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    Cessna 172 Crashed in Bethlehem, 2 Killed

    A Cessna 172 aiCessnarcraft crashed in Selkirk, Bethlehem in New York, shortly after 4:50 p.m. on September 8.

    The incident happened after the plane took off from the South Albany Airport with a flight instructor and his female student aboard.

    The authorities confirmed that both of them died in the accident. According to Detective Sergeant Adam Hornick with the Bethlehem Police, “The plane struck the rail car that was stopped on the tracks and then came to a rest immediately next to it.”

    The instructor identified as Al was working as flight instructor at the South Albany Airport for the last 13 years. The identity of the female student has not yet been released.

    The FAA and the NTSB will investigate.

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    Small Plane Makes Emergency Landing in Benton County

    A 4-seater, Cirrus plane made an emergency landing on 15th Avenue NE in Langola Township, Benton County, Minnesota, near Rice, at about 1:45 p.m. on September 7.

    The incident happened when the plane was en route from the Mankato area to Breezy Point.

    According to the Benton County Sheriff’s Office, the single-engine plane, which was heading to St. Cloud Regional Airport, landed in emergency due to some mechanical problems.

    None of the 4 people aboard, including the Pilot Craig Bureind, 52, of Chanhassen and his 3 passengers, suffered any injuries. The plane hit a telephone pole support wire during landing and was slightly damaged.

    The FAA will investigate the incident.

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    Delta Flight Makes Emergency Landing at BWI

    250px-Delta_logo.svgDelta flight 772, en route from Atlanta to Providence, had to make an emergency landing at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport at around 10:30 p.m. on September 5.

    The aircraft was diverted to BWI because of some mechanical problems.

    The plane landed uneventfully and everyone aboard remained safe.

    Several other flights were delayed from BWI because of the incident.

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    Birds Hit 3 Planes Near Laguardia Airport

    Air CanadaThree flights made emergency landings at LaGuardia Airport, New York, after they were separately hit by birds within a period of 4 hours on September 3.

    ExpressJet Flight 5400 reported bird strike shortly after 7 a.m., while it was turning to land on Runway 31. In the second incident, ExpressJet Flight 5432 was hit by the birds at about 8:53 a.m. while taxiing to the ramp and after less than 3 hours, the Air Canada 706 reported bird strike at about 11:15 a.m. while it was some 12 miles northeast of the airport.

    All three planes made safe emergency landings and no injuries to personnel or damage to property was reported.

    The FAA is investigating the incidents.

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    American Airlines Flight Returned to LAX with Cracked Windshield

    American AirlinesAmerican Airlines flight 2448, heading towards Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, Texas, returned to the Los Angeles International Airport for emergency landing shortly after it took off on September 1.

    The plane was diverted after the captain reported cracked windshield just moments after taking off.

    The aircraft landed uneventfully sometime after 4 p.m. and everyone aboard remained unharmed.

    Five crew members and 180 passengers were switched to another aircraft within an hour.

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    5 People, Dog Killed as Piper PA 46 Crashed in Colorado

    PiperA single-engine Piper PA 46 crashed a few hundred yards northwest of the runway of Erie Municipal Airport, Weld County, Colorado, at around 11:40 a.m. on August 31.

    The accident happened when the six-seater plane, which took off from Centennial Airport, was attempting to land Erie Municipal Airport.

    The plane was carrying 5 people and a dog at the time of accident; Erie authorities confirmed that all of them were killed.

    The FAA and the NTSB are jointly investigating the reasons of crash.

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    Allegiant Jet Makes Emergency Landing in South Carolina

    AllegiantAllegiant airlines flight 683, en-route from Grand Rapids, Michigan, to Orlando, Florida, was forced to make an emergency landing at Greenville–Spartanburg International Airport, South Carolina on August 31.

    According to the airline officials, the McDonnell Douglas MD-80 aircraft, having 159 passengers on board, was diverted for emergency landing after it began to “experienced a cabin pressurization issue approximately two hours after take off.”

    The aircraft landed safely, although the passengers had to wear oxygen masks deployed overhead in the cabin.

    The airline provided hotel accommodation, refund for that leg of the trip, and a $200 voucher to all the passengers.

    The flight was rescheduled to depart from Greenville next morning.

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    Cessna Crashes in the Front Yard of Granville County Home

    CessnaA Cessna 150 crashed in the front yard of a house in Granville County neighbourhood, North Carolina, late on August 28.

    The plane departed at 6:13 p.m. from Bowman Field in Louisville, Kentucky and was on its way to Elizabeth City Regional Airport in North Carolina, when it clipped some tress and went down in bushes in the front yard of the house at 3002 Krogen Court, Granville County.

