[nokia-maps template=”nokia.blue.place” sizes=”{‘width’: ‘auto’,’height’: ‘370’,’label’: ‘Auto’}” placeId=”840dpcm4-a46ee2b1271748de83b8b4ac98241564″ ] What: United Airlines Michigan to Chicago Where: Green Bay When: Dec 1 2011 Who: 21 passengers Why: After takeoff, the flight developed problems with the landing gear. Pilots diverted to Green Bay where they made a safe landing at Austin Straubel International Airport.
Passengers were provided alternate flights from Green Bay.
What: American Airlines Boeing 767-200 flight from New York City to San Francisco Where: Buffalo Niagara International Airport When: Nov 27, 2011 Who: 713 passengers Why: After having taken off from JFK, the flight developed smoke in the cockpit.
Pilots diverted to Buffalo, where they made a safe landing. No injuries were reported.
American Airlines routed another plane in to pick up the passengers. In the meantime, passengers were put up overnight in a hotel.
On an unrelated note, the CEO of American Airlines, CEO Gerard Arpey, stepped down. After a meeting in NY on Monday, the company is filing Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Operations of the airline will continue as usual, and frequent fliers will not be affected. However, some jobs will be cut. American Eagle also filed for bankruptcy, delaying its spin off from American.
[nokia-maps template=”nokia.blue.place” sizes=”{‘width’: ‘auto’,’height’: ‘370’,’label’: ‘Auto’}” placeId=”8409qqhe-76950679e27e46f5b25ab22fe05702d3″ ] What: Cessna 230 Where: Henderson Executive Airport, Nevada When: Nov 26, 2011 Who: 2 aboard Why: The pilot of a Cessna 230 returned to the airport and made an emergency landing at Henderson Executive Airport when his landing gears did not come down. There were no injuries.
What: Marion Flying Club Cirrus SR-20 en route from Marion Municipal Airport Where: CRYSTAL LAKE, Ill When: Nov 26, 2011 10:30am Who: 4 fatalities Why: The one-engine Cirrus SR-20 was flying in rainy, overcast conditions when it crashed in a soybean field on a farm unincorporated McHenry County, killing the four aboard the plane. Marion businessman Ray Harris and his daughters Ramie and Shey were killed in the crash, along with one of the girl’s boyfriends. On impact, the plane shattered into debris which was spread over 100 yards. The plane carries a parachute, which had been deployed but it was tangled in a tree, which may have contributed to the wreck.
The pilot, Harris, had been flying one of his daughters back to Wheaton College.
What: American Airlines Boeing 767-200 en route from Los Angeles,CA to New York JFK,NY Where: Los Angeles When: Nov 23rd 2011 Who: 164 aboard Why: The LA to New York flight took off as usual but once in the air, passengers and crew smelled something burning.
The pilots returned to LAX and made a safe landing.
The incident is under investigation. No details as of yet.
What: Ponderosa Aviation Inc. Rockwell Commander 690A en route from Mesa, Ariz to Safford, Arizona Where: Apache Junction, Pinal County, AZ When: Nov 23, 2011 Who: 6 fatalities Why: On a thanksgiving flight that took off at 6:15, the pilot was flying to Safford and struck a rockface at the Superstition mountains. The children’s mother, Karen Perry, was not aboard. The fuselage is jammed between rocks.
The victims of the crash included Joseph Hardwick, 22, mechanic; pilot and aircraft owner Russell Hardy, 31; pilot Shawn Perry, 39; and Perry’s three children, Morgan, 9, Logan, 8, and Luke, 6.
The plane had just left Mesa’s Falcon Field when it crashed. It is a six hour hike from a campground to the wreckage. A ten member sheriff’s rescue team was flown in by chopper, and hiked down from a mountaintop.
The flight path that the pilot took is a controversial one. The FAA redesignated Phoenix airspace, raising the floor altitude for commercial traffic at almost the same height as the tallest peak in the Superstitions (5,057 feet). Planes such as this one flying east from Mesa’s Falcon Field must either go around the peak or request permission to enter commercial airspace to fly above it.
What: United Airlines/Shuttle America Embraer ERJ-170 en route from Denver,CO to Toronto Where: Denver When: Nov 23rd 2011 Who: 68 passenger Why: While climbing out of Denver, passengers and crew smelled smoke in the cabin.
