UK

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    Crash in Cork; 6 Fatalities


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer A. Muñiz Zaragüeta

    What: Manx2 leased from Flightline Swearingen SA-227BC Metro III en route from Belfast to Cork
    Where: Cork Airport, Ireland
    When: Feb 10, 2011
    Who: 6 fatalities, 6 hospitalized (12 aboard) 10 passengers, 2 crew
    Why: The plane was on approach to Runway 17 in fog and low visability. The plane made a go-around. The pilot attempted a second landing on Runway 35. The flight made a second go-around; on the second approach to Runway 17 the aircraft crashed and flipped.

    The plane is an 18-seater Fairchild Metroliner leased by Manx 2 with the flight number BPS 7100.

    The Spanish pilot and his British co-pilot are among the fatalities; also, Pat Cullinan, a partner in KPMG from Omagh and worked in the Belfast office of the accountancy firm; businessman Brendan McAleese from Co Tyrone, who is is a first cousin of Dr Martin McAleese, husband of President Mary McAleese.

    A public announcement said “three men from the North, two men resident elsewhere in the United Kingdom, and a male Spanish national” were killed.

    The six survivors (5 men and 1 woman) have been hospitalized at Cork University Hospital.

    Irish Authority Statement
    1015hrs 10 February 2011: Flight Avia No FLT400C a metroliner SW4 with ten passengers and two crew has crashed at Cork Airport. No details of injuries or fatalities are available. The aircraft made an approach to Runway 17 in low vis conditions (Category 2) and went around and did not land and attempted a second landing on Runway 35. The aircraft then went around a second time and came back for an approach to Runway 17. On the second approach to Runway 17 the aircraft crashed adjacent to Taxiway C. Rescue and Fire crew are in attendance. There is a fire and debris has been scattered onto the runway and over a wide area. The accident will be investigated by the Air Accident Unit of the Dept. of Transport. This is correct at this time and may be amended as more detail becomes available.

    Ireland is conducting the investigation.

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    Flybe Struck By Lightning

    What: Flybe de Havilland Dash 8-400 en route from Jersey to Guernsey
    Where: Guernsey
    When: Nov 28th 2010
    Who: 66 passengers
    Why: On approach to Guernsey, the plane’s nosecone was struck by lightning. The plane made a safe landing and no one was injured. The nose cone received some visible damage. Subsequent to the strike, the plane was grounded for inspection.

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    Newcastle: Snowy Runway Overrun


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

    What: Thomson Boeing 737-800 en route from Lanzarote to Newcastle
    Where: Newcastle
    When: Nov 25th 2010
    Who: 189 passengers
    Why: It was snowing when the plane landed at Newcastle, and due to pavement conditions, the plane overran the runway. Passengers disembarked via stairs on the runway and were taken by bus to the terminal. Apparently no one was injured, but anyone who has been a passenger in a hydroplaning vehicle can sympathize with the passengers fear.

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    Organ Transplant Flight Crashes; 4000-5000 affected


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    Contact photographer Peter Tonna

    What: Frandley Aviation Partnership Cessna 501 Citation I/SP en route from Belfast to Birmingham
    Where: Birmingham International Airport, UK
    When: Nov 19, 2010
    Who: 2 aboard
    Why: On a mercy mission carrying a liver for transplant, the Cessna 501 Citation corporate jet was damaged while landing at Birmingham International Airport in heavy fog, striking the landing system glide path antennae and ending up 426 feet to the right hand side of the runway, while on fire. The plane was damaged beyond repair.

    The crash closed the airport. 80 cancelled flights have affected up to 5000 passengers.

    However, the liver was undamaged, and transplanted into the patient on Friday in a 4 hour operation at Queen Elizabeth Hospital. The transplant patient is reported to be in stable condition.

    The pilot and passenger were injured; the 58 year old pilot suffered injuries to the chest, abdomen and pelvis. The passenger in his thirties suffered a back injury and flash burns. The Warwickshire and Northamptonshire Air Ambulance pilot entered the burning plane to cut the fuel supply so the fire service could extract the pilot. The airport is closed.

