Locale

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    Jet Blue Nose Gear went Belly Up at JFK

    What: Jetblue Embraer ERJ-190 en route from Austin,TX to New York JFK,NY
    Where: JFK,NY runway 22L diverted to runway 31L
    When: May 7th 2009
    Who: 80 people on board
    Why: After a missed approach, the Jet Blue crew announced a “little issue.” THe little issue turned out to be a nose gear steering fault. The plane landed safely under emergency status; no one was injured. And the plane did require a tow after landing.

    This plane–unlike several others at the same time frame at JFK–did NOT incur a bird strike.

    George’s Point of View

    JetBlue goes back and forth across the country.

    Maintenance! Maintenance! Maintenance!

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    Indian Airlines Safe Emergency Landing

    What: Indian Airlines en route from Shamshabad Airport to Tirupati
    Where: Shamshabad International Airport
    When: fifteen minutes after takeoff at 1:55 pm. Thursday May 7
    Who: 135 passengers including the Minister for Endowments J Ratnakar Rao
    Why: The plane returned to the airport when the pilot had technical difficulties.

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    Lantana Tragedy


    What: Beechcraft 35 Bonanza owned by James BREAZEAL of Florida
    Where: LANTANA, FL
    When: 05/06/2009
    Who: Two fatalities, pilot and passenger: Jack Henderson of Lake Worth and James Breazeal of Windermere were killed in the crash.
    Why: AIRCRAFT, ON LANDING MISSED THE RUNWAY AND CRASHED INTO A PARKED AIRCRAFT, THE TWO PERSONS ON BOARD WERE FATALLY INJURED, LANTANA, FL, Air worthiness Date: 08/18/1959

    Although the airport is saying a new engine was recently installed, investigators believe that engine failure caused the plane to crash. The plane clipped parked planes and collided with a trailer, with the engine dislodging on impact. Apparently the rest of the plane “crumbled” on impact with the hanger.

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    Airbus Doubles Back Twice in Rome

    What: Windjet Airbus A320-200 en route from Catania to Rome Fiumicino (Italy)
    Where: Catania
    When: May 4th 2009
    Who: 111 passengers
    Why: This plane returned to Catiana not once but twice. First, an unsafe gear indication turned them back for repairs; on the second try, retraction of the gears resulted in vibrations of the airframe, so they returned to Catiana a second time. The flight left for Rome seven hours later–on a different plane.

    George’s Point of View

    Can’t you just feel the response of the passengers? Not just the anxiety the first time around, but imagine the second attempt when those gears went up and that anxiety was topped off by terror when the plane started vibrating. There’s not a person on board that plane who wasn’t relieved when that plane made it safely to the runway.

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    Veracruz: Fatal Cessna Crash


    Pictured: Cessna 340
    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Hidemi Bustamante Prudente

    What: Cessna 340 en route from Veracruz to McAllen, Texas.
    Where: General Heriberto Jara Corona International Airport, Veracruz, Veracruz, Mexico.
    When: May 5, 2009
    Who: Pilot and 3 passengers
    Why: The Cessna crashed while returning to land after takeoff.

    The pilot requested to return to the airport shortly after takeoff and was cleared to land by the tower. The pilot and 2 passengers were fatally injured and 1 passenger sustained serious injuries.

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    Medevac Disaster

    What: Medical evacuation helicopter en route from Ponte Lettia heliport in Upper Corsica
    Where: on the French Mediterranean island of Corsica in the mountainous area near the city of Bastia. The helicopter “brutally” flew into a mountain in poor weather.
    When: Sun Apr 26, 2009
    Who: Five people: two pilots, a medic and two patients
    Why: In spite of bad weather (fog, wind and rain), there was no distress signal. The medical team hadn’t realized how close to delivery the mother was; the helicopter was en route to the hospital as the Frenchwoman was giving birth. Mother and newborn perished in the crash along with everyone aboard. A rescue team of 150 found the wreckage.

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    NO CRASH in Calgary.

