USA

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    Emergency Landing on Florida Interstate


    What: Piper PA 32 en route from Davis Island
    Where: I-75 at Gibsonton Drive, Florida
    When: August 23, 2012
    Who: 3 aboard
    Why: The pilot, Charles Pulliam took off from Davis Island en route to Opa Locka AIrport, but began losing oil and had to make an emergency landing. He struck a power line but managed to land on the shoulder of I-75 Northbound. His right wing was cut off halfway after striking a road sign, but neither Pulliam nor his two passengers were injured.
    See Video below

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    Baton Rough Cockpit Meltdown

    Andrew Alessi was in an accident Interstate 10 and wanted police to kill him; then he bought a ticket, cleared security and when the flight was open for staff to get on board to clean the plane, stormed into the American Eagle jet just ahead of pursuit where he locked himself in the impregnable cockpit. No passengers were aboard.

    The ground crew disconnected the batteries so he couldn’t start the airplane. After three hours, FBI negotiators talked him out. Alessi was put into lockdown after being taken into custody by Baton Rouge Police and faces charges.
    Video Below

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    Blown tire and Engine Down Leads to Emergency Landing in Newark


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

    What: United Boeing 757-200 en route from Newark to Berlin
    Where: Newark
    When: Aug 18 2012
    Who: 173 aboard
    Why: On takeoff, the plane blew a tire. Simultaneously, the plane gave feedback of problems with both engines, with witnesses seeing fire coming from the left engine. That engine was shut down. The plane managed to circle for two hours to burn off fuel before returning to make a safe landing in Newark.

    In George’s Point of View


    I should probably throw in my usual nag Maintenance! Maintenance! Maintenance! while at the same time praising the CRM and skill of the pilots. This could have certainly come out a much worse report, except that the pilots knew exactly what to do to have a safe outcome.

    –commenting from London

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    Business Flight Ends in Field

    What: Beechcraft A36TC Bonanza 36 en route from Albany Int’l Airport
    Where: Clifton Park, NY
    When: August 15, 2012, 7:30 a.m.
    Who: 2 aboard, 1 fatality, 1 injury
    Why: After taking off, the plane stalled 12 miles north of Albany. The plane crashed in a suburb. passenger Walter F. Uccellini and his business partner, Jim Quinn were aboard. Uccellini died in the crash; Quinn suffered head trauma and was hospitalized at Albany Medical Center.

    The plane landed stopped between trees and did not strike any buildings. Quinn may have been attempting to land on the road. Before the land became a subdivision, it was an emergency landing field.

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    Flats Cause Diversion to JFK for Boston-Kansas Flight


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

    What: Pinnacle Airlines Canadair CRJ-900 en route from Boston to Kansas City
    Where: JFK
    When: Aug 13th 2012
    Who: 73 passengers, 4 crew
    Why: On takeoff, both right main landing gears blew. Pilots diverted to JFK and made an emergency landing.

    After landing, the plane was stopped on the runway. A replacement jet was provided.

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    APU Fire

    What: Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-900 en route from Seattle to Austin
    Where: Austin TX
    When: July 31, 2012 23:04:00
    Why: While passengers were deplaning at the gate, the APU of the 373 caught on fire.

    The fire was quickly extinguished. No injuries were reported. The wiring for the APU fan may have been involved.

    The incident reportedly occurred on the ground. THe extent of the damage is not known.

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    Reagan National Airport Near Miss

    What: US Airways en route from Washington
    What: US Airways en route from Washington
    What: US Airways en route to Washington
    Where: Reagan National Airport, Washington
    When: July 31, 2012 2:00 pm
    Who: 192 aboard
    Why: One US Airways plane had been rerouted into Washington’s Reagan international airport. Its route had been changed in Warrenton, Va due to an approaching storm. The problem is that no one apparently told Reagan National and that rerouted plane was scheduled to land into two US Airways Jets that were taking off.