    Police provided an escort to the ambulance carrying the transplant to QE.

    George’s Point of View

    Bravo!

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    Engine Failure; Delta Boeing Diverts to Ireland


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    Contact photographer Paul Markman

    What: Delta Airlines Boeing 757-200 Philadelphia to Paris
    Where: Shannon Ireland
    When: November 20, 2010, 6:30 am
    Who: 152 passengers 7 crew
    Why: While over the Atlantic, the right engine developed problems. Pilots shut it down, and diverted to Shannon where they made a safe landing. Passengers were provided an alternative flight.

    George’s Point of View

    I usually try just to get the facts. But when people read these alerts, it is not just the plane. Like on this flight. Can you imagine being aboard this flight, over the Atlantic—as on the infamous Air France Flight 447—and losing an engine? Can you picture your feelings at the moment you realize the failure, and every moment thereafter, until you were safely on the ground? Even with a capable functioning plane, and competent crew. Even with the knowledge that the plane could afford to shut down an engine. Having to sit politely in your row, and believing on some level, that you were placidly waiting to die while strapped in like a trapped like a Chilean Miner in a snow globe hurtling through space toward who knows what fate? Even if I do not write it, behind these lines, there is always a human element.

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    Drunk Delta Pilot Heads to UK Court

    What: Delta Boeing 737 London to Detroit
    Where: London
    When: Nov 1
    Who: 213 passengers plus pilot George LaPerle
    Why: Scotland Yard took Delta pilot George LaPerle from his plane.

    He was so drunk…(how drunk was he? Five times the pilots legal limit, that’s how drunk.) He was so drunk, he thought his Detroit flight was bound for New York. With him at the controls, he wouldn’t have gotten out of Heathrow much less across the Atlantic.

    LaPerle is suspended by Delta and will be going to court in the UK on Nov 16. Let’s hope for his sake he shows up sober, and already on his ten step plan.

    Filing this one under “pilot error.”

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    Two in one: Pia Emergency

    What: PIA Pakistan International Airlines Airbus A310-300 en route from Quetta to Islamabad
    Where: Islamabad
    When: Oct 24 2010
    Who: 187 passengers
    Why: On approach to Islamabad, nose gear failed. The pilot shut down the plane on the runway, and the plane was towed.


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

    What: PIA Pakistan International Airlines Airbus A310-300 en route from Manchester to Islamabad
    Where: Manchester
    When: Oct 24 2010
    Who: 190 passengers
    Why: After takeoff, suffering a technical problem, the pilot returned to Manchester where he made a safe landing. The flight (or a replacement) was rescheduled for the next day.

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    Virgin Atlantic Flight Rescheduled over Technical Issue


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    Contact photographer Krzysztof Kaczala

    What: Virgin Atlantic Airbus A340-600 en route from London to Lagos Nigeria
    Where: London
    When: Oct 7 2010
    Who: 263 passengers, 16 crew
    Why: While en route, the flight incurred a technical emergency and returned to London where they made a safe landing.

    Virgin Atlantic provided passengers telephone and meal vouchers and hotel accommodations. The flight proceeded as scheduled the next day.

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    Bristol: Hard Landing


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    Contact photographer Paul Markman

    What: Thomson Airways Boeing 767-300 en route from Cancun (Mexico) to Bristol,EN (UK),
    Where: Bristol
    When: Oct 3 2010
    Why: On Sept 16, the same plane had had another hard landing causing damage.

    On this flight, the plane accelerated for reasons unknown during a hard landing on arrival at Bristol. Unspecified damages occurred, no injuries reported.

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    British Airways Door Ajar Aborts flight


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    Contact photographer Galen Burrows

    What: British Airways Boeing 747-400 en route from London to New York
    Where: London
    When: Oct 2 2010
    Who: 296 aboard
    Why: The plane took off, spent eleven minutes in the air and returned to make a safe landing in London.
    After takeoff, a warning light notified the crew that a door was not firmly closed.

    Passengers were rebooked on an alternative flight. The problem in the plane was traced not to an open door but a sequence glitch which occurred when a door handle moved enough to set off an alarm, and was logistically unable to be secured.

