USA

  • | | | |

    Unruly Passengers Dropped off in Tampa

    What: Delta Boeing 757 en route from Atlanta to Costa Rica
    Where: Tampa International Airport
    When: January 15, 2011 7:34 p.m
    Who: 2 unruly passengers
    Why: When Peter and Gabriele Strohmaier of Dusseldorf, Germany demanded champagne and food and refused to sit down, pilots made an emergency stop in Tampa and dropped them off.

    The flight continued to Costa Rica.

  • | | | | | |

    Fumes Provoke Emergency Landing in Charleston


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

    What: PSA Airlines/US Airways Canadair CRJ-200 en route from Nashville,TN to Washington National,DC
    Where: Charleston
    When: Jan 12th 2012
    Who: 23 passengers and 3 crew
    Why: While en route, the crew noted cargo smoke and diverted to Charleston.

    The flight was cancelled.

    After landing, the plane was inspected by emergency services, who found a closed system to be leaking.

  • | | | | | | |

    Engine Shut Down on Chicago-Boston flight, Diversion to Albany


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

    What: American Airlines Boeing 737-800 en route from Chicago to Boston
    Where: Albany
    When: Jan 9th 2012, 3 pm
    Who: 124 passengers and 6 crew
    Why: While en route, the left engine lost oil pressure.

    Pilots shut down the engine and diverted to Albany. They circled, and dumped fuel before making a safe landing. Emergency services were on standby.

    Until 2008, the Albany Airport was a regular stop for American Airlines, and hopes soon to be a regular stop again.

    A replacement jet was provided. Some passengers rented cars rather than wait.

  • | | | | | | |

    Rogue Phones prompt American Eagle and Air France Diversions


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

    What: American Eagle Canadair CRJ-700 en route from Nashville, TN to New York, NY
    Where: Raleigh Durham
    When: Jan 3rd 2012
    Who: n/a
    Why: Two phones found in the lavatory prompted the pilot to divert to Raleigh Durham.

    A passenger who claimed the phones later was removed from the plane and taken custody by the FBI.


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

    What: Air France Boeing 777-200 en route from Houston,TX to Paris
    Where: Houston
    When: Jan 3rd 2012
    Who: 228 passengers and 15 crew
    Why: While en route from Houston, a phone was found aboard. Pilots returned to Houston, where the flight underwent a security check.

    The flight landed safely in Paris after a five hour delay.

  • | | | | |

    Delta Attendant Injured Over Atlanta


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

    What: Delta Airlines Boeing 737-800 en route from Managua to Atlanta,GA
    Where: Atlanta
    When: Jan 2nd 2012
    Who: 1 injured
    Why: On approach to Atlanta, the flight encountered turbulence. A flight attendant was injured about a quarter of an hour before landing. There’s no indication if the turbulence was due to weather or wake turbulence.

  • | | | |

    Embraer Flaps Issue, Landing at Grand Rapids Aborted

    What: American Eagle Embraer ERJ-145 en route from Dallas Ft. Worth,TX to Grand Rapids
    Where: Grand Rapids
    When: Jan 1st 2012
    Who: 46 aboard
    Why: On approach to Grand Rapids, the Embraer developed problems with the flaps. The pilots had to abort their first and second approach.

    Due to braking conditions, pilots diverted to Chicago, and made a fast but otherwise safe landing.

    No notation if/how passengers were provided transportation from Chicago to Grand Rapids.

  • | |

    17.8 Million Awarded to Surviving Family

    What: F/A-18 Military Jet from the carrier Abraham Lincoln landing at Marine Corps Air Station Miramir
    Where: San Diego neighborhood
    When: DEC 8, 2008
    Who: Young Mi Yoon, 36; her daughters Grace, 15 months, and Rachel, 2 months; and her mother, Suk Im Kim, 60.
    Why: A witness said the plane was chugging along with what seemed like one engine. Then…”roar of engine and all of a sudden, woop, dead silence.”

