Under FAA JAA IKO rulings, it is mandated that if and when an emergency is declared by an airborne plane, ATC immediately diverts all incoming traffic and gives priority to the emergency situation. Most, if not all, of the events we have described as emergency are official emergencies. However, sometimes they are incorrectly reported as emergencies by our sources, have been downgraded from official emergency status, or are believed to be emergencies by passengers in fear for their lives.
A Delta Airlines flight had to make an emergency landing at Austin Straubel International Airport in Green Bay, Wisconsin, on February 10.
The flight, operated by Flagship (Endeavor), was heading from JFK Airport, New York, to Minneapolis, Minnesota, when a passenger had a medical emergency, prompting the pilot to divert.
The plane landed uneventfully. Everyone aboard remained unhurt.
United Airlines flight UA-35 had to make an emergency landing in San Francisco, California, on February 7th.
The plane was heading from San Francisco to Osaka, Japan, when the crew reported a windshield problem and requested to return for an emergency landing.
The plane landed safely. Everyone aboard remained unhurt.
Thomas Cook flight FQ-816 had to return and make an emergency landing in Brussels, Belgium, on February 7th.
The Airbus A319-100 plane, operated by Brussels Airlines, took off for Marrakech, Morocco, but had to return shortly afterwards after one of its engines ingested a bird.
The plane landed uneventfully. All 140 passengers remained safe.
The airline arranged a replacement aircraft for the passengers.
A U.S. military helicopter made an emergency landing on a private property located off Corbin Road in Chipley, Florida, on February 8th.
The helicopter, carrying three U.S. servicemen, was on a training flight when it had to land in emergency due to low oil pressure.
No injuries were reported.
The helicopter was flying from Whiting Field in Milton at the time.
A United airlines flight had to return and make an emergency landing at Tucson International Airport in Arizona, on February 7th.
The plane, operated by SkyWest Airlines, took off for Los Angeles, California, but had to return shortly afterwards after the cabin filled with smoke.
The plane landed uneventfully. All 73 passengers and 4 crew members were safely evacuated.
The FAA is investigating.
kulula.com flight MN-483 had to divert and make an emergency landing at O. R. Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg, South Africa, on February 7.
The Boeing 737-800, flying in South Africa, from Lanseria to Cape Town, had to divert after one of its engines ingested a bird, thus damaging its fan blades.
The plane landed safely.
No injuries were reported.
United Airlines flight UA-35 had to return and make an emergency landing at San Francisco International Airport, California, on February 7.
The Boeing 787-800, en-route to Kansai International Airport, Japan, returned due to some issue with its windshield.
The plane landed safely.
No one was injured.
Air New Zealand flight NZ-31 had to return and make an emergency landing at Ministro Pistarini International Airport, Buenos Aires, Argentina, on February 8.
The Boeing 777-200, en-route to Auckland, New Zealand, had to return after it could not retract it’s landing gear. The plