USA

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    Spirit Airlines Emergency Landing after Ingesting Bird

    What: Spirit Airlines Flight 436 Airbus 319 was en route to Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport after leaving Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport
    Where: Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport
    When: The bird struck at 11 a.m Monday, and shortly after, the pilot returned to the airport.
    Who: 115 passengers and four crew members
    Why:struck a bird shortly after takeoff and reportedly the bird got ingested by the left engine.

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    Georgia Emergency Landing and Rescue

    What: Cessna en route from New Jersey to Saint Simon’s Island.
    Where: near Wassaw Island, in the marsh east of Skidaway Island.
    When: Saturday morning
    Who: pilot Eugenia Singer and her dog
    Why: The engine surged and then lost power. Air traffic control directed her to marshland, where she landed submerged.

    On the Coast Guard Air Station Savannah rescue helicopter was flight mechanic Adam Morehouse who helped hoist Singer and her dog to safety in a basket.

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    Crash landing at Carlsbad airport

    What: Plane landing at McClellan-Palomar Airport
    Where: plane crashed into a hillside about two miles southeast of the Carlsbad airport
    When: 7:30 a.m. Sunday morning Sept. 28
    Who: Pilot Giuseppe Puzzo. a 42-year-old resident of Lake Havasu, Ariz died of multiple blunt force injuries
    Why: Puzzo missed his first attempted landing in foggy conditions and was performing a fly around for a second approach when the plane went down.

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    Fossett’s Plane Found

    What: single-engine acrobatic Bellanca Super Decathlon plane
    Where: Minaret Range California
    When: Found Wednesday (a year after the plane was lost Sept. 3, 2007)
    Who: Steve Fossett

    Three days after a hiker, Preston Morrow, found Fossett’s pilot’s license, a glider license and a membership card for the National Aeronautic Association, the wreckage of his plane was found.

    A piece of bone 2 by 1 1/2 inches was found–the only possible human remains found to be DNA tested. Apparently the plane flew horizontally into the mountain, then the wood, aluminum and cloth plane shattered and burned.

    Once the DNA is confirmed, at least the family will be able to have closure.

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    International Boundary and Water Commission Casualties found near Tex/Mex Border.

    Update

    Senator John Cornyn–on the Judiciary Committee’s Immigration, Border Security and Refugees subcommittee and the Armed Services Committee’s Airland subcommittee, former Texas Attorney General, Texas Supreme Court Justice, and Bexar County District Judge– released a Statement regarding the International Boundary and Water Commission Plane Crash

    “Since the disappearance of this aircraft earlier in the week, all of us have been hoping and praying for a miracle. So it is with a profound sense of sadness to learn that the wreckage has been found, and that the lives of these four men have been lost. Commissioner Marin and Jake Brisbin Jr. were devoted public servants and proud Americans whose loss will be felt throughout the border region. Their hard work and commitment, along with that of Commissioner Herrera’s, reflected the spirit of goodwill and partnership that is shared by the United States and Mexico as we work together on our common goals. Their family and loved ones are in my prayers tonight as the entire border region remembers their lives and legacies, and mourns this tragic accident.”

    src=http://cornyn.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=ForPress.NewsReleases&ContentRecord_id=75aeea20-802a-23ad-4b54-496c3c561d42

    What: Chartered Cessna 421
    Where: Border Patrol located the wreckage in a remote rugged section of the Sierra Madre Mountains in Mexico, about 20 miles northwest of Presidio.
    When: The plane was reported missing after it did not land on time Monday in Presidio. It was found shortly after noon Wednesday
    Who: Found deceased: leaders of the U.S. and Mexican sections of the IBWC, Carlos Marin of El Paso and Arturo Herrera, of Ciudad Juarez, Mexicom, Jake Brisbin Jr., executive director of the Rio Grande Council of Government and pilot Matthew Peter Juneau
    Why: The group had traveled to inspect flooding conditions in Presidio and Ojinaga, an aerial view of the Luis Leon Reservoir. Cause of the crash is not known but the pilot had signalled a problem after taking off Monday from El Paso, Mexico.

    AP had inadvertently listed the passengers as deceased when the plane disappeared and optimistically attempted to retract the story, hoping the passengers would be found alive. Sadly, there were no survivors

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    Fatal Plane Crash Near US/Mexican Border

    What: Cessna en route from El Paso, Mexico, heading for Presidio, Texas. Plane had been inspecting damage to a dam caused by a flood from the Conchos River.
    Where: northern Mexico in the desert near the Mexican border city of Ojinaga
    When: Monday
    Who: Four people died, including top U.S. and Mexican water officials: Arturo Herrera and Carlos Marin, executive director of the Rio Grande Council, Jake Brisbin, and the pilot, who was not identified
    Why: pilot had signalled a problem

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    Camp Pendleton Crash Resolved in Court


    Jurors are sending a message to big business.

