What: US Airways Airbus A330-300 en route from Charlotte to Rome Where: Philadelphia When: July 10, 2012, 10:00 pm Who: 176 passengers, 12 crew, 5 crew ill Why: While en route, a number of US Airways flight crew became sick from smelling an odor. The pilot diverted to Philadelphia where they made a safe landing. Passengers were provided an alternative flight.
The flight crew was hospitalized. The fumes that made them ill have not been identified.
What: Delta flight en route from Puerto Rico to Atlanta Where: Palm Beach International Airport. When: July 8, 2012 Who: 180 passengers Why: After an odor was detected in the cockpit, pilots diverted to Palm Beach and made a safe emergency landing. 120 passengers were rerouted, and sixty were picked up by a replacement flight.
What: Spirit Airlines Airbus A319 en route from Los Angeles to Fort Lauderdale Where: Houston When: July 8, 2012 Who: 100+ passengers Why: After a disruption aboard the flight, the pilots diverted the Spirit Airlines flight to Houston, where they made a safe landing. Passengers who disembarked had no Spirit Airlines counter because, although flights are soon scheduled to begin landing there, currently there is no Spirit Airlines Customer Service at Houston Intercontinental Airport.
On arrival, the disruptive passenger was handed left in the custody of Houston Law Enforcement.
The disruptive passenger was an elderly blind frenchman in his eighties who had become disoriented and frightened. His son was called by authorities.
Passengers reboarded the flight and departed Houston at 6:42 PM.
What: Rgd. Flt Away LLC Piper PA-32R-300 Cherokee Lance en route from Andrews, N.C. to Oxford, Miss Where: Mississippi When: July 8 2012 Who: 3 aboard Why: James Bartley Jr.; his wife, Terry Bartley; and their youngest daughter, Caroline Bartley died when their plane broke apart in the air over Mississippi. They were flying from a vacation home in North Carolina to the University of Mississippi. There was lightning reported in the vicinity when the plane crashed. The wreckage is described as burned and crumpled and may have fallen from an altitude of 8000 feet.
Rescue teams responded on foot, four-wheelers and horseback.
The debris field was spread over half of a mile n a field near County Road 4111 in New Site, Mississippi; the fuselage was found by a medical helicopter.
What: Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 en route from Las Vegas to San Jose Where: Mineta San Jose International Airport When: July 3, 2012, 10:30 am Who: 99 aboard, 3 crew Why: 25 miles east of the airport, the pilot declared emergency. There was no smoke visible but there was the smell of smoke.
The plane taxied to the gate, where passengers disembarked.
Twenty firefighters remained at the scene in case of escalation, as investigators went through the plane.
In George’s Point of View
I fly Southwest and I know enough about aircraft to say that the planes are wearing out.
They are made to take off and land and not stop, but aging planes need extra maintenance. Most of these planes gotta go in for real hard look.
What: U.S. Airways en route from Reagan National Airport to CHarleston SC Where: Washington DC When: July 6, 2012 Who: 35 passengers, 3 crew Why: As the jet was on the runway, it sank into the hot tarmac, and got stuck. THe cart could not pull the plane with the tires embedded. Everyone aboard disembarked so the jet could get unstuck. Efforts delayed the flight for three hours.
A passenger reported online that there was a jerking motion going back and forth as if something was stuck and preventing the craft from moving, and then passengers waited 45 minutes on the tarmac fir a bus to the terminal.
What: MAFF 7 C-130 When: July 1, 2012 6:30 p.m. Sunday night Who: Six aboard, including Lt. Col. Paul Mikeal and Master Sergeant Robert Cannon Why: The tanker made at least two drops of fire retardant on the White Draw fire before it crashed around 6 p.m, the first SUCH crash in the 40-year history of the MAFFS program, a joint Defense Department and U.S. Forest Service program. MAFFS is the Forest Service’s self-contained aerial firefighting system. It can discharge 3,000 gallons covering an area a quarter of a mile long by 100 feet wide in less than five seconds.
Three firefighters were transported by ambulance to a Rapid City hospital. North Carolina state flag have been lowered to half-staff at all state facilities from sunrise to sunset(Tuesday, July 3) to honor the N.C. National Guard members who died.
Charlotte mayor Anthony Foxx said. “On behalf of the City of Charlotte, I would like to extend my deepest condolences to the families and friends of the Airmen who lost their lives Sunday night in South Dakota, and wish the Airmen who were injured a full and speedy recovery,
What: Chopper II LLC Aérospatiale AS 350B Astar en route from from Sedona to Scottsdale. Where: Sedona AZ When: June 30, 2012 Who: 4 aboard, 4 fatalities Why: A Aérospatiale AS 350B Astar, N729DP that was reported overdue on Saturday was found by a private pilot at 8:45 a..m. Sunday crashed into the Verde river south of Camp Verde, Arizona. According to FAA reports, “THE 4 PERSONS ON BOARD WERE FATALLY INJURED.”