    Raleigh-Durham International Airport officials reported that they were informed about a plane having problem at about 11:05 p.m., but the connection with the plane got lost. The wreckage of the plane was located at 12:30 a.m. Friday.

    The pilot was injured and was taken to Duke Hospital where his condition is believed to be stable.

    The residents of the house were sleeping at the time and did not hear any noise. The homeowner Ashley Bartlett said, “I don’t think the reality of it set in until we were leaving the scene and driving to the hotel. It could have been catastrophic.”

    The aircraft is registered to Ethan Leggett of Pewee Valley, Kentucky.

    The NTSB is investigating the cause of crash.

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    Helicopter Crash Lands near Horsebend; 2 Injured

    helicopterA Rohinson R22 Beta II helicopter made a crash landing near the Horsebend area, south of Gardnerville, in Douglas County, Nevada, in the afternoon of August 27.

    The pilot, identified as Dolye Holden, and his friend, Karen Cole, were returning from the Horsebend area, after fishing in Carson River, when the helicopter started malfunctioning and they had to make the crash landing.

    According to the authorities, 2 people suffered minor injuries in the accident. They were able to call another pilot who then flew them to Carson Valley Medical Centre for treatment.

    The NTSB is investigating the cause of the crash.

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    Sheriff’s Helicopter Crashed at Hemet-Ryan Airport; 2 Injured

    Helicopter crashA Riverside County Sheriff’s helicopter crashed on the runway at the northeast end of Hemet-Ryan Airport in Hemet district, Riverside County, California, at 11 a.m. on August 28.

    According to the sheriff’s spokesperson Albert Martinez, the helicopter crashed during a low-flying training exercise. The FAA spokesman Ian Gregor said that the helicopter rolled over while the pilot was trying to land with a simulated engine power outage.

    Two deputies of the sheriff aboard the chopper suffered minor injuries and were taken to a local hospital.

    The tail rotor of the helicopter got snapped off due to crash. Hemet firefighters sprayed foam on the wreckage to stop any fire ignition.

    The Federal Aviation Administration has initiated investigation.

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    Medical Transport Plane Crashed in New Mexico; 4 Killed

    Medical transport planeA twin-engine medical transport plane crashed and caught fire near the Southern New Mexico State Fairgrounds at about 6:45 p.m. on August 27.

    The accident happened shortly after the plane took off from Las Cruces Airport and was on its way to Phoenix, Arizona, with a patient and 3 crew members on-board.

    The crash killed all 4 people aboard. They were identified as the pilot, Freddy Martinez, 29, of El Paso, the patient, Fredrick Green, 59, of Las Cruces, a flight paramedic, Tauren Summers, 27, from El Paso and a nurse, Monica Chavez, 35, of El Paso.

    Some witnesses reported that the plane was flying at a low altitude before it went down.

    The aircraft was owned by Harlingen, Texas based Amigos Aviation Service.

    The FAA is investigating the cause of accident.

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    Ohio Plane Crash Kills 4 University Students

    plane fireA single-engine Cessna 172R airplane crashed and caught fire in suburban Richmond Heights around Cleveland, Ohio, at about 10 p.m. on August 25.

    The accident happened shortly after the plane took off from Cuyahoga County Regional Airport with 4 students of Cleveland’s Case Western Reserve University on-board. A spokesman for the NTSB, Peter Knudson, said that the plane was apparently coming back to the airport when it crashed.

    All 4 people aboard were killed in the accident. The victims were identified as Lucas Marcelli, 20, of Massillon, Ohio; Abraham Pishevar, 18, of Rockville, Maryland; John Hill, 18, of St. Simons, Georgia, and the pilot, William Felten, 20, of Saginaw, Michigan.

    According to an Ohio State Highway Patrol official, the plane was rented for 4 hours by Felten.

    The cause of crash is under investigation.

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    Ultralight Plane Crash at Lowell Airport Kills a Man

    UltralightAn ultralight plane offered for sale crashed during its test flight at Lowell Airport, Vergennes Township, near Lowell, Michigan, at about 11:30 a.m. on August 24.

    Kent County sheriff’s Sgt. Russ Larson confirmed that a New Mexico man who was taking the test flight in the aircraft owned by a local resident, was killed in the crash. He was identified as Bryan Bowker, 67, of Edgewood.

    Authorities said that the plane successfully took off and landed once but crashed during a second take off attempt. Jeff Ostrander, who runs a flight school at Lowell Airport, said, “He had been doing some practicing with the aircraft, taxing up and down the runway to become familiar with the ground handling characteristics…I think what probably happened is a narrow dynamic stall where in the wing is held at such angle to the wind that no longer provides normal lift and airplanes do not fly in that condition.”

    The FAA is investigating the crash.