    In George’s Point of View


    Dead Silence. The rogue jet flattened a house, silenced four lives, and stole the joy from the lifetime of tomorrows of Don Yoon (who lost his wife, daughters and mother-in-law), Jun Hwa Lee (who lost his mother, sister and nieces), Sanghyun Lee (who lost his wife, daughter and grandchildren.) Maybe it’s a cheap trick to keep repeating Young Mi, Grace, Rachel and Suk Im Kim in multiple incarnations, but like all of us, they were composed of all the hats they wore, and their lives touched a lot of people; and I don’t regret the repetition. I’m wishing I knew the names of poor Young Mi’s two siblings, so I could repeat the relationships twice more. How better to express that those four lives lost are ever so much more than we can define?

    Where there had once been plans of a Korean family wedding, the joy of cousins, reunion of generations, and decades of Christmases like the one just past, for Don Yoon and his in-laws, there’s now only pain, and following that, an immeasurable vacuum. I guess there’s no point on my dwelling on how great the loss, or the irony. Don Yoon came to the US at 18 to build a better life, and one minute before that jet crashed, he had the American dream.

    I guess you could say it went from dream to nightmare. The three years since that crash have ended with the U.S. District Court in San Diego awarding the surviving family members $17.8 million. I don’t need to be a gambler to know that they would trade every penny to have their family back.

  • | | | | | |

    Bank executives, family, dog die in Crash on Interstate 287 Median on Jersey-Atlanta Flight


    What: Cool Stream Media LLC Socata TBM700 C2 en route from Teterboro airport to Atlanta-Dekalb Peachtree Airport
    Where: Interstate 287 in Harding, NJ
    When: Dec 20, 2011, 10 am.
    Who: 5 aboard, 5 fatalities
    Why: After taking off from Teterboro airport en route to Atlanta-Dekalb Peachtree Airport, the pilot inquired about icing conditions, and shortly afterwards, crashed on I-287 in New Jersey. The plane came down on the median and broke up just outside of Morris township. One witness heard nothing but saw an explosion. Another witness smelled burning rubber and said it sounded like a wood chopper.

    The plane lost contact with ATC just before the crash.

    Aboard the flight were Jerry Buckalew, 45 and Rakesh Chawla (36) managing directors of Greenhill & Co Investment Banking Firm. Buckalew’s wife Corinne and two children Jackson and Meriwether and a dog were also aboard. Witnesses say the plane was spinning and flipping, then a wing came off and the plane went straight down. Buckalew owned the plane.

    No cars were stuck but the plane’s right wing landed in a tree 400 yards from the crash site..

    The pilot had gotten clearance to climb to 17,500 feet. ATC said there was “moderate rime” at 17000 feet. Another controller warned of extreme icing.

    The debris field covered an area half a mile wide. The northbound late of I-287 was blocked a heap of burning charred metal.

    Small Plane Crash In Morris County: MyFoxNY.com

  • | | | | |

    Piper Cherokee Lands on Longmont Road in Rush Hour Traffic


    What: PIPER PA-28-151 CHEROKEE, ARROW, WARRIOR, ACHER
    Where: Longmont
    When: 12/18/2011 5:36 pm
    Who: pilot
    Why: A pilot flying over Longmont had engine trouble and had to make an emergency landing.

    The pilot realized he could not make the airport, and maneuvered in position over the road. He managed to land on a busy road with substantial traffic but there was no impact and the plane and cars were undamaged. The pilot apparently coasted in with the engine off. Interview is below

  • | | | | | |

    Yakima Emergency Landing


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

    What: Frontier Airlines Airbus A319-100 en route from Seattle to Denver
    Where: Yakima
    When: Dec 14th 2011
    Who: 138 passengers
    Why: While en route, the plane developed smoke in the aft galley.

    Pilots diverted to Yakima, where they made a safe landing with emergency services on standby. The call came in at 9:22 a.m.and the plane landed at 9:40.