    What: Westjet Airlines Boeing 737-600 en route from Calgary to Saskatoon (Canada)
    Where: Calgary’s runway 34
    When: Apr 23rd 2009
    Why: The plane was in position on Calgary’s runway 34 when Canadair CRJ-700 flight QK-8339 from Winnipeg,MB to Calgary was cleared to cross runway 34. The error was recognized; takeoff clearance was revoked, the Jazz CRJ cleared the runway; and then the Canadair flight was cleared again for takeoff.

    George’s Point of View

    My favorite event is a non-event. The accident that didn’t happen.

    So first he (the Boeing) is on runway 34 ready to go, then Air Traffic Control realizes they’re making a mistake because the Jazz about to cross the same runway, so Air Traffic Control stops him, and the other plane (the Jazz) goes ahead and crosses the runway, and they clear him (the Boeing); this time when he is cleared to go again the way is actually clear, and the Westjet Boeing manages to take off without any more issues.

    Except possibly a bottle of Tums for the pilot and crew; and glasses and a caffeine adjustment for Air Traffic Control.

    I can’t help but picture the scene in that 1981 movie Modern Problems (that no one but me saw) where two air traffic controllers go over the edge; one believing he’s moving a model plane around with his mind, and the other actually doing it.
    .

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    Delta Flight Diverted to Boston

    What: Delta Air Lines en route from John F. Kennedy Airport in New York, was bound for Tel Aviv, Israel.
    Where: Boston’s Logan International Airport
    When: 10 p.m Apr 25, 2009
    Who: 206 passengers and 11 crew members aboard
    Why: After take-off, an unruly passenger attempted to break into the cockpit. The incident was not terrorism related; the passenger reportedly had an anxiety/panic attack. He was subdued by other passengers.

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    Sacramento County Plane Crash kills Two

    What: A three-seater plane, a 1969 fixed-wing Champion Citabria en route from the Watsonville Municipal Airport in Wilton (Sacramento county.)
    Where: crashed on Mount Hamilton near San Jose
    When: Saturday 04/18/2009 at 0705
    Who: Pilot and passenger
    Why: The plane at an elevation of about 400 feet on Saturday flew into Mount Hamilton. The pilot and passenger were killed. The reason for the accident has not been determined. The Citabria was registered to Jeff Blanton, of Sacramento, and owned by Blanton and David Hartley.

    The plane WAS THE SUBJECT OF AN ALERT NOTICE ISSUED on 4/19

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    Royal Air Maroc Boeing 767-300


    Contact photographer Agustin Anaya
    What: Royal Air Maroc Boeing 767-30 en route from Casablanca (Morocco) to New York John F. Kennedy Airport
    Where: JFK
    When: Apr 20th 2009
    Why: Wake turbulence was such that the landing was hard. Complaints about the hard landing prompted plane inspection which turned up wrinkles found in the fuselage. The plane was grounded for repairs and further inspection.

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    Airbus Loses Control in Montreal


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Mark Kryst – YXUphoto
    What: Air Canada Airbus A320-200 en route from Montreal Trudeau Canada to Fort Lauderdale, FL
    Where: Montreal
    When: Apr 14th 2009
    Why: After reporting problems to air traffic control and returning to Montreal, on final approach to runway 06L the crew experienced “severe mechanical turbulence” and momentarily lost control of the plane. However, the plane landed safely; and shortly afterwards, the passengers were off to their destination–on board another Airbus.

    *Mechanical turbulence is turbulence around buildings, wind eddies not caused by thermal means.

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    Mexican Helicopter Crash Kills 3

    What: Mexican Geological Services helicopter
    Where: northwestern state of Sinaloa 19 miles from the city of Los Mochis in the mountain town of Sinoloa de Leyva
    When: Wednesday
    Who: Three Mexican Geological Service employees: David Barbosa Luna, engineer managing SGM’s Western Region, Alberto Montañes Castro, project coordinator , and helicopter’s pilot Capt. Rodrigo Navarro Jimenez
    Why: 3 SGM workers managing field activities for the preparation of two geological mining charts were killed on the job. The flight was returning from the mountain and landed on or in the Sinoloa de Leyva Baseball stadium. They were en route to Sinoloa to refuel and check a faulty engine.

