Locale

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    Air Canada Bird Strike over Montreal


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact Photographer Mark Kryst

    What: Air Canada Embraer ERJ-190 en route from Orlando to Montreal
    Where: Montreal
    When: Jun 21st 2009
    Who: 85 people on board
    Why: After a normal lift-off and flight, on approach to Montreal, birds struck the plane’s right wing lodging the flaps in an extended position. Despite the slat problem, the plane landed safely within 20 minutes of the strike.

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    Romanian Flight: Emergency landing in Madrid


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact Photographer Matthias Bindseil

    What: Tarom Romanian Air Transport Airbus A310-300 en route from Bucharest Otopeni (Romania) to Tenerife Sur Reina,CI (Spain)
    Where: Madrid
    When: Jun 18th 200p
    Who: 201 passengers and 10 crew members
    Why: En route the windshield cracked, and the flight was diverted safely to Madrid. No injuries were reported though the cockpit depressurized.

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    Lighting Strikes Airbus


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Paul Stam
    What: Aer Lingus Airbus A321-200 en route from Dublin to London
    Where: Dublin Airport
    When: Jun 6th 2009 11: 30 am.
    Who:
    Why: Coming out of London the Airbus was struck by lightning. The flight returned to London, and landed safely. Passengers debarked half an hour after they had gotten on, and booked other flights as the Airbus was examined for damage.

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    A Near Miss on same day as the A330 crash


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Chris Patton
    What: Skyservice Airlines Airbus A320-200 on behalf of Thomson Airways en route from Turkey to Belfast
    Where: Dalaman
    When: Monday June 1
    Who: More than 200 passengers. (Exact figures not available yet.)
    Why: Just after take-off, the pilot narrowly avoided colliding with a Turkish military jet. After the maneuver, the plane fell hundreds of feet, leveled off and continued to Ireland.

    George’s Point of View

    Fates are at it again.

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    Fly Keystone Cops, no, I mean Fly India

    George’s Point of View

    Once upon a time, there were two runways: Runway 27 and Runway 14. They crossed each other. It didn’t matter that they crossed each other because the KING of the runway (Air Traffic Control) never allowed planes in a collision course. In Air Traffic Control school, they teach that a collision course would be a very bad thing.

    So one day, an Air India A310 was on Runway 27, and waiting for input from Air Traffic Control. And, simultaneously, a Jet Airways Boeing 737-800, flight was waiting on Runway 14.

    Somehow, both planes started to take-off.

    Air Traffic control recognized that the very bad thing was about to happen, and cancelled one of the take-offs.

    Fortunately both pilots were awake, saw the what was happening and both pilots rejected takeoff.

    (Fortunately, they teach that a collision course is a bad thing in Pilot school too. Nice juxtaposition, that.)

    It’s a good day when no one dies from the accident that could have happened.

    It’s not a happy ending yet, because it won’t be over until the investigation is over. No one died…but it remains to be seen if heads may still roll.

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    MD-90 Engine Failure over Madinah, Saudi Arabia

    What: Saudi Airlines McDonnell Douglas MD-90-30 en route from Damascus to Madinah, Saudi Arabia
    Where: emergency landing at Prince Muhammad International Airport in Madinah
    When: Thursday May 28th 2009-evening
    Who: 121 passengers
    Why: On approach, the plane experienced a failure in one of its engines. The pilot had to burn off fuel, telling the control tower he was unable to land. After a number of attempts, the MD-90 landed safely.

    George’s Point of View

    Math question
    If an MD-80 flies from Damascus to Madinah carrying 121 passengers with all its engines, loses one and has to circle for thirty minutes after it arrives at its destination, how much fuel was in the plane to begin with?