    It was determined that the source of the smoke seems to have been a coffee pot or oven in the galley. A replacement jet was provided.

    In George’s Point of View

    The source of the problem could have been an electrical short, and the air quality may have been affected, so despite jokes about landing over kitchen equipment, the airport manager and airline management stand by the pilots decisions, which are based on correct emergency response which resulted in no deaths, no injuries.

  • | |

    Kansas Learjet Plant Gets Cash Infusion


    Bombardier’s Learjet 85 business jet program is getting an infusion of $6 million in Wichita now that the Kansas Department of Commerce has permitted the use of a 1994 bond money incentive.

    The exact figure ($52.7 million) is expected to translate into 450 jobs. This is in addition to $2 million in bonds to expand the Learjet85 plant.

    The expansion plan includes building a new production flight facility. Phase three, the paint facility and delivery centre will completed in 2013.

  • | | | |

    Delta Flight Diverts to Kansas City


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

    What: Delta Airlines Boeing 757-200 en route from Atlanta,GA to Seattle,WA
    Where: Kansas City
    When: Dec 15th 2011
    Who: 163 aboard
    Why: The flight was well underway when passengers and crew smelled smoke in the cabin.

    Pilots diverted to Kansas City Missouri, where they made a safe landing.

    A KING 5 News employee was a passenger aboard the flight and posted on twitter that everyone was ok.

    The problem was repaired, and the plane was re-boarded, continuing on to its destination.

  • | | | | |

    Ranier Washington: Four Chopper Fatalities


    Photo: A Military Bell OH-58D Kiowa Warrior
    Contact photographer Anthony Osborne

    What: US Army Bell OH-58D Kiowa Warrior
    Where: SW training area of Joint Base Lewis-McChord
    When: Dec 12, 2011
    Who: 2 occupants, 2 fatalities

    What: US Army Bell OH-58D Kiowa Warrior
    Where: SW training area of Joint Base Lewis-McChord
    When: Dec 12, 2011 8 pm
    Who: 2 occupants, 2 fatalities
    Why: Two two-seat reconnaissance “Scout”choppers crashed during routine exercises at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, a few miles from Ranier Washington. Four individuals died in the event. Two were injured. It has not been released if the two injured were aboard, or if the choppers collided.

    The remains were taken to Madigan Army Medical Center.

    The debris field covered 300 meters. Military vehicles were securing the scene.

    The Fort Rucker, Alabama Combat Readiness Center is coordinating the investigation, beginning with a six member team.

  • | | | |

    Pinnacle Fast and Flapless in Minneapolis


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Nino Buda-CYYZ

    What: Pinnacle Airlines Canadair CRJ-200 on behalf of Delta Airlines en route from Louisville,KY to Minneapolis,MN (USA)
    Where: Minneapolis
    When: Dec 8th 2011
    Why: While on approach to Minneapolis, the CRJ-200 underwent a flaps failure.

    The pilots made efforts to correct the problems and were unsuccessful in facilitating reparations. They made a fast landing without flaps, but the landing was otherwise without incident.

  • | | | | |

    Southwest Emergency Landing

    What: Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-300 en route from Saint Louis,MO to Dallas
    Where: Saint Louis
    When: Dec 7th 2011
    Who: 137 passengers and 5 crew
    Why: After takeoff, systems revealed unsafe gear.
    The pilot returned to Lambert and made an emergency landing. No injuries were reported, and passengers were provided alternate flight.

  • | | | | |

    Foul Bleed Air Cancels Flight


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

    What: US Airways Airbus A320-200 en route from Philadelphia,PA to Las Vegas
    Where: Philadelphia
    When: Dec 7th 2011
    Why: After taking off from Philadelphia, those aboard noticed what was described as “the stench of dirty socks.” The plane returned to Philadelphia and made a safe landing. Passengers were provided an alternative flight.