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    4 Injured as Navion Aircraft Crashed in Alaska

    Atigun Pass

    A single engine Navion aircraft crashed near the summit of Atigun Pass in northern Alaska, before 1:45 p.m. on August 24.

    Clint Johnson, the NTSB Alaska Region chief, said on Monday, “Four individuals on board, injuries ranged from serious to critical, and they were medevaced last night.” Johnson said the initial information revealed that the pilot was taking his 3 passengers on a cruise flight from Fairbanks to Bettles, Deadhorse, Barter Island and then back to Fairbanks. The authorities believe that the passengers were from Canada.

    The cause of crash is not known at the moment. “Whenever the pilot’s health allows, we want to be able to talk to him to get it first-hand what exactly took place. However his injuries are probably not going to allow us to do that for probably the next couple of days,” Johnson said.

    The NTSB is investigating.

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    United Airlines Flight Returns to Guam after 26 Minutes

    United AirlinesUnited Airlines flight 5071, operated by Cape Air, had to return to Guam at 8:04 a.m. on August 25.

    The incident happened when the flight was on its way from Guam to Saipan.

    According to the regional director for Cape Air, David Baker, “Cape Air experienced a maintenance delay this morning and as a precautionary safety measure we returned back to Guam.”

    The Aerospatiale ATR-42-300 twin turboprop landed back safely after flying for about 26 minutes. All the passengers and crew members remained unhurt.

    Baker also stated that, “Once in Guam, the aircraft was inspected and returned back to service…Some of our morning departures experienced a six-hour delay, and we apologize for the customer inconvenience.”

    Authorities at the A.B. Won Pat Guam International Airport confirmed that it was a non-emergency landing.

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    Bomb Threat Tweet Prompts American Airlines Emergency Landing

    American AirlinesAmerican Airlines flight 362, en-route from Dallas to San Diego, had to divert and make an emergency landing at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, Arizona, at about 12:05 p.m. on August 24.

    According to Rebecca Bloomfield from the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority, officials at San Diego’s Lindbergh Field received a call from the Transportation Security Administration’s Coordination Center that the FBI was looking into a tweet indicating about possible explosives aboard flight 362. The twitter threat was posted by @LizardSquad at around 10:45 a.m. on August 24. It read: @AmericanAir: We have been receiving reports that @j_smedley’s plane #362 from DFW to SAN has explosives on-board, please look into this.

    She further said that the FBI officials then diverted the flight to Phoenix where it made a safe emergency landing. Everyone aboard remained safe.

    Passengers had to wait while the federal investigators searched the plane for any explosives. The flight resumed to San Diego after 4 hours. The FBI is investigating the incident.

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    Hanover Park Football Field Damaged after Helicopter Landed in Emergency

    HelicopterA helicopter made an emergency landing in a football field in suburban Hanover Park, Illinois, near Barrington Road and Route 19, at around 11:00 a.m. on August 23.

    According to a Hanover Park Hurricanes youth football and cheerleading program spokesperson, the emergency landing was made due to engine failure.

    The chopper landed safely and none of the 2 people aboard, including the pilot and a passenger, suffered any injuries.

    The chopper, owned by Bachman Aero, landed minutes before a team of six-year-olds were about to start playing. According to the director of public relations for the Hanover Park Hurricanes Veronica Soto, “As the helicopter was coming down they had no control over it and they were trying to land on a grassy area…It was coming down regardless of anybody being on the field he would have hit…Had it been 20 minutes later our 73-pound team would be on the field so we’re talking 6-year-olds.”

    Soto also said that the incident caused serious damage to the football field.

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    Plane Crash at Cedar Mills Marina Airport Injured 4

    CessnaA single-engine Cessna 177 plane skidded off the runway and crashed into trees during landing at Cedar Mills Marina Airfield in Grayson County, Gordonville, Texas, on August 23.

    The accident happened when the plane was en-route from Lake Dallas to Sherman, with 2 men and 2 women aboard. The Department of Public Safety trooper Mark Tackett said that the pilot reported issues during landing.

    All 4 people aboard the plane suffered injuries of varied degrees. Two of the injured were airlifted to Medical Center of Plano while the others were transported to Wilson and Jones Hospital in Sherman. Their identifications have not yet been released.

    According to the FAA records, the aircraft is 47 years old and is registered to an address in Aubrey.

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    United Express Flight Makes Emergency Landing in Peoria

    United ExpressGoJet Airlines flight 3642, operating as United Express, made an emergency landing in Peoria, Illinois, just before noon on August 22, after the cabin lost air pressure.

    According to Gene Olson, the Director of General Wayne A. Downing Peoria International Airport,  “I don’t know exactly what the issue was, but there was a cabin depressurization so they made a precautionary landing here in Peoria.”

    The CRJ-700, which was on its way from St. Louis to Chicago O’Hare, landed safely. No injuries were reported.