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    Bolivia: Cessna 210 fatality


    Pictured: A Cessna 210M in Bolivia
    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact Photographer Giovanni Francisco Rodriguez Bravo

    What: Cessna 210M en route from Concepcion to El Trompillo Airport
    Where: Concepcion, Bolivia
    When: April 11, 2009
    Who: Pilot and 3 passengers
    Why: The cessna impacted terrain shortly after taking off from Concepcion Airport Concepcion, Bolivia.

    The certificated commercial pilot and three passengers, all Bolivian citizens, were fatally injured. Night visual conditions prevailed. The flight was operating on a visual flight rules flight plan from Concepcion to El Trompillo Airport (SLET), Santa Cruz, Bolivia.

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    Afterword: American Airlines flight 1400

    See George’s Point of View here


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Art Brett
    What: American Airlines MD-82 aircraft en route from Lambert to Chicago
    Where: Lambert
    When: Sept. 28, 2007
    Who: 138 passengers, 3 flight attendants, two pilots
    Why: When the fight experienced an emergency (engine fire) and the MD-82 returned to land at the airport of origin, the nose landing gear failed. After a go-around, the plane conducted an emergency landing and everyone debarked on to the runway.

    The reason that this is in the news now is that the problems involved have been under investigation. The procedure that mechanics used to manually start one of the engines is held to be responsible for the fire. However the captain was also faulted for poor division of labor, resulting in inefficiency which is judged to have exacerbated the emergency.

    NTSB Identification: DCA07MA310
    Scheduled 14 CFR Part 121: Air Carrier operation of AMERICAN AIRLINES
    Accident occurred Friday, September 28, 2007 in St. Louis, MO
    Aircraft: McDonnell Douglas DC-9-82 (MD-82), registration: N454AA
    Injuries: 143 Uninjured.

    This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed.

    On September 28, 2007, at 1316 central daylight time, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9-82 (MD-82), N454AA, operated by American Airlines as flight 1400, executed an emergeny landing at Lambert-St Louis International Airport (STL), St. Louis, Missouri, after the flight crew received a left engine fire warning during departure climb from the airport. The airplane sustained substantial damage. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and an instrument flight rules flight plan was filed for the 14 CFR Part 121 scheduled domestic flight. After landing, the 2 flight crew, 3 flight attendants, and 138 passengers deplaned via airstairs and no occupant injuries were reported. The intended destination of the flight was Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD), Chicago, Illinois.

    Upon receiving the left engine fire warning during climb, the flight crew discharged the aircraft engine fire bottles into the affected engine. During the visual return and single-engine approach to the airport, the nose landing gear did not extend. The flight crew then extended the nose landing gear using the emergency landing gear extension procedure. The airplane returned and then landed on runway 30L (11,019 feet by 200 feet, grooved concrete) and was met by STL Airport Rescue and Fire Fighting Vehicles

    The NTSB identification number for this investigation was administratively changed from CHI07MA310 to DCA07MA310 on April 2, 2008.

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    24 Casualties in Indonesia Crash

    What: 32 year old Tentara Nasional Indonesia-AU (Air Force) Fokker 27 registration A-2703
    Where: Bandung-Husein Sastranegara International Airport, Western Indonesia
    When: 06 APR 2009 1 p.m. Monday local time
    Who: Six crew members, one trainer and 17 military skydiving students. All 24 people on board died.
    Why: While landing during a regular training flight, the plane crashed and burst into flames at 1:05 pm (0605 GMT) in Bandung, 110 kilometres (74 miles) southeast of Jakarta. No one on the ground was injured. The weather is said to have been wet; and the plane is said to have been undermaintained due to funding problems. The plane is said to have been shaking–possibly encountering a 20-knot crosswind at the time of the accident– before it crashed in an air craft hanger and burst into flames.

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    Ill Infant Lands for Emergency Surgery in Russia

    What: Russian plane en route to Moscow
    Where: Volgograd, southern Russia
    When: was forced to make an emergency landing
    Why: A six-month old girl with Hydrocephalus was being flown from Nalchik to Moscow for surgery, but during the flight the baby lost consciousness. The plane made an emergency landing so the baby could receive immediate treatment.