    Note that in spite of the uncharming description of the smell,the caution was due not to excessive fear of stinky feet but to caution over the kind of lawsuit that Boeing is dealing with right now over toxic air fumes from tricresyl phosphates (TCPs), carbon monoxide and other toxic components bleeding from faulty “bleed-air” systems. Drowsiness, disorientation and memory loss may occur as a result of exposure to aerotoxicity.

  • | |

    Sundance Chopper Crashes in River Mountains


    Pictured: Sundance Chopper from company video

    What: Sundance Helicopters Aérospatiale AS-350B
    Where: Near Lake Mead, Nevada
    When: Dec 7 2011, 5 pm
    Who: 5 fatalities
    Why: Las Vegas police search and rescue team conformed that a luxury sunset tour of the Las Vegas Strip and Hoover Dam crashed into the River Mountains. The pilot Landon Nield of Las Vegas and four passengers were killed in the crash thirty miles from the Vegas strip were in a remote area. Officials airlifted to the crash site confirmed the condition of the victims. Recovery will continue Thursday after sunrise.

    Sundance Helicopters of Las Vegas has had at least five accidents and has been the subject of 10 federal enforcement actions since 1994 but Nield had no history of accidents or violations.

    Two of the passengers, tourists Delwin and Tamara Chapman of Utica, Kan were renewing their vows and celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary.

    Two of the victims, 28-year-old Lovish Bhanot and 26-year-old Anupama Bhola, were a couple of newlyweds from New Delhi, India.

    The crash was reported by an employee of Alfred Merritt Smith water treatment facility who witnessed the event.

    A 12-member team is being sent to investigate the crash.

    In September of 2003, a Sundance Aerospatiale crashed Near Grand Canyon West Airport, Arizona.

    NTSB LAUNCHING TEAM TO INVESTIGATE TOUR HELICOPTER ACCIDENT IN NEVADA

    The National Transportation Safety Board has launched a 12- member Go-Team to investigate the crash of a helicopter on a sight-seeing tour that occurred near Las Vegas at about 5:00 p.m. PT on Wednesday. Preliminary reports indicate that all five persons on board the helicopter were fatally injured.

    Senior Air Safety Investigator Bill English will serve asInvestigator-in-Charge. Member Mark Rosekind is among those traveling to the site and will serve as principal spokesman during the on-scene phase of the investigation.

    Peter Knudson is the public affairs officer accompanying the team; he may be reached on his cell phone at 202-557-1350.

    2003 crash.pdf

  • | | |

    Delta Emergency Landing in Kansas City, Engine Shut Down

    What: Delta flight en route from Kansas City to Detroit
    Where: Kansas City
    When: Dec 6, 2011
    Who: 73 aboard
    Why: The Delta flight took off but after about twenty minutes, the flight became rocky and turbulent.

    The pilots had to shut down the right engine after it lost power; then they returned to the airport to make a safe landing.

    Kansas City Fire department was on standby.

    No injuries were reported.

  • | | |

    Michigan Flight Victims Recovered, Amazon Exec Crashed


    What: Great Lakes Air Inc Piper PA-32-260 Cherokee Six en route from St. Ignace to Mackinac Island
    Where: Lake Huron shore, about three miles north of St. Ignace, northern Michigan
    When: Dec 3, 2011
    Who: 2 fatalities
    Why: Thomas Phillips, 52, with homes in Kirkland and Mackinac Island, and Joseph Pann Jr., 29, of St. Ignace were killed in a piper crash in Michigan. From Mackinac County Airport at St. Ignace to the destination Mackinac Island Airport is 4.5 miles and should have taken six minutes, but the plane was reported missing and was later found 100 yards from shore. Search and rescue controllers were involved at 10:07 p.m after police called. No distress call was reported but the plane was tracked by the cellphone of one of the victims.

    Phillips was general manager with Amazon Web Services.

  • | |

    Baldwin vs American Attendant


    What: American Airlines flight
    Where: LAX
    When: Dec 6 2011
    Who: Alex Baldwin
    Why: Refusing to stop playing the game “words with friends,” Alex Baldwin was ejected from an American Airlines flight by an irate flight attendant. It was waiting at the gate (not in the air.)