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    Helicopter Crash in Santo Domingo

    What: Amable Aristy’s Enstrom E480B en route from Bavaro, Punta Cana to Isabela terminal at Higüero Santo Domingo
    Where: Batey Lechuga, Guaymate, La Romana province, Dominican Republic in a cane field
    When: noon
    Who: Miguel Perez and passenger
    Why: Cause unknown

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    Airbus Engine Shuts Down on Singapore-London flight

    What: Singapore Airlines Airbus A380-800 en route from Singapore to London Heathrow
    Where: Heathrow Airport
    When: May 25th 2009
    Why: One of the plane’s four engines shut down causing an hour’s delay. The plane was taken out of service, and the return flight was delayed until the Airbus was back in service.

    George’s Point of View

    Airbus is just starting out with this monster and already having engine issues. Engine shut down is serious stuff, even though the monster can fly on less than 4 engines, it’s serious.

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    Canadair Jet Cockpit Side-Window Shatters in Flight

    What: British Air on behalf of Air France Canadair CRJ-100 en route from from Barcelona to Paris
    Where: 15 passengers
    When: May 26th 2009
    Who: 15 passengers
    Why: Near Limoges, the right cockpit window shattered, causing the plane to experience sudden decompression. the plane landed safely at Limoges. Cockpit crew had some injuries from flying glass.

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    Turbulence Rattles Tam Airbus


    Contact photographer SkyMember
    Pictured: flight 8095

    Contact photographer Jerome Mervelet
    Pictured: TAM Linhas Aereas Airbus A330-200 registration PT-MVN
    What: TAM Linhas Aereas Airbus A330-200 en route from Miami,FL (USA) to Sao Paulo
    Where: Sao Paulo
    When: May 25 2009
    Who: 154 passengers
    Why: On approach to Sao Paulo, the flight experienced turbulence. Fasten seat belt signs were illuminated about 20 minutes before landing–Some passengers struck the ceiling.

    Thirteen were treated at the airport; eight were taken to the hospital. No mention is made of any injuries to crew members

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    Flat Tire Down Under

    What: A Virgin Blue Holdings Ltd. Boeing 737-700 en route from Sydney Nova Scotia to Coolangatta Australia
    Where: Brisbane Airport Queensland
    When: 2:30 p.m. local time May 26
    Who: 109 passengers
    Why: After departing, Airport crew at Sydney found parts of the Boeing’s nose wheel tire. The plane made a safe emergency landing in Brisbane. Passengers debarked; and the tire was replaced.

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    Bomb Scare

    What: Oman Air Boeing 737-800 en route from Muscat to Chennai
    Where: Mumbai
    When: May 25, 2009
    Who: 140 passengers
    Why: When a passenger found a suspicious object and a letter which threatened to kill all the passengers aboard the flight, the crew requested an emergency landing.

    Another source quoted: ‘a flight attendant had found a note in one of the lavatories saying “you will all die. Bye.”‘

    The flight landed safely and the passengers were directed to another plane.

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    Red Wings Divert to Krasnodar

    What: Moscow-based Red Wings Tu-204 airline en route from Perm in the Urals to Antalya Turkey
    Where: Krasnodar airport
    When: The plane landed at Krasnodar airport at 10:55 a.m. Moscow time (6:55 GMT) on Sunday, May 24
    Who: 206 passengers and 11 crewmembers
    Why: Problems were detected with the fuel system, necessitating a diversion to the Krasnodar airport

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    Brazil Crash Kills Businessman and Family

    What: King Air 350 jet en route from Sao Paulo to Trancoso
    Where: seaside resort town of Trancoso, Bahia near the resort area of Porto Seguro. Their destination had been the Terravista complex in Bahia.
    When: 23 May 2009
    Who: Eight passengers and three crew members including Roger Ian Wright, founder of a Sao Paulo-based investment company, his wife Lucilia Lins and two children–Veronica and Felipe, two grandsons, a grand daughter, a great aunt,and the 56-year-old pilot Jorge Lang Filho
    Why: UPDATED:The plane left Sao Paulo at 6:31 pm, and crashed in a forested area near the runway at 9: 10 pm while attempting to land during a heavy storm. Prior to impact, the pilot reported that “visual and landing conditions were normal.”