    GoJet said in a statement that the flight was diverted due to indication of smoke in the cockpit. They further said, “We will use a replacement aircraft to accommodate passengers, and aircraft technicians will examine the aircraft to determine the cause of the indication.”

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    United Airlines Jet in Emergency Landing at Indianapolis

    United AirlinesA regional jet of the United Airlines, headed from Columbus, Ohio to Chicago, had to divert and make an emergency landing at Indianapolis International Airport at around 7:40 p.m. on August 21.

    According to an airport spokesperson, the flight was diverted after the crew reported smoke in the cockpit.

    The aircraft landed uneventfully and all 48 people aboard remained safe.

    The cause of smoke is not yet known.

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    Windshield Cracked Mid Air; American Airlines Flight Made Emergency Landing in Orlando

    American AirlinesAmerican Airlines Flight 1610 made an emergency landing at Orlando International Airport, Florida, in the night of August 20.

    The decision for emergency landing was made after the windshield of the Boeing 737, heading from Miami to Toronto, cracked midair.

    The plane landed uneventfully and all 131 people aboard remained unharmed.

    An American Airlines representative said that their maintenance crew is trying to figure out the cause of the crack.

    The passengers were provided an alternate plane to resume their journey.

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    Menzies Aviation Fined by Cal/OSHA Following Death of LAX Airport Worker

    Following the death of a Los Angeles International Airport worker in February, Cal/OSHA has issued citations and imposed a fine of $77,250 on Menzies Aviation for allegedly violating 1 regulatory, 1 serious and 3 serious-accident related state safety codes.

    On February 21, Cesar Valenzuela, a 51-year-old LAX worker employed by Menzies, was thrown out of a tow tractor while he was picking cargo without wearing a seatbelt. The investigations conducted by Cal/OSHA revealed that the safety policy of Menzies Aviation does not obligate the workers to wear safety belts while operating the tow tractors in and around the Los Angeles International Airport.

    According to Christine Baker, the director of the Department of Industrial Relations, which oversees Cal/OSHA, “This fatality could have been prevented with a well-thought-out and implemented safety plan, as is required for all worksites in California.”

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    Teen Pilots Make Perfect Emergency Landing Near Tulsa International Airport

    CessnaTwo teenage pilots successfully landed a Cessna 172 aircraft in emergency, at a road just south of Tulsa International Airport, Oklahoma, after it lost power on August 19.

    The incident happened when the 18-year-old certified Pilot, Eric Nichols and his pilot-in-training friend Tanner Price were flying from Riverside Airport and performing a touch and go at Tulsa International Airport.

    According to Nichols, the plane had just passed the runway when its speed indicator dropped to zero. ‘We had about 1,900 RPMs and I knew that wasn’t going to be enough to get us anywhere, so we didn’t have enough runway, I told tower, ‘I’m putting it down,’ and I set it down on the road here,’ said Nichols.

    The teenagers carefully landed the plane between two utility poles and avoided hitting a car running on the road. Tulsa Fire Airport Chief, Michael Atchison was impressed with the boys’ performance in such life-threatening situation. “Real proud of those guys…They did a good job ’cause, you know, the tense moments right there, for them to lay it down, find a place to land it when they lost all the power. They did a great job,” Atchison said.

    Nichols has only 61 hours of training while Tanner has just 13. Christensen Aviation, the owner of the plane, confirmed that neither the plane was damaged nor anyone was injured.

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    82 U.S. Air Force F-16Ds Grounded due to Cracks

    On August 19, the U.S. Air Force said that they grounded 82 two-seater F-16D fighter jets because of canopy sill longeron cracks discovered between the front and rear pilots seats.

    One hundred and fifty-seven F-16Ds were inspected by individual F-16 units and the cracks were discovered in 82. According to the Air Force sources, the 24 years old F-16D fleet is primarily used for training.

    Lt. Col. Steve Grotjohn, Weapons System Division deputy chief said, “As aircraft accumulate flight hours, cracks develop due to fatigue from sustained operations… Fortunately, we have a robust maintenance, inspection and structural integrity program to discover and repair deficiencies as they occur.”

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    U.S. Airways Flight Makes Emergency Landing due to Strange Odor

    US AirwaysU.S. Airways flight 706 en route from Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina to Germany returned for emergency landing shortly after taking off on August 18.

    The plane was returned to Charlotte after the crew reported a strange odor on board. The plane touched down on the runway uneventfully at around 10 p.m.

    Eleven passengers fell sick because of the smell. Seven of them were treated at the airport and 4 others were taken to Carolinas Medical Center with non-life threatening conditions.

    The cause of the smell is not yet known.

    The passengers were provided an alternate plane to resume their journey.