine) had to be shut down after experiencing a problem with the oil pressure. The flight diverted to Lisbon, and made a safe landing.

    The same plane had had a similar problem on October 16th, and had diverted at that point to Santa Maria.