What: Southwest Airlines flight from San Diego to Oakland
Where: Oakland
When: April 10, 2010
Who: 134 aboard
Why: While en route the pilot discovered hydraulic problems. The hydraulic fluid leaked on to the landing gear and smoked on landing; but otherwise the fight landed safely in Oakland with emergency vehicles on standby.
What: Republic Airlines Embraer ERJ-170 en route from Omaha to Milwaukee
Where: Milwaukee
When: Apr 3 2010
Why: While en route, the flight encountered turbulence that injured a flight attendant. The flight made a safe landing, without further injury.
After a weekend of combing the mountains behind Stanford University, the FAA has deemed the report of a downed Santa Cruz Mountains flight to be a fake. Someone on an emergency air traffic channel had called for help, saying he was a passenger in a plane crashed in the mountains north of Stanford University. However, there had been no mayday signals, no emergency beacons, and no missing aircraft.
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Bostjan Henigaman
What: Thomson Airways Boeing 737-800 en route from Cardiff to Las Palmas
Where: en route
When: Jan 25th 2010
Who: 186 passengers and 7 crew
Why: While en route, one of the passengers apparently suffered a panic attack, and attempted to enter the cabin, having to be restrained by crew and passengers.
The passenger was taken into custody on landing.
If this does turn out to be the case of a mental disorder (panic attack), one wonders what new steps will be taken to reduce incidents of this type. It seems as if unruly passengers are on the rise. Is it the reporting of the events that has changed or are passengers themselves changing, devolving into having less self-control? It seems like a trend-but what does it mean?
Or is there a simpler answer? Is it that earlier generations of fliers respected planes more?
Pictured: A United Airlines Boeing 767-322/ER
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Contact photographer Andreas Fietz
What: United Airlines en route from Detroit to Denver
Where: Milwaukee
When: Jan 21, 2010
Who: infant
Why: On board the flight, a 2-month-old boy who stopped breathing on board could not be revived. A passenger attempted CPR and on the ground in Milwaukee paramedics also attempted CPR but the revival attempts were unsuccessful.
What: Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 en route from Oakland to Burbank
Where: Burbank
When: January 20, 2010 9:57
Who: 81 passengers
Why: While en route from Sacramento, the Boeing 737 was struck by lightning. The plane landed safely at Bob Hope Airport, and was examined for damage from the lightning strike.
Two individuals aboard this flight were taken to Providence St. Joseph Medical Center for treatment.
What: Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 en route from Sacramento to Burbank
Where: Burbank
When: January 20, 2010 9:38
Who: 69 passengers
Why: While en route from Sacramento, the Boeing 737 was struck by lightning. The plane landed safely at Bob Hope Airport, and was examined for damage from the lightning strike.
What: single engine Piper Cherokee PA32
Where: Koolau Mountains in East Oahu near the Lanipo Trail on WAIALAEIKI RIDGE, 10 MILES FROM HONOLULU, HI
When: Jan 11, 2010
Who: Pilot Dr. Nicolas Polumbo and passenger Timmy Polumbo
Why: AIRCRAFT CRASHED UNDER UNKNOWN CIRCUMSTANCES, THERE WERE TWO PERSONS ON BOARD, ONE WAS FATALLY INJURED, ONE UNKNOWN INJURIES, WRECKAGE LOCATED ON WAIALAEIKI RIDGE, 10 MILES FROM HONOLULU, HI
The pilot had been flying to his veterinary clinic and made no mayday call prior to the crash. Visibility may have been a factor as the weather was overcast.
Crash crews rapelled from the helicopter due to the inaccessibility of the crash site.
(Link to a recovery video. KITV has not released for embedding)
What: Smoketown Banners Piper PA 18 en route from NJ
Where: Fresh Kills landfill in Staten Island
When: January 15, 2010
Who: pilot
Why: While engaged in flying a 4,000-square-foot sailcloth banner marking the one year anniversary of the Hudson River emergency landing, the cylinder on the plane’s engine blew, and the pilot had to make an emergency landing. The pilot is shaken but uninjured; and the plane will be towed to New Holland, Pa.
The plane’s banner said “If you died today, would you go to heaven or hell? John 14:6”
Although the banner’s intent is being summarized as “marking the anniversary” of US Airways Flight 1549’s safe Hudson River landing, a lot of planes flew on Jan. 15, many of them also over the Hudson River location. One might expect that the banner of a flight whose only purpose was to “remember” the anniversary would actually mention Flight 1549 or Capt. Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger.
One might even wonder at the irony—or synchronicity—of a pedantic bible verse crash landing on a landfill. What would have happened if the banner had said “Thank you Sully” or “1549” or “Remember the miracle” or even “Remember” ?
Was today’s landing an accident, a publicity stunt, or a message?