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    Delta Emergency Landing in Manchester


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    Contact photographer

    What: Delta Airlines Boeing 767-400 en route from New York to Athens
    Where: Manchester England
    When: Midnight (E.T.)
    Who: 231 passengers and 12 crew
    Why: While en route over the Irish sea, smoke was detected in the cockpit. The crew diverted to Manchester where they made a safe landing.

    Passengers were provided hotel rooms. They would have been able to leave earlier but for an ATC strike in France.http://avstop.com/news_sept_2010/air_traffic_control_strike_affecting_traffic_in_and_out_of_france.htm The passengers were scheduled to fly out Friday morning at 8:00 a.m.

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    Smoking Phone Diverts International Flight

    What: American Airlines Boeing 767-300 flight AA199 en route from Milan to New York
    Where: Shannon
    When: Sept 13 2010
    Who: 167 passengers
    Why: While the plane was en route, a passenger was charging his cell phone, which started overheating, which set off the fire alarm in the lavatory. The flight diverted to Shannon, where it made a safe landing.

    Fire crews at Shannon were on standby during the emergency landing. Airport aircraft maintenance company engineers examined the plane and discovered the melted phone.

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    Emirates Landing in Manchester

    What: Emirates Airlines Airbus A380-800 en route from Dubai to Manchester
    Where: Manchester
    When: Sep 6th 2010
    Why: After a hard touchdown into gusting winds, the crew elected to perform a go-around. Although the pilot’s 2nd attempt at a landing was more successful, the plane’s later flight was delayed due to maintenance.

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    Cargo Plane with Engine Shut Down Diverts to Shannon’s Long Runway


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    Contact photographer Andre Oferta

    What: Polet Aviakompania Antonov AN-124-100 en route from Goose Bay, Newfoundland, Canada to Frankfurt-Hahn Germany
    Where: North Atlantic
    When: August 14, 2010
    Who: 6 member crew
    Why: 1,000km northwest of Ireland, the Antonov (world’s largest serially built cargo aircraft) developed oil pressure problems in one engine and had to shut it down. The pilots diverted to Shannon which took two hours to reach, and they made a safe landing on a 3.2km runway. No injuries reported.

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    Thomas Cook: Smoking Oven Causes Unanticipated Diversion to London


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    Contact photographer Charles Cunliffe

    What: Thomas Cook Boeing 767-300 en route from Manchester to Dalaman Turkey
    Where: West of Amsterdam
    When: Aug 15 2010 8.40 am
    Who: 320 passengers
    Why: While en route over the ocean near Amsterdam, the cabin filled with smoke. The crew diverted to London where they made a safe landing. The source of the smoke was determined to be packaging in an oven. Although the smoke had dispersed, the West Sussex Fire and Rescue Emergency Services were on hand.

    The plane was routed to Manchester for a crew change before the flight could be resumed.

    George’s Point of View

    Hopefully they change out that oven along with the crew.

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    Beckham Flight Returns to London


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    Contact photographer Alasdair Mulhern

    What: British Airways Boeing 747-400 en route from London to Los Angeles
    Where: over Scotland
    When: Aug 7th 2010
    Why: While en route, the British Airways plane developed a problem with the fuel system, dumped the fuel while at sea and returned to Heathrow. No injuries. Safe landing.

    The event has received significant coverage, chiefly because Victoria Beckham was aboard the flight, and managed a wardrobe change–and photos of both outfits have been published online.

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    Swiss Airbus with Wonky Electrics Diverts to Shannon


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

    What: Swiss Airbus A340-300 en route from Miami to Zurich
    Where: Atlantic Ocean
    When: Jul 30th 2010
    Who: 227 passengers
    Why: Three/fourths of an hour out of Shannon, the flight developed various electrical problems with the circuit breakers affecting cabin lighting and the inflight entertainment system. With cabin lighting off, they diverted to Shannon, where the flight made a safe landing.

    Passengers were provided alternative flights, albeit not on several different planes.