A newscast said that passengers heard a “pop” before the pilots turned around and returned to the Denver airport.
They made a safe landing. Passengers disembarked on the runway and were provided an alternative flight.
What: American Airlines McDonnell Douglas MD-83 en route from Dallas Ft. Worth,TX to Pittsburgh,PA Where: near Dallas When: Nov 19th 2011 Why: Just after take-off, the pilot switched the fuel supply from center fuel tank to main wing tanks and the right engine flamed out.
Pilots returned to the airport and made a safe landing.
Maintenance is investigating why operating pumps were working, yet failing to provide fuel to the right engine.
What: Chautauqua Embraer ERJ-145/Delta Airlines en route from Asheville,NC to New York Where: La Guardia airport, New York When: Nov 16th 2011 Why: By now, everyone has probably heard about this:
A captain who was locked in the airplane’s bathroom gave a passenger a security code to inform the co-pilot.
But when the co-pilot heard the passenger’s heavy accent, he told ATC “the captain has disappeared in the back and I have someone with a big foreign accent trying to access the cockpit.” ATC urged him to land ASAP.
The situation was resolved before the plane landed, and fortunately before the fighter jets were deployed.
What: Privately owned Piper PA-28-180 Cherokee B Where: Four miles south of Perryville, AR When: Nov 17 2011 Who: 4 aboard, 4 fatalities Why: Women’s basketball coach Kurt Budke and assistant women’s basketball coach Miranda Serna were on a routine recruiting trip to Arkansas, when the plane crashed in steep terrain in the eastern Ouachita Mountains in the Winona Wildlife Management Area. The other two aboard were Former State Senator Olin Branstetter and his wife, Paula. A local deer hunter’s wife told 911 when she saw the airplane nose-diving in a swirling pattern and crashing in the forest. By 6pm, the wreckage had been located. The passengers had been ejected from the plane, which drove a six foot deep furrow into a ridge but did not catch on fire. Rescuers reached the site on YO4 Forest Access Road via four wheelers.
Miranda Serna was in her seventh season as an assistant coach at Oklahoma State.
The cause of the crash is unknown but it was the catalyst of an outpour of support for Oklahoma State.
That the plane was co-owned by the Branstetters, who were from Ponca City. 82 year old Olin Branstetter was a longtime pilot.
Eleven years ago, a plane carrying 10 crashed, killing two OSU men’s basketball players, two members of its radio broadcast team, three members of the team’s support staff and two pilots in a snow storm in Byers, Colorado.
PIPER PA-28-180 Serial 28-1756 #N7746W
Year of Manufacture: 1964
Number of Seats: 4
Certification Issue Date: 29 Sep 1978
Builder Certification Code: Type Certificated
Aircraft Speed: 107
Aircraft Type: Fixed wing single engine
Aircraft Category Code: Land
Airworthiness Date: 17 Jun 1964
Aircraft Weight:
Mode S Code: 52475442
NTSB investigating Aviation Accident in Perryville, Arkansas
November 18, 2011
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has dispatched investigators to examine the circumstances of an aviation accident that occurred yesterday afternoon near Perryville, Arkansas, involving a Piper PA-28-180 (N7746W).
Jason Aguilera is the NTSB Investigator-in-Charge. He will receive headquarters support from air traffic control and meteorology. Parties to the investigation include the Federal Aviation Administration, Piper Aircraft and Lycoming.
Terry Williams will be the public affairs officer on scene.Once he arrives in Perryville, Mr. Williams can be reached on his cell phone at (202) 320-2594 or via email at terry.williams@ntsb.gov.
What: Delta Airlines Boeing 767-300 en route from San Francisco to Atlanta Where: Atlanta When: Nov 13th 2011 Who: 1 injury Why: While on approach to Atlanta, the flight encountered turbulence.
One person was injured.
The flight made a safe landing, and no other injuries were reported.
What: Delta Airlines McDonnell Douglas MD-88 en route from Atlanta to Charlotte Where: Atlanta When: Nov 10th 2011 Why: Delta flight took off normally but once in the air, the engine seems to have caught fire (according to passengers who heard an explosion and saw sparks.) No fire was officially reported.
The right hand engine poured smoke into the cabin but no fire.