    The only way to hurt big business is through the pocket book. When you hit them there, they eventually come around to doing what is right.

    After this California wrongful death lawsuit verdict, my bet is that SDG&E will develop a belated conscience and will install safety devices or ball markers to help prevent this type of disaster.

    So we are offering congratulations to the jurors for using their voices; and congratulations to the families. No amount of money is going to bring back those precious four lives, or ever ease the pain of their families, but, at the very least we can hope that the families will have some comfort that a small measure of justice has been served.

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    Plane Crashes North of San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge.

    What: Cessna Centurion being used for aerial photography
    Where: crash/lands in the shallows north of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge.
    When: 2 p.m. Wednesday.
    Who: Pilot Matt Barcelona of San Jose and passenger Bruce Moody.
    Why: The pilot reported a loss of power before it crashed. Witnesses reported the plane left a dark trail. After the impact. they managed to get the door open. They waited on the plane’s wing until rescued by Coast Guard vessels conducting training sessions within fifteen minutes of the vicinity; passengers were taken to Yerba Buena Island, then to the hospital.

    Listen to the audio podcast of a witness being interviewed by KCBS

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    Beechcraft Lands on New York Highway


    What: crippled 1992 Beechcraft Bonanza flying to Burlington, Vt
    Where: on Interstate 87, close to the town of North Hudson, near Lake Placid.
    When: Wednesday evening
    Who: Pilot/flight instructor Michael Denning and 2 student pilots.
    Why: While a student was flying, the engine started clicking; then there was an explosion and a power loss. The instructor landed on the highway’s center lane with minima. clearance of surrounding guardrails. Flight instructor Michael Denning has gotten significant accolades for his skilled response.

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    New FAA Rules Coming

    The British Airways Boeing 777 crashed on Jan. 17, 2008, in icy weather with 136 travelers and 16 crew members aboard.

    The reason why it crashed is that the flow of fuel to both of the plane’s engines was cut off by ice that accumulated on prior flights in cold air at high altitudes. The plane was flying at minus 29 degrees Fahrenheit over Siberia.

    These are the significant just-released details behind the FAA’s move to adopt new safety rules (Pilot procedures and in-flight throttle settings) regarding planes flying in cold weather. Fuel systems might even be changed to adapt to the problem of water (which accumulates in fuel) freezing inside the fuel system.

  • Emergency Landing: Fla Gov. Charlie Crist



    What: Florida State Plane
    Where: Tallahassee
    When: Tues May 6
    Who: Gov. Charlie Crist
    Why: The Plane’s autopilot, yaw damp and pitch trim malfunctioned in the first 45 minutes of Crist’s flight from Tallahassee. The yaw damp is part of the autopilot system that helps stabilizes the tail, and the pitch trim the craft’s up and down movement.

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    Double Helicopter Crash on Kauai

    What: Heli-Usa helicopter
    Where: Kauai, Hawaii
    When: 03 10, 2007, 1:05 pm
    Who: four fatalities, 3 injuries
    Why: As a tour was ending, after experiencing hydraulic problems, a helicopter crashed at the the northwest end of Princeville airport a hundred yards from the terminal. A description of the wreckage indicated that the front of the helicopter was torn off, the tail was snapped off, and the rotors were broken. First responders attempted to save the four fatalities.

    The pilot who had 10,000 hours on that helicopter died in the crash.

    Four injured were taken to Wilcox Memorial Hospital. One died en route.

    Nine miles away….

    What: Smokey Mountain Helicopters out of Delaware. It’s the parent company of Inter-Island Helicopter
    Where: North shore of Kauai, Hawaii
    When: 1:05 pm
    Who: five aboard, one fatality, four injuries.
    Why: The pilot heard a loud bang, and lost control of the helicopter, which fell down in a spiral formation on to a Hanalei campsite

    The debris field is spread from the ocean to the beach. A dive team will be searching the ocean for the tail rotor, gear box and drive shaft which were flung afield. Witnesses extricated survivors out of the wreckage

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    CA: Cessna Crash


    Pictured: A Cessna T210N Turbo Centurion
    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Mick Bajcar

    What: Cessna T210N
    Where: 3 miles south of Dana Point, California
    When: November 19, 2005
    Who: Pilot and 3 passengers
    Why: The airplane impacted the ocean following a departure from controlled cruise flight, decelerating from 120 to 60 knots spiraling down corkscrew manner before impact. No pre-accident anomalies were noted with any systems examined, and no distress calls or communications preceded or followed the upset. The pilot had moderate to severe coronary artery disease with evidence of at least one prior small heart attack. The combination of coronary artery disease and LVH would have substantially increased the risk for sudden cardiac death in this pilot. Four died in the crash.