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    Twinstar Engine Failure


    Pictured: A Diamond Aircraft Industries Diamond DA-42 Twin Star, Farnborough England
    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Rez Manzoori

    What: Diamond Twinstar en route from Jersey to Vendee France
    Where: Jersey Airport
    When: July 30 2010 1220 BST
    Who: Pilot
    Why: While en route, the plane developed engine trouble. The pilot returned to Jersey Airport, made a safe landing, and was towed to the gate.

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    Manchester: Flybe “Precautionary” Landing


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    Contact photographer Darren Wilson

    What: Flybe de Havilland Dash 8-400 en route from Manchester to Bournemouth
    Where: Manchester
    When: Jul 25 2010
    Who: 40 passengers
    Why: While en route, the pilot announced to the passengers they were undergoing a technical problem. That problem worsened, and eventually necessitated shutting down one engine and returning to Manchester. Passengers were provided a flight to Southampton, and a bus to Bournemouth.

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    Technical Difficulty: Specific Answers imprisoned in “the vague”


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    Contact photographer

    What: Cityjet Avro RJ-85/Air France en route from Edinburgh to Paris
    Where: Birmingham UK
    When: Jul 8th 2010
    Why: While en route, the Air France flight developed “technical problems” and diverted to Birmingham where it made a safe landing. Passengers were provided alternative flights.

    Avro (1963) was taken over by Hawker Siddely, and later merged with British Aircraft Corp and Scottish Aviation (1977) , which was succeeded by British Aerospace( 1999) , and then succeeded by BAE Systems.

    George’s Point of View

    Technical issues? In this day and time, it seems to me that “technical issues” is an inadequate description of a problem. These have all been lumped at one time under “technical issues”:

    • Polish air force Tupolev 154 that crashed during an attempted landing in Smolensk, Russia, on April 10, 2010. 96 killed
    • Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 that took off in Beirut, caught fire and crashed into the Mediterranean on Jan. 25, 2010. 90 killed
    • Yemenia Airways Airbus A310 that crashed into the Indian Ocean on approach to Moroni, on June 30, 2009. 152 killed
    • Air France Airbus A330 en route from Rio de Janeiro to Paris that crashed into the Atlantic Ocean on June 1, 2009. 228 killed
    • Turkish Airlines Boeing 737 that crashed shy of Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport runway on Feb. 25, 2009 9 killed (135 aboard)

    A cursory announcement of a problem should be specific.

    Was it a problem with an indicator? an alarm system? a physical problem? a communication problem? loss of control? overheating? leaks? maintenance?

    The only way design issues can be caught ahead of the disaster is if full disclosure of the exact problem is noted publicly, and cross-checked with all other incidents and problem reports. If Air France or Cityjet Avro wants to present details, I would be delighted to present them in this forum here.

    Air France—like all carriers—needs to practice full disclosure. If the cause is unknown, then it is multiplicatively more important to disclose the exact issue so that the problem can recorded, cross checked, and be tracked down. Maybe if there were less secrecy and more open communication in the field of aviation safety, the 575 lost in recent crashes would still be here.

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    US Airways Cautionary Landing


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Jay Selman – AirlinersGallery

    What: US Airways Airbus A330-200 en route from Paris to Charlotte, NC
    Where: Scotland
    When: Jul 4th 2010
    Why: While en route, the flight developed hydraulic issues and diverted to Manchester where it made a safe landing. However the plane was towed, and no mention is made (yet) of how the passengers were accommodated.

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    UK Light Crash Kills pilot

    What: Light crash
    Where: in a field next to the River Aire between Castleford and Methley.
    When: June 19, 2010 4 p.m.
    Who: 31 year old pilot
    Why: In west yorkshire, the plane crashed near the river Aire, killing the pilot.

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    Hampshire Crash kills two

    What: Small single engine aircraft
    Where: Monxton, near Andover in Hampshire UK close to the junction of the A303 and A342.
    When: April 17 2010
    Who: 2 aboard
    Why: In a field near Red Post Lane, a small plane crashed in a field and burst into flames, killing both occupants. The Weyhill Andover crash is said NOT to have been caused by ash but by some other reason.

    The AAIB has sent investigators to the scene. The type of craft and the victims names have not been released.