    In addition to being the ex-director of Banco Garantia, Roger Wright, was the owner of Arsenal Investmentos and a friend of Prince Andrew.

    George’s Point of View

    We share the sentiments expressed on the Arsenal Investment’s website:

    Arsenal Investimentos está profundamente pesarosa diante do trágico acidente aéreo ocorrido na noite de sexta-feira, dia 22 de maio, em Trancoso, na Bahia, que tirou a vida de seu sócio-fundador, o empresário Roger Ian Wright, e de seus familiares. Diante desse momento doloroso, a empresa se solidariza com todos os amigos e parentes das vítimas.

    Arsenal Investments is deeply sorry the tragic crash occurred on the evening of Friday, on May 22 in Trancoso, Bahia, which took the lives of their socio-founder, the entrepreneur Roger Ian Wright, and their families . In this painful moment, the company in solidarity with all the friends and relatives of victims.

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    TAM Linhas Aereas Airbus loses Airspeed, Data


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact Photographer Normando Carvalho Jr

    What: TAM Linhas Aereas Airbus A330-200 en route from Miami, FL to Sao Paulo Brazil
    Where: en route to Sao Paulo
    When: May 21st 2009
    Who: not listed
    Why: While in flight, the flight crew observed a drop of the outside temperature and recorded seeing St. Elmo’s Fire. They lost the air data reference system. Autopilot and autothrust system disconnected, and fly by wire switched to alternate law (and remained in alternate law for the remainder of the flight.)

    Rudder travel limiter was deactived and airspeed and altitude indication was lost.

    Standby instrumentation allowed data restoration in under ten minutes.

    George’s Point of View

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    Spain Punishes Officers for Body Misidentification

    George’s Point of View

    After 30 bodies were misidentified and sent to the wrong grieving families, General Vicente Navarro received a three year sentence; and Commander Jose Ramirez and Captain Miguel Saez received 18-month sentences.

    Some of the bodies had to be exhumed so that the misidentification could be verified.

    Sixty-two soldiers died in the Yak-42 crash in Turkey on May 26, 2003. Imagine how the families felt. First they have to suffer the deaths. Then almost half of the victims were misidentified. And remember to the families, these weren’t random victims. They were husbands and sons.

    Imagine how the families felt when they had to dig up their husbands and sons and have the remains crosschecked with dental records and DNA samples. It probably wasn’t limted to 30, either; they probably exhumed all the victims except for whichever ones might have been visually recognizable by family members.

    One wonders if the buck stopped in the right place. Was the decision not to perform DNA/Dental verification really made by General Vicente Navarro or was it a decision that was passed down to him from defence minister Federico Trillo? Isn’t there a public policy of aviation procedure in cases such as this? My question is not whether the sentence is just, but whether the right individual was sentenced.

    Carelessness of this profundity goes beyond cruelty.

    If I were a Spanish lawyer or on the Ministerio de Fomento, Civil Aviation, I’d be going through policies with a fine toothed comb. I’d love to hear from Madrid to find out just exactly what they’ve done in the past three years to prevent this kind of inhuman treatment in the future.

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    Indonesian Crash Kills Over Fifty



    Pictured: Indonesian C-130 Hercules. On the video, it appears that the C-130 involved in the crash was painted in the military’s standard camo pattern.
    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Richard Vandervord
    What: C-130 Hercules Indonesian military transport en route from Jakarta to East Java
    Where: Magetan, East Java. Geplak 325 miles east of Jakarta.
    When: Wednesday May 20
    Who: 112 passengers and 13 crew. 57 were killed, 5 on the ground. 70 were hospitalized. The exact number of those aboard is unclear. (Some overlap with passengers and crew numbers. The reports range from 99 to 113 passengers and 13 or 14 crew members.)Update:The number of dead has risen to 98. Ten children were on the flight. Two were killed on the ground. 15 are injured.
    Why: The plane was about to land at Iswahyudi military airbase. Witnesses claim the plane split apart in the air, (one of the wings fell off when the plane was still in the air) and exploded.