Pilots were able to gain altitude to turn minus one engine, and to make a safe landing in Atlanta. Passengers disembarked, and were provided pizza and alternative flights. At least one passenger would have preferred alcohol to pizza.
What: Rented Robinson R22 recreational chopper Where: Palm Beach When: Nov 5, 2011 Who: 1 pilot, 1 passenger Why: The rented recreational chopper struck palm trees and power lines, then clipped the house, landing in the front yard. No fatalities. The damage to the chopper is described as substantial.
What: Blue Hawaiian Helicopters Eurocopter EC130 B4 helicopter departing from Kahului Where: Kaunakakai, Molokai island, Hawaii When: November 9, 2011 at 12:30 pm Who: pilot Nathan Cline, 30, of Kihei and 4 tourists Why: While on a 45 minute tour of West Hawaii, the chopper crashed into a mountain. The accident occurred on Wednesday, less than a mile from Kilohana Elementary School, right after a hard rain. At the school, students heard an explosion and saw black smoke when the chopper crashed.
The pilot and four tourists died at the scene. Although the investigation is ongoing, according to at least one published report, the NTSB said that the pilot failed to maintain enough altitude over the terrain amid low-lying clouds.
Two of the passengers were newlyweds, and they came from Pennsylvania and Ontario Canada.
Blue Hawaiian, which conducts 160,000 tours yearly, leased the year old chopper from Nevada Helicopter Leasing LLC.
Four bodies have been recovered. The fifth has been located, but is in a difficult location.
What: Euro Copter EC 130 helicopter en route from Fort Wayne, Indiana to Indianapolis Where: Noblesville Hanbury Manor Boulevard near the Sagamore Golf Course When: Nov 3, 2011 Who: pilot and 5 passengers Why: The pilot made a public statement that he was piloting his chopper and encountered severe weather. He made an emergency landing described as “controlled” in an Indiana corn field.
After landing, when everyone aboard had vacated, the chopper caught fire. There were no injuries.
The incident is under investigation by the NTSB and the FAA.
What: Hendrick Gulfstream G150 en route to Key West Where: Key West When: Nov 1, 2011 7:58 Who: Rick and Laura Hendric, pilot and copilot Why: On landing in Key West, the plane had no brakes and skidded off the safety area. Those on board had minor injuries and were taken to Lower Keys Medical Center. Rick Hendrick suffered a broken rib and shoulder.
The NTSB is investigating.
We doublechecked this news item, to make certain it was not a reposting of the 2004 crash that tragically took the lives of ten of the Hendrick team and family.
What: ATA Flight School Cessna Where: Pompano Beach Air Park When: November 1, 2011 reported at 5:52 pm Who: 2 aboard, 2 survivors Why: A 27 year old instructor Vincent Paul Citrullo and 42 year old student pilot David Bakalar survived a crash at the intersection of Northeast 10th Street and Fifth Avenue in Pompano Beach Florida.
The crash occurred during a ATA Flight School (Pembroke Pines) training flight while the student pilot was flying and losing altitude due to engine trouble. The instructor took the controls, and the plane struck a palm tree and a concrete pole, landing shy of Pompano Beach Air Park. Both were taken to North Broward Medical Center.
Two fire trucks used foam on spilled fuel.
Pilot Vincent Paul Citrullo, a former C130 crew chief and vet, is credited with landing the plane after the throttle became inoperable, and securing their survival, in spite of the plane breaking in half.
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.
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.
What: Air Tran Boeing 737 en route from Seattle to Milwaukee Where: Billings Montana When: Oct 29, 2011 Who: 124 passengers Why: The flight took off normally, but over Montana, the windshield cracked.
The crew diverted the flight to Billings Montana where they made a safe landing.
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.
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.
What: Allegiant Air en route from Orlando Florida to Plattsburgh New York Where: North Carolina When: October 23, 2011 Who: 145 passengers Why: While en route, the pilots saw an indication of an oil pressure problem and diverted to Wilmington where they made a safe landing.
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.
What: US Airways Boeing 767-200 en route from Philadelphia, to Frankfurt Germany Where: Providence When: Oct 19th 2011 Who: One injury Why: While while en route over west Providence over Rhode Island, an encounter with turbulence resulted in a serious injury to a passenger’s ankle. The flight returned to Philadelphia due to the medical emergency. Departure was delayed. The flight did land in Frankfurt about four hours late.