    Warrenton, Va ATC changed courses due to weather and wind patterns.

    Reagan Airport ATC caught the potential collision 12 seconds before it happened and rerouted the incoming jet.

    See Video below

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    Denver Birdstrike under Investigation


    What: United Boeing 737-900 en route from Dallas to Denver
    Where: Denver
    When: Jul 31, 2012, 9:00 a.m.
    Who: 151 aboard
    Why: The Boeing was on approach when it suffered a bird strike in the nose cone. The bird strike did not affect the engine or landing gear.

    No one was injured. The birds remains are being identified by an ornithologist.

    The NTSB is investigating.

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    Beechcraft Crashes at Sedona Airport, 3 Fatalities

    What: Beechcraft B60 Duke
    Where: Sedona Airport
    When: July 26, 2012
    Who: 3 aboard, 3 fatalities
    Why: On takeoff, the Beechcraft failed to achieve adequate lift and crashed southwest of the airport. The husband and son of U.S. Olympic distance runner Pat Porter were aboard when the plane crashed. The third fatality was a 14 year old friend and classmate of the son.

    The plane went straight past the end of the runway, crashed and sent up a black mushroom cloud on impact just before 9 a.m. At the end of the runway is a ravine (shown in the second video below) where the beechcraft impacted.

    Witnesses say the plane’s engines appeared to be running normally. The cause of the crash was unclear.

    See Video Below

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    Just Released: Investigation Boeing 787 engine failure


    July 31, 2012
    WASHINGTON – The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating an engine failure that occurred on a Boeing 787 Dreamliner during a taxi test in Charleston, South Carolina.

    On Saturday, July 28, 2012, Boeing and General Electric, the engine manufacturer, notified the NTSB that a Boeing 787 experienced an engine failure during a pre-delivery taxi test. As a result of the failure, it has been reported that the engine left debris on the active runway at Charleston International Airport and caused a brush fire. There were no passengers aboard the aircraft nor were there any fatalities or injuries.

    Upon the notification of the incident, the NTSB sent an aviation investigator with extensive expertise in aircraft powerplants, to the scene on Sunday to gather information to better understand the circumstances of the event.

    As a result, the NTSB decided to conduct an investigation and has named David Helson as the Investigator in Charge. In the next few days, an NTSB aircraft powerplants expert and a metallurgist from the NTSB Materials Lab will travel to a General Electric facility in Cincinnati, OH, to lead and coordinate the disassembly and examination of the engine in question.

    The Federal Aviation Administration, Boeing and General Electric are parties to the investigation.

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    Delta Diverts to Los Angeles


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

    What: Delta Airlines Boeing 767-300 en route from San Diego to Atlanta
    Where: Los Angeles
    When: Jul 25th 2012
    Who: 259 passengers, eight crew
    Why: The flight was en route to Atlanta but when the landing gear did not retract, pilots diverted to Los Angeles.

    They made a safe landing at 12:30 pm. No one was injured, and passengers were provided alternative flights.

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    2nd Emergency Landing on CA Highway


    What: Piper PA-28R-180 Arrow en route from Mammoth Lakes to Palomar Airport
    Where: I-15 & W. El Norte Pkwy, Escondido, CA
    When: July 22, 2012, 11:25 p,
    Who: 4 aboard
    Why: After the plane was rented, it ran out of gas en route. The pilot, Pilot Ken Gheysar, managed to make a safe landing on a highway in light traffic.

    No one was injured, but a 1996 Dodge Dakota pickup clipped the plane’s left wing while the plane was sitting on the shoulder.

    The pilot and his family were returning home from a weekend in Mammoth Lakes.

    It was towed by 8:20 a.m. with damage too severe to fly out.

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    Emergency Landing on Route 67

    What: Homebuilt Europa en route from Gillespie Field
    Where: Route 67 in Santee
    When: July 21, 2012
    Who: Pilot
    Why: When his engine locked up in a turn after taking off from Gillespie Field, pilot Wayne Oehler of El Cajon made an emergency landing on to the freeway near Riverton road. A California Highway Patrol officer saw the plane in distress and flying low, and cleared the road.

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    Plane Ticket Prices in US Court of Appeals

    New Consumer protection ruling from the US Court of Appeals now requires the ticket total must be displayed in the largest type size and be the most prominent price in an ad or Web page, that airlines allow consumers who purchase tickets more than a week in advance to cancel reservations without penalty within 24 hours after purchase, and airlines are banned from increasing the price of tickets or baggage fees after tickets have been bought.

    The 2011 rules say that the price shown in an ad must be “the entire price to be paid by the customer.”

    The case had been brought by Allegiant Travel Co (ALGT.O), Southwest Airlines Co (LUV.N) and Spirit Airlines Inc (SAVE.O), and was supported by the industry’s trade association.

    Consumers have been unable to comparison shop ticket prices since 2008, when airlines began charging fees for services that previously had been included.

    The industry’s trade association does want consumers to know that taxes and government fees make up about 20 percent of a ticket’s total price.

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    Revamped Airtrans Jets go to Southwest to Delta

    Delta Airlines is going to lease 88 former AirTran Airways Boeing 717 jets from Southwest Airlines. SW took over AirTran Airways in 2011.

    These planes are about to undergo a $100 million face lift. Southwest plans to replace the jets with bigger ones. The changes include the outdoor livery, and revamping the interiors.

    The jets will allow Delta to retire 50-seat regional jets which are unprofitable due to fuel costs.

    In George’s Point of View


    Hope they spend some of that budget on making sure the engines and on board systems are up to speed!

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    C-17 Lands at Tiny Davis Island Airport

    What: Air Force C-17 Globemaster III cargo jet en route from SW Asia to MacDill Air Force Base
    Where: Peter O. Knight Airport, Davis Island
    When: July 20, 2012
    Who: 23 passengers and 19 crew
    Why: The Globemaster III cargo jet landed on a runway that is 3,580 feet long and 100 feet wide rather than the 11,421 feet long and 151 feet wide runway at MacDill. The nose stopped six to 10 feet from the end of the runway. It took off again later with no problem.

    See Video below:

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    Australians Killed in Alaska Crash

    What: LNP Saratoga Inc. Piper Saratoga was en route from Fort Yukon to Fairbanks
    Where: Alaska
    When: July 18, 2012 5 PM
    Who: 2 aboard
    Why: A plane owned by LNP Saratoga Inc and eased to the West Valley Flying Club of Palo Alto. disappeared from radar in Alaska on July 18.

    The Air National Guard’s 210th and 212th Rescue Squadrons were deployed and discovered the wreckage. Alaska State Troopers identified the 64-year-old pilot Stephen Knight and 60-year-old Gillian Knight of Queensland, Australia.

    The pilots had been engaged in filing a “pop-up” Instrument Flight Rules Plan. The cloud cover was low.

    Two other planes had been flying with the wrecked plane but each with a different route. The wreckage was located 63 kilometres north of Fairbanks.

    Visibility hampered recovery operations on Wednesday but now the remains have been recovered and sent for autopsy by the state medical examiner’s office.

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    Scary Diversion to Peoria: weather, smoke, jumping from plane


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

    What: American Eagle Canadair CRJ-700 en route from Denver to Chicago
    Where: Peoria
    When: July 18, 2012
    Who: 53 passengers, 4 crew
    Why: The flight was en route when bad weather in Chicago made the pilot divert to Peoria.

    On approach, when the wheels came down, smoke came down from the cabin ceiling. The pilot made an emergency landing, and emergency vehicles were on standby.

    The video shows how passengers jumped from the plane, one by one. A single passenger injured an ankle while disembarking.

    A shuttle was provided for passengers to get to Chicago

    See video below:

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    Lasered Jet Blue Pilot Hospitalized


    What: Jet Blue en route from Syracuse to NYC, Kennedy Airport
    Where: Long Island
    When: July 15, 2012
    Who: pilot
    Why: The flight was on approach to Kennedy when a laser struck the first officer in the eye. The jet made a safe landing, but the pilot suffered an eye injury. The green laser pointed directly into the cockpit and flashed twice when the jet was at 5,000 feet. First Officer Robert Pemberton was taken to Jamaica Hospital.

    The FBI and the FAA are investigating. The source appears to be from West Islip, Babylon or Lindenhurst.

    See Video Below

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    Immigration and Customs Enforcement Emergency Landing at Mesa

    What: ICE MD-80 en route from Las Vegas to Mesa
    Where: Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport
    When: July 17, 2012, 11:15 a.m.
    Who: 75 passengers
    Why: The flight was en route from Las Vegas to Mesa when it developed engine problems. One engine was shut down and the pilots made a safe landing at their intended destination with one engine down. Many of the passengers were detainees in the process of deportation.

    ICE stands for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Another source said the plane was operated by Allegiant.

    Emergency responders were on the scene, including the Mesa Fire Department.

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    Hollywood CA-LA flight Diverts to Miami

    What: American Airlines Boeing 737-800 en route from Fort Lauderdale to Los Angeles
    Where: Miami
    When: July 12 2012
    Who: 143 passengers 6 crew
    Why: After taking off from Fort Lauderdale, the flight experienced problems (cabin pressure) and diverted to Miami International airport.

    There was some delay while the problem was resolved (either cabin pressure or a faulty indicator) and after an hour and a half on the ground, the flight continued. The flight, that normally lands in Los Angeles around 11 PDT, is anticipated to arrive around 3 PDT.

    http://flightaware.com/live/flight/AAL1585/history/20120712/1500Z/KMIA/KLAX

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    Ex-legislator killed when Cessna Flips at Beluga Lake

    What: Cessna U206G Stationair
    Where: Beluga Lake, Homer, Alaska
    When: July 10, 2012
    Who: 5 aboard
    Why: Five passengers were aboard a plane that flipped on landing in Beluga Lake. The fire department found the plane upside down and underwater. Four passengers were evacuated safely; one passenger was trapped underwater and seatbelted in, but emergency teams were reportedly able to get a pulse. An inflatable Zodiac boat assisted in the rescue.

    The victim, Cheryll Heinze, a former state representative from Anchorage, was taken to Alaska Regional Hospital in Anchorage for treatment but was pronounced deceased at South Peninsula Hospital.

    The plane was piloted by 71-year-old Evan “Joe” Griffith, general manager at MEA,Matanuska Electric Association. Heinze was director of public affairs for MEA.

    Registration Number: N206VR
    Mode S Code: 50325070
    Certification Class: Standard
    Certification Issued: 2011-10-28
    Air Worthiness Test: 1979-02-22
    Last Action Taken: 2011-10-28

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    Turbulence Over Miami

    What: American Airlines Boeing 757 en route from Aruba to Miami
    Where: Miami
    When: July 10, 2012
    Who: 185 passengers, 6 crew, 12 injured
    Why: While en route thirty minutes from landing, the flight encountered some turbulence. Fifteen seconds worth of turbulence was enough to knock people around. People were knocked out of their seats, and at least one person hit the ceiling. Some of the injured were treated at the airport and some at a Miami hospital.

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    Delta Diverts to Cedar Rapids with Engine Trouble


    What: Delta en route from Minneapolis to St Louis
    Where: Eastern Iowa Airport
    When: July 11, 2012, 6 pm
    Who: 150 aboard
    Why: The Delta flight was en route from Minneapolis to St Louis when it lost an engine. Pilots diverted to Cedar Rapids Iowa and made a safe landing.

    Johnson and Linn County fire crews were reported as first responders. No injuries were reported.