On the ground, on January 15th 2010, there was a reunion of the survivors of flight 1549.
Do I think the words on that banner were condescending? superfluous? gawky? lumbering? bunglesome?
Well, let me express it this way:
Even without any well-meant instruction from the client who hired the banner flight, in every breath the survivors of Flight 1549 have taken since January 15th 2009 3:31 pm., they have tasted a sweeter blessing than the rest of us can ever guess.
And how does ANY ONE mock that blessing with some pompous, portentous, pretentious homily?
What: Mercy Flight enroute Buffalo to ECMC from Orleans County
Where: A mile from Buffalo Niagara
When: Dec 2 2009
Who: Pilot Shawn Hayes, 2 flight crew nurses and a patient
Why: After Pilot Shawn Hayes reported “a drop” in one of his engine, he headed for the airport. ATC halted takeoffs for 5 minutes allowing Hayes to land anywhere but he didn’t make it to the airport. With one engine running, the pilot made a safe emergency landing.
Flight nurses transported patient by ambulance.
Hayes is a 23 year former military pilot.
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Contact photographer Vincent Edlinger
What: Air France Airbus A380-800 en route from New York to Paris
Where: Long Island
When: Nov 27th 2009
Who: not available
Why: After takeoff, the plane indicated an autopilot problem. They returned to the airport where the plane landed, was repaired and took off again, arriving safely in Paris about 6 hours late-
What: Blue Hawaiian EUROCOPTER EC130 tour helicopter on Maui
Where: in a sugar field half a mile east of Kahului Airport
When: Monday November 16
Who: pilot and 6 passengers
Why: The helicopter experienced engine problems, forcing an emergency situation. On landing, the helicopter sustained minor damage to its tail boom.
No one aboard was injured.
What: Aruban Airbus A319 en route from Dallas Love Field
Where: Dallas
When: Tuesday November 10, 1:30 pm
Who: maintenance crew
Why: While on a maintenance flight, the privately owned airbus lost a hundred lb. inflatable emergency slide and its storage door over an apartment complex on “webchapel.”
Maintenance was being performed by Associated Air Center. Air Traffic Control was notified of the falling parts by someone witnessing the event, and the flight was immediately recalled.
A search is being performed for the rogue door.
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Rui Alves
What: TAM Linhas Aereas Airbus A330-200 en route from New York to Sao Paulo Guarulhos Brazil
Where: New York
When: Nov 6th 2009
Who: 216 (?) on board
Why: After takeoff, the crew reported to ATC that the flaps had locked in place. After maintaining a holding pattern to burn off fuel, the plane landed back in New York for repairs, after which it departed again for Brazil.
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Contact photographer Carlos Cané
What: Eagle Air Corp Cessna 172S en route from Tallahassee Regional Airport on a practice run
Where: Tallahassee
When: Wednesday Nov 4, 2009 7: 30
Who: 2 on board. One victim had a commercial pilot certificate and the other a private pilot certificate.
Why: The plane crashed on Wednesday night in a forest near Tallahassee.
Investigator Brian Rayner of the National Transportation Safety Board is investigating.
What: 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing AH-1W Super Cobra helicopter and Coast Guard C-130
Where: San Clemente Island
When: October 30 2009 7:10 p.m
Who: 7 on board the plane; 2 on the helicopter
Why: A Coast Guard plane and a Marine Corps helicopter have collided at San Clemente Island off the coast of California. A search has ensued with three Coast Guard cutters, an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter, four navy vessels and multiple helicopters.
Pictured: A United Express (Colgan Air) Saab 340B at Washington – Dulles International
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Contact photographer AviaStar
What: United Airlines Express / Pinnacle Airlines / Colgan Airlines two-engine SAAB 340 en route from Parkersburg, WV
Where: Dulles International Airport
When: 3:35pm Oct 24 2009
Who: 11 passengers
Why: While en route from West Virginia, the flight suffered turbulence, injuring a flight attendant and a passenger. Both struck their heads.
The plane made an emergency landing amid heavy rain and with gusty winds at Dulles; and both injured women were taken by ambulance to the hospital. An injured male passenger was treated at the airport.
Pictured: A Piper Malibu
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Contact photographer Paul Aranha
What: Citrus Aviation single-engine Piper Malibu en route from Gainesville to Lakeland
Where: just north of Lakeland, Florida
When: 8:30 p.m. Friday
Who: 3 on board: a newlywed, her 7-year-old daughter and the pilot flying her husband’s company plane
Why: The pilot reported a problem, and diverted to the nearest airport in Zephyrhills but the plane did not make it all the way to the airport. After the pilot lost communication, the plane went down in a swamp, in a fiery crash that killed all 3 on board, pilot Thomas Scott Long, 44, of Hudson, Tina Copeland, 46, and her 7 year old daughter Cami.