The wreckage was consistent with a pilot flying at low speed and low altitude.
The remains were found of the pilot, 70-year-old Raymond Perry of Phoenix, 68-year-old passenger Karen Stinn of Cave Creek and 63-year-old Mike Dunaway and 64-year-old Linda Dunaway of Glendale. They were taken to Yavapai County Medical Examiner’s Office. Perry is the CEO of the Arriba Mexican Grill restaurant chain.
A helicopter mechanic reported that it looked as if the chopper nose-dived and the blades from the chopper and the transmission tore through the main cabin where the pilot and passengers were sitting. Wind may have factored in. The helicopter was found in the Verde river.
What: USAF Lockheed C-130H Hercules Where: Edgemont SD When: 1 July 2012 Who: 6 aboard, 4 fatalities Why: A C-130 transport aircraft en route to support firefighting missions crashed in South Dakota. The crew was part of the fight against the White Draw Fire.
The USAF Release said:
PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. (AFNS) — At approximately 6 p.m. MDT July 1, a Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System equipped C-130 aircraft supporting firefighting missions crashed in the southwest corner of South Dakota. The aircraft was supporting the efforts against the White Draw Fire.
The cause of the crash is not known and the incident is under investigation. There are no details on the status of the aircrew available at this time.
MAFFS is a joint DoD and U.S. Forest Service program designed to provide additional aerial firefighting resources when commercial and private airtankers are no longer able to meet the needs of the forest service.
MAFFS is a self-contained aerial firefighting system owned by the U.S. Forest Service that can discharge 3,000 gallons of water or fire retardant in less than 5 seconds, covering an area one-quarter of a mile long by 100 feet wide. Once the load is discharged, it can be refilled in less than 12 minutes.
Media outlets made this update:
.CHARLOTTE NC – The crash of a North Carolina-based Air National Guard cargo plane that was fighting wildfires in South Dakota has left at least one crew member dead.The family of Lt. Col. Paul Mikeal of Mooresville confirmed they were notified early Monday that he had died in the C-130 crash on Sunday. The 42-year-old married father of two was a veteran of deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan.Lt. Col. Rose Dunlap of the 145th Airlift Wing in Charlotte says six crew members were aboard.The North Carolina Air National Guard confirmed that lives were lost in the crash. Other crew members who were injured were taken to Rapid City Regional Hospital. Names and conditions have not been released.The plane went down about 6 p.m. in the southwest corner of South Dakota where it had been dropping flame retardant on the White Draw Fire.The cause of the crash is under investigation and all other MAFFS-equipped C-130s have been grounded.
On a sunny day, the small plane just 100 yards from shore crashed near a historic lighthouse in a park in full sight of park visitors. The plane which remains in ocean waters at the ocean bottom in 60 feet of water, off Fort William but is not expected to cause environmental damage. The pilot was identified as Dr. Louis Hanson of Durham, who escaped the plane but was reported “unresponsive.”
Event Type: Accident Highest Injury: Fatal Mid Air: N Missing: N
Damage: Unknown
LOCATION
City: CAPE ELIZABETH State: ME Country: US
DESCRIPTION
AIRCRAFT LOST POWER AND CRASHED INTO OCEAN. NEAR CAPE ELIZABETH, ME. 1 FATAL.
INJURY DATA Total Fatal: 1
# Crew: 1 Fat: 1
WEATHER: 30009 10SM CLR 26/12 A2989
OTHER DATA
Activity: Pleasure Phase: Cruise Operation: OTHER
The NTSB is investigating the power loss and subsequent crash of the four-seat Stinson S108 that occurred in Cape Elizabeth.
Serial Number 108-13 Type Registration Individual
Manufacturer Name UNIVERSAL STINSON Certificate Issue Date 11/21/2002
Model 108 Expiration Date 03/31/2013
Type Aircraft Fixed Wing Single-Engine Status Valid
Pending Number Change None Type Engine Reciprocating
Date Change Authorized None Dealer No
MFR Year 1946 Mode S Code 51112245
What: Jetblue Airbus A320-200 en route from Las Vegas to New York Where: Las Vegas When: June 17 Who: 135 passengers Why: After taking off from Las Vegas, “yellow” hydraulics aboard the jet blue flight failed, leading the pilot to declare an emergency and return to the airport due to “mechanical indications.”
Passengers were getting airsick due to the plane’s rocking locomotion, and described the flight as nightmarish.