    George’s Point of View

    Prayers for the baby that her surgery was a success.

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    Another Airbus Emergency


    pictured: Airbus similar to the one in the incident
    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Simpsonmeng
    What: China Southern Airlines Airbus A320-200
    Where: en route from Dayong to Shenzhen
    When: Mar 27th 2009
    Who: 100 passengers
    Why: The right engine failed. After circling the airport for forty minutes, the plain landed without further incident in Dayong.

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    Arrow Cargo Crumbles in Flight over Brazil


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Carlos A. Morillo Doria
    What: Arrow Cargo McDonnell Douglas DC-10 freighter, en route from Manaus, AM Brazil to Bogota Colombia
    Where: Manaus (rua Humaita, Terra Nova)
    When: Mar 26th 2009
    Who: 4 crew flew the plane that damaged 12 houses
    Why: The crew heard an explosion but kept going, unaware the engine had disgorged parts of the engine nacelle, its combustion chamber, turbine and outlet. The company has already said they’ll reimburse locals for the damage.

    No doubt.

    They continued on to Bogata…or they would have if weather hadn’t diverted them to Medellin.


    View Larger Map

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    Emergency: AeroLineas Argentinas Smoke in Cabin


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Baires Aviation Photography
    What: Aerolineas Argentinas McDonnell Douglas MD-88 en route from Buenos Aires to Trelew, Argentina
    Where: Trelew
    When: Mar 25th 2009
    Who: 41 passengers
    Why: On approach to Trelew, an electrical problem caused the cabin to fill with smoke. After the safe landing, passengers debarked via slides. One flight attendant was treated for smoke inhalation.

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    Airbus Leak Instigates Emergency Landing in South Africa


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Steve Brimley
    What: South African Airways Airbus A319-100 from Johannesburg en route to Port Elizabeth
    Where: OR Tambo International airport.
    When: Monday March 23
    Why: The plane returned to the airport of origin to make an emergency landing due to an oil leak which was said to be non-threatening. Prior to this event, a gauge indicated a pressure problem. The crew shut down one engine when it lost oil pressure.

    Passengers took another plane an hour and a half later.

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    Fed Ex Crash in High Wind in Tokyo


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Michael Carter
    What: FedEx McDonnell Douglas MD-11F en route from Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, China to Tokyo-Narita Airport, Japan
    Where: Crash occurred on the runway Tokyo-Narita Airport, Japan
    When: 23 MAR 2009 06:48
    Who: 2 crew members aboard, both fatalities
    Why: The plane landed in high winds, bounced on to the nosewheel, banked left and when the left wing, hit the runway, a fire ensued.

    News Footage includes audio of Bob Francis, former NTSB VC

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    Ski Trip Ends in Tragedy



    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Jerry Search
    What: single engine turboprop( Pilatus PC-12) owned by Eagle Cap Leasing en route from Oroville, Calif. (Brown Field Municipal airport in San Diego to Vacaville, Calif. to Oroville ) to Bozeman
    Where: On approach to the Butte airport
    When: Sunday March 22
    Who: 17 Passengers included up to a dozen kids
    Why: Prior to the crash, the pilot diverted from Butte to Bozeman but 500 feet from the airport, a witness said the plane made a number of sharp turns and nosedived into the ground. Seventeen bodies have been recovered, (12 is the upper limit) several more than should be boarded on the type of plane. The cause of the crash is under investigation.Japanese Video

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    Ecuador Crash Kills 7, Maybe More


    What: twin-engine Beechcraft 200 propeller plane en route from Manta to Quito’s airport
    Where: 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) from the airport near Hotel Quito
    When: 5:20 pm (2220 GMT)
    Who: seven people were killed: 5 aboard; 2 on the ground
    Why: small military plane on a training flight clipped some tree tops and crashed into an apartment building. The reports list two buildings.
    Initial reports said the deaths included the wife and son of the pilot, Major Julio Zaldumbide but we have not verified that information.