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    TWA Flight 800


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Frank C. Duarte Jr.

    What: TWA Boeing 747-131 en route from NY to Paris
    Where: East Moriches, New York
    When: July 17, 1996
    Who: 2 pilots, 2 flight engineers, 14 flight attendants, and 212 passengers
    Why: On July 17, 1996, Trans World Airlines, Inc. Boeing 747-131, N93119, crashed in the Atlantic Ocean near East Moriches, New York, en route from New York to Paris, France. The flight departed JFK about 2019, with 2 pilots, 2 flight engineers, 14 flight attendants, and 212 passengers on board. All were killed, and the airplane was destroyed. Investigation revealed that the crash occurred as the result of a fuel/air explosion in the airplane’s center wing fuel tank .Ignition energy for the CWT explosion most likely entered the CWT through the fuel quantity indication system wiring short circuit. There was no evidence of a missile or bomb.

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    ALOHA AIRLINES Flight 243

    Aloha Airlines
    Photographer: Juerg Schmid

    NTSB Identification: DCA88MA054.
    The docket is stored on NTSB microfiche number 35379.
    Scheduled 14 CFR ALOHA AIRLINES, INC.
    Accident occurred Thursday, April 28, 1988 in MAUI, HI
    Probable Cause Approval Date: 06/25/1990
    Aircraft: BOEING 737-297, registration: N73711
    Injuries: 1 Fatal,7 Serious,57 Minor,30 Uninjured.
    NTSB investigators traveled in support of this investigation and used data obtained from various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
    The Safety Board’s full report on this investigation is provided as Aviation Accident Report number AAR-89/03. To obtain a copy of this report, or to view the executive summary online, please see the Web site at http://www.ntsb.gov/publictn/publictn.htm

    FLT 243 EXPERIENCED AN EXPLOSIVE DECOMPRESSION AND STRUCTURAL FAILURE AT FL240 WHILE ENROUTE FROM HILO, HI, TO HONOLULU, HI. APRX 18 FT OF CABIN SKIN AND STRUCTURE AFT OF THE CABIN ENTRANCE DOOR AND ABOVE THE PASSENGER FLOORLINE SEPARATED FROM THE ACFT. ONE FLT ATTENDANT WHO WAS STANDING IN THE AISLE WAS SWEPT OVERBOARD. THE FLT DIVERTED TO MAUI AND A LANDING WAS ACCOMPLISHED. EXAMINATION OF THE ACFT REVEALED DISBONDING AND FATIGUE DAMAGE WHICH LED TO THE FAILURE OF THE LAP JOINT AT S-10L AND THE SEPARATION OF THE FUSELAGE UPPER SKIN BETWEEN STATIONS 360 AND 540. (SEE NTSB/AAR-89/03)

    The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:

    FUSELAGE,ATTACHMENT..FATIGUE

    The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:

    FUSELAGE,ATTACHMENT..SEPARATION

    Contributing Factors

    MAINTENANCE,INSPECTION..IMPROPER..COMPANY MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL

    Contributing Factors

    SUPERVISION..INADEQUATE..COMPANY/OPERATOR MANAGEMENT

    Contributing Factors

    INADEQUATE SURVEILLANCE OF OPERATION..FAA(ORGANIZATION)

    Contributing Factors

    ACFT/EQUIP,INADEQUATE AIRFRAME..MANUFACTURER

    Pdf of official report http://bit.ly/16kpbVy

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    Air New England Flight 248

    Air New England Flight 248, a de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter, crashed near Camp Greenough, a Boy Scout camp in Massachusetts. The flight was on approach to Barnstable Municipal Airport. There were ten passengers and two crew members aboard. Only the pilot died. After impacting the ground, one of the passengers, 19-year-old Suzanne Mourad went for help. In 2009, another passenger, Robert Sabbag, wrote a book entitled Down Around Midnight about the crash.