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Jason Ernster
What: Northwest Airlines Airbus A320-200 en route from San Diego, to Minneapolis
Where: Minneapolis
When: Oct 21st 200
Who: 144 passengers 5 crew
Why: The Airbus was out of communication for nearly an hour and a half, and overflew Minneapolis by 15 minutes. The plane had been in contact with Denver but lost contact southeast of Denver,CO after 5:56pm. Denver ATC conferred with Minneapolis ATC. Without reestablishing contact, just before 8 p.m., the plane flew over the airport.
Military jets were put on standby.
Meanwhile, on board, passengers had a very quiet flight, without input from the captain.
Before communications were re-established at 8:14 p.m. the plane had overshot the airport in an easterly direction by nearly a quarter of an hour. Contact was reestablished over Eau Claire, Wis. It is not known if pilots fell asleep.
Pilots didn’t discover their mistake until a flight attendant in the cabin contacted them over the intercom. Passengers were looking at their watches and wondering when the flight would end. Even after they landed, passengers were told to wait, eventually walking past a line of security officers.
On landing in Minneapolis, police boarded the plane, as per standard policy.
The two pilots are suspended until Delta/Northwest investigates the situation. Interviews of the pilots and rest of the crew are pending.
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Contact photographer Tim De Groot
What: KLM Airbus A330-203 en route from Washington-Dulles International Airport, DC to Amsterdam-Schiphol International Airport
Where: Nova Scotia
When: 19-OCT-2009
Who: Not Available
Why: While en route, the engine shut down in flight. The flight was diverted to Bangor, Maine,
Pictured: A Piper PA-28-180 Cherokee in Arkansas
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Contact photographer Jason W. Hamm
What: Oak Ridge Flyers Inc. Piper PA-28-180 Cherokee B
Where: Oliver Springs Airport in Anderson County, TN
When: 18-OCT-2009
Who: 4 on board, 1 fatality
Why: After a hard landing, the plane struck a tree.
The pilot was Doyle R. Chadwick.
The passengers, all of whom survived, were Phillip Byrge, 49, and his 12-year-old son Nathan and 8-year-old daughter Mary.
President of the Oliver Springs Airport board of directors,Steve Hamel, was quoted as saying that he believes “Wind and a wet runway likely played a role in the crash….It’s a grass runway, and it looks like the skid marks of extended distance here, that the brakes may have been locked up on the airplane”
What: Two Air Force F-16 fighters
Where: 40 miles off Folly Beach, near Charleston
When: Thurs Oct 14, 8:30 pm
Who: 1 pilot and 1 plane missing
Why: During night exercises, the two planes collided. One of them returned to base; there is currently a search for Capt. Nicholas Giglio based at Shaw Air Force Base in Sumter.
Investigators believe the bottom of the other jet struck the top of Giglio’s fighter and pierced the pilot’s canopy. The pilot is now thought to never have had time to eject.
An oil slick was seen off the Coast of South Carolina by the Coast Guard but the search remains hopeful of a presumed “pilot who is in the water … needs to be rescued” mission.
Pictured: A Temco D-16 Twin Navion
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Contact photographer Dave Budd
What: AZ Aeromachine 1946 Twin Navion twin engine en route from Anoka County-Blaine Airport
Where: Cardinal Creek Conservation Area, Eden Prarie
When: 12:30 p.m Oct 5, 2009
Who: pilot Bob Fiske
Why: When the plane crashed, witnesses rushed to break the windshield and rescue the trapped pilot.
The pilot was taken to Hennepin County Medical Center.
Pictured: A homebuilt Aussie Ultralight. The one involved in this crash is no doubt a completely different type.
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Contact photographer Phil Vabre
What: 250 lb single-engine true Ultralight aircraft
Where: Desoto County soybean field near the intersection of Stateline and Center Hill Roads.
When: 10/2/09
Who: 52 year-old Louis Bassie of Byhalia Mississippi
Why: As he was coming in for a landing, Bassie’s plane took a nose-dive, spiraled out-of-control and crashed. Bassie had a pilot’s license, worked as a crop-duster, and had served in the military, but it does not take a license to fly a home built kit plane.
Federal authorities will not be investigating the crash of an unlicensed plane.
What: Twin-engine Beechcraft King Air en route from Hayward Executive Airport to San Carlos
Where: HAYWARD, Calif.
When: Sept 16 12:25 p.m
Who: Pilot
Why: Witness say after a sputtering take-off, the plane plane’s right wing got low, and the plane had barely got off the runway when it clipped the back of a commercial building just off the airfield. Coming down, the plane was described as a “70 foot fireball”. The pilot was the only one aboard, and he walked away.