    The plane destroyed four houses in Geplak and skidded into the rice paddy.

    George’s Point of View

    A colleague said that the fact that this is a 30 year old plane loaded with soldiers speaks for itself.

    I think it’s terrible that old planes are allowed up in the air, taking lives.

    The manufacturers build a deadly weapon like a plane and the craft is sold and resold. It seems to me that the manufacturer should maintain control of deciding the airworthiness of their planes from birth to retirement, no matter who owns the plane.

    Maybe one day manufacturer’s sale agreements will be written including a clause that the decision of a plane’s airworthiness is part of the ownership certificate for the life of the plane. Then Lockheed would be diligent about keeping maintenance crews diligent.

    Am I dreaming?

    I anxiously await the preliminary report from the NTSB, and to hear what happened from Lockheed what caused the explosion.

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    Smoke in the Cockpit Diverts Allegiant to Vegas

    What: Allegiant Air MD-83 en route from Los Angeles to Grand Junction
    Where: McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas
    When: 2:22 p.m May 18, 2009
    Who: 130 passengers and 5 crew members
    Why: After reporting smoke in the cockpit, the crew diverted to the Las Vegas airport. There were no injuries. The replacement flight is not expected to arrive in Grand Junction until after 6 pm.

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    Kazakhstan Emergency Landing

    What: An-24 en route from Taraz to Almaty.
    Where: Taraz airport
    When: Sunday May 17
    Who: 27 passengers and 4 crew members
    Why: When the plane experienced engine failure, the crew was forced to have an emergency landing back at the airport of origin. Fortunately, no injuries were reported.

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    Six Fatalities in Guatemalan Crash


    What: Six-seat twin engine plane en route from the La Aurora to Belize bound for the neighboring country of Belize.
    Where: Guatemala City 200 yards (meters) from the airport
    When: Thursday 1942 GMT
    Who: Passengers included four Francisco Marroquin University professors; pilot Hector Ramos, and passengers Rafael Araneda, Claudia Porras of Araneda, Joseph Godoy, Juan Roberto Brenes and Helmuth Wintzer
    Why: The crash destroyed a home, and parts of the wreckage also ended up in a swimming pool. The cause of the crash is under investigation but bad weather is thought to be responsible. The pilot was attempting a turn when he crashed at 15th Avenue and 20th Street area near the 13th Air Force. The plane fell on house 20-21.

    Four people inside the house were shocked by the noise, but no one was hurt.

    George’s Point of View

    We offer our condolences to the families of Hector Ramos, Rafael Araneda, Claudia Porras, Joseph Godoy, Juan Roberto Brenes and Helmuth Wintzer

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    Air Do

    What: Air Do (AKA Hokkaido International Airlines) flight en route from Tokyo to Sapporo
    Where: Sapporo
    When: 4:40 p.m. Wednesday
    Who: 182 passengers aboard. Three passengers and a cabin attendant injured.
    Why: The airplane encountered turbulence en route over Ibaraki Prefecture, resulting in minor injuries. One woman was taken to the hospital.

    George’s Point of View

    All of a sudden there is more on turbulence.
    Need to stay buckled up. It’s a pain on a long flight, but, more safe.

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    4 Die in Cessna Crash


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Giovanni Francisco Rodriguez Bravo

    What: Single Engine Cessna 172 en route from Santa Cruz
    When: May 11
    Who: four people were killed: pilot Martyshev Basil, his wife and two children
    Why: The plane took off from Santa Cruz 20 minutes after the expiry of the permitted duration of flights.

    50 minutes after takeoff the plane fell from the sky. No cause is yet noted.

    Apparently Martyshev was Russian and had U.S. citizenship, while his wife and children were citizens of Bolivia.