    He was rebooked on another flight, but not without attempting twitter revenge, badmouthing American Airlines, and also filing a complaint against a flight attendant who was like a “retired Catholic school gym teacher from the 1950’s.”

    Baldwin is not the only individual we heard about this week who was removed from a plane due to conduct, but the others were taken to a mental unit or released into police custody.

  • | | | | | |

    Colorado Mountain Crash, 2 lost in Mountain Snow, 2 Recovered

    What: Private Socata TB21 Trinidad TC en route from Durango to Aspen
    Where: Silverton, CO
    When: Dec 3 2011
    Who: 4 aboard
    Why: Forty minutes after leaving Durango for a Christmas party in Snowmass Village., the plane crashed into mountains near Silverton Colorado. Hampered by inclement weather, searchers had to deal with nearly a foot of snow between Saturday and Sunday in the mountains at 11,000 above sea level.

    The bodies of Jenna Rich and Tyler Black were found and recovered, and are headed for autopsy.

    The search continues for two more bodies. The four adult passengers have all been reported as deceased. Three of those aboard were employees of Alpine Bank, and the fourth aboard was a spouse.

    The debris field of the crash covers more than a mile.

  • | | | | |

    American Engine Emergency Landing in Lubbock

    What: American Airlines Boeing 757 en route from Dallas to Los Angeles
    Where: Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport
    When: Dec 4, 2011, 10:00 a m
    Who: 175 aboard
    Why: The flight was en route when it developed problems with one of its engines. Apparently it ingested something in one of its right engines (or “encountered an unknown obstacle”) disabling the right engine.

    The pilots made a safe landing in Lubbock. We assume alternative arrangements were provided for the stranded passengers.

  • | | | | |

    Crew Injured in Turbulent Approach to Oakland


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer DJ Reed – OPShots Photo Team

    What: Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-700 en route from Albuquerque,NM to Oakland,CA
    Where: Oakland
    When: Dec 1st 2011
    Who: 95 passengers and 5 crew
    Why: On approach to Oakland, the plane flew through ten seconds of turbulence that injured the cabin crew.

    The pilots made a safe landing half an hour later, after which two members of the crew were hospitalized.

    In George’s Point of View


    Given the time and place, we might be able to chalk this one up to the Santa Ana Winds.

  • | | | | | |

    Widow Awarded $10 Million for Wrongful Death in Chopper Crash


    The widow of John Goble was awarded $10 Million for wrongful death after the chopper he was in was flown between two electrical towers, striking the power lines. The vintage 1951 military helicopter was en route to an aircraft and classic car show in Riverside, CA. The crash occurred on Nov 7, 2009, over two years ago.

    Goble co-founded Sectra North America, the North American unit of Linköping, Sweden-based PACS firm Sectra, in 1997, and had served as its president ever since. Prior to that, Goble was medical marketing manager for Hewlett-Packard’s workstation division.

    Two million was awarded in compensation for lost wages; the remainder was for loss of companionship. The pilot owned Classic Rotors, a vintage aircraft museum.

    A case against Goble and the utility company involving the surviving family of another deceased passenger, James Jantz, is still pending.

  • | | | |

    One Fatality in Single Engine Crash, Oswego County NY

    What: Wittman W-10 Tailwind (Built by John R. Wing) practicing touch and go
    Where: Fulton, 1 mile SW of Oswego County Apt.- KFZY, NY
    When: Dec 1, 2011, 2:30 pm
    Who: pilot
    Why: After practicing touch and go the pilot crashed in a wooded area called Old Incinerator Hill, off Whitaker Road, near the line between Fulton and Volney, a mile sW of Oswego County Airport.

    Witnesses heard the engine sputtering before it went down in a heavily wooded area. Part of the wreckage was found fifteen feet up, in a tree.

    flight registration #N865JT