On landing, the plane was towed, as the steering was reported as inoperable. video below
What: N79TE LLC Beechcraft Beechjet 400A en route from Northeast Alabama Regional Airport to Jacksonville Florida Where: Peachtree Airport, GA When: June 18 2012, 10:00 a.m. Who: 2 crew, 2 passengers Why: After landing at the airport, the plane overran the runway, and avoided the barriers. The gear collapsed and the plane slid downhill, and stopped outside of the perimeter fence. There were minor injuries reported, and those aboard were hospitalized. The pilot sustained a head injury.
The injuries were described as non-fatal and moderate. There was no fire, though fuel did leak on to the runway and was contained. There are a couple of cracks on the fuselage.
Update
U.S. District Judge Mary Lou Robinson issued e a ruling Friday in Amarillo judging suspended JetBlue pilot Clayton F. Osbon as mentally competent to stand trial on federal charges stemming from a March 27 in-flight incident that forced his co-pilot to divert a Las Vegas-bound jet to Amarillo’s airport. He has no trial date set. It should be noted that the ruling that he is currently competent does not mean he was mentally competent at the time of the incident, at which time he was incoherent, racing inside the cabin, yelling about the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and pounding on the cockpit door
What: Jetblue Airbus A320-200 en route from New York to Las Vegas Where: Amarillo When: March 27 2012 Who: 1 medical emergency, 135 passengers, six crew Why: While en route, the pilot of the JetBlue Airbus suffered a panic attack. He was locked out of the cockpit and restrained, and another JetBlue pilot who was aboard assisted the first officer in the cockpit as they diverted to Amarillo and made a safe landing.
In George’s Point of View
JetBlue pilot Clayton F. Osbon was under the influence of medication when he was piloting that flight. It is too bad if we can not get this pilot medical help and at the same time put the medications on trial.
What: Delta Boeing 767-300 en route from Salt Lake City to Paris Where: Salt Lake International Airport When: June 16, 2012. 7 pm Who: 198 aboard Why: On takeoff from salt Lake City, a left tire on the Delta flight blew. Pilots circled, performed a flyby and dumped fuel before they made a safe landing.
The plane was examined in the hanger, and passengers returned home when the flight was cancelled.
What: United Airlines Boeing 737-700 en route from Houston to New York Where: Lake Charles Regional Airport When: June 12, 2012 9 pm Who: 88 passengers 3 injured Why: While flight attendants were about to serve drinks when the flight encountered severe turbulence that slammed them into the ceiling of the plane, then the floor.
Three members of the flight crew were injured during the flight, one of them seriously.
Pilots diverted to Lake Charles Regional Airport where the injured were taken to Lake Charles Memorial Hospital.
In George’s Point of View
They really have to come up with science that sees all upcoming turbulence, so the plane can avoid it before something really bad happens.
What: Roadside Ventures LLC Pilatus PC-12/47 en route to Kansas Where: Tiger Creek Swamp area, Lake Wales, Polk County, Florida When: June 7, 2012, 12:36 Who: 6 aboard, 6 fatalities Why: After taking off from Fort Pierce, the plane returning the Bramlage family from Bermuda began having trouble at 28,000 feet, and crashed in a remote area in Florida in an area of the Tiger Creek Preserve reachable by helicopters and all-terrain vehicles. The remains of the pilot 45-year-old Ronald,his wife Rebecca, 15-year-old Brandon, 11-year-old Bo, and 8-yea- old Roxanne have been recovered. Thirteen year old Boston is missing. There is a gaping hole in the plane, and the NTSB and FAA is speculating that Boston may have been sucked from the plane while in the air.
Witnesses in the Babson Park area heard a loud noise and apparently witnessed mechanical issues. Some witnesses saw the plane “twirling” before it crashed; other witnesses saw the plane flip and fly upside down.
The recovery party says the debris field covers hundreds of acres and that the plane came apart in the air. The investigation is being conducted by the NTSB and the FAA, and the search for Boston continues.
Aircraft Pilatus PC-12 (single-turboprop) (PC12/G – track or photos) Origin St Lucie County Intl (KFPR – track or info) Destination Freeman Field (3JC – track or info) Route LAL SZW (Decode) Date Thursday, June 7, 2012 Duration 4 hours 36 minutes Status result unknown (?) (track log & graph) Distance Direct: 1,239 sm Planned: 1,253 sm
Scheduled Actual/Estimated Departed 11:30AM EDT 12:05PM EDT Arrival 03:10PM CDT 03:41PM CDT (?) Speed 233 kts Altitude 26,000 feet
Joy Chiedozie Allison died on Dana Air Flight 992. Her family has hired attorney Gary Robb. On June 7 (yesterday) Robb filed a 56 page lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Chicago, a discovery motion naming The Boeing Company, McDonnell Douglas Corporation, Pratt & Whitney Canada Corp., United Technologies Corporation and Estate of Peter Waxtan.
In the Dana Airlines crash, both of the MD-83’s engines failed before it crashed into several buildings in Nigeria
The chief engineer of Dana Air was also aboard the plane when it crashed. Employees of Dana airlines have said that owners were aware that the jet had mechanical troubles struggling on a Calabar flight;, but the crew was forced fly anyway, and fly it loaded to the hilt with passengers and luggage.
Captain Oscar Wason is saying there may have been a bird strike. The black boxes have been recovered and will be sent to the US. The black boxes will have the truth.
What: Neptune Aviation Services Inc.Lockheed P2V-7 Neptune Where: Iron County, Utah When: June 3, 2012, 1 pm Who: 2 fatalities Why: While fighting a fire east of the Utah/Nevada border, two fire fighting pilots working with the Ely division of the Bureau of Land Management lost their lives.
The plane was carrying 2000 gallons of water and 1,600 gallons of fuel, and was approaching the fire when it crashed in rocky terrain.
Pilot 48-year-old Todd Tompkins, and co- pilot, Ronnie Chambless, 40 were on their second run dropping retardant on the fire when the plane went down.
No probable cause of the accident has been released.
What: Minden Air Corp Lockheed SP-2H Neptune Where: Minden-Tahoe Airport in Carson Valley When: June 3, 2012 3:30 pm. Who: 2 aboard Why: The inbound tanker was unable to lower all of it’s landing gear, and burned off (about 7000 gallons) of fuel before it made a belly landing at 3:30 pm.
Neither the pilot nor the co-pilot were injured but the plane did skid off the runway.
The air tanker is a fire-fighting plane which had been engaged in fighting a wildfire south of Reno.
What: American Eagle Embraer EMB-145LR en route from Chicago to Tulsa Where: Chicago When: May 31, 2012 Who: 31 aboard Why: The flight took off, but received a gear disagree message. After a flyby determining the gear were down, the pilots made an overweight landing. No injuries were reported. There were apparently no stairs provided on exit.
Passengers eventually arrived in Tulsa after 1 pm.
The same plane had just made a prior emergency landing at O’Hare.
The path to skill is through studying mistakes. For pilots, that means finding the cause and correction of their own and others’ mistakes. What does a recent rash of student/instructor plane crashes indicate? Is the instructor adequately preparing the student, or is the instructor adequately qualified? See Video
What: NTSB employee’s Beechcraft BE-35 (N6658R) five miles from Warrenton-Fauquier Airport What: FAA employee Thomas R. Provin’s 1965 Piper PA-28 (N23SC) en route from from Culpeper Regional Airport to the Warrenton-Fauquier Where: southern Fauquier County. When: May 28, 2012 4:00 pm Who: two people aboard the Beechcraft fatalities, one aboard the Piper (injured) Why: Over Warrenton, Fauquier County, Virginia, two planes collided. The pilot of the piper was hospitalized with injuries; both in the Beechcraft succumbed to their injuries. The Beechcraft was owned by an employee of the NTSB. The Piper is owned by an employee of the FAA. Subsequently, they requested the Canadian NTSB to investigate.
The planes impacted the ground a mile apart by a mile long debris field, one on a family farm. The woodsy secluded area is a challenging site to gather debris due to wildlife like snakes.
What: Cessna 150 Where: San Diego bay When: May 26, 2012, 4:20 p.m Who: 2 aboard, no fatalities Why: A Cessna towing a banner lost engine power. Pilots informed ATC, cut free the banner they were towing and ended up in San Diego Bay, Missing the Hilton Hotel. The plane sank; the pilot and passenger aboard were recovered uninjured, by passing boaters.
A salvage company is going to recover the plane from the bay.
What: Cessna 172 Where: St. George Municipal Airport, St George, Utah When: May 26, 2012 Who: 4 aboard, 4 fatalities Why: The plane carrying four men crashed early in the morning around 1:30 a.m. The wreckage wasn’t discovered until 6 a.m. when security discovered it 300 feet south of the runway. There were no severe weather conditions reported at the airport during the early morning hours.
The four victims were locals whose names have not been released.
What: Piper PA-22-150 single engine aircraft Where: Greenfield County, Indiana When: May 26, 2012, 7:00 a.m. Who: 3 aboard Why: Near the Pennsy biking trail and County Road 400 east, a single engine aircraft, a Piper PA-22-150 Tri-Pacer has crashed.
The accident occurred south of Pope Airfield where the pilot had just attempted takeoff but failed to achieve adequate lift to fly over the treeline.
They did miss power lines.
Pilot Melvin Grant, of Greenfield, and passengers Mark Grant and Andrew Pfaff were taken to Indianapolis’s Methodist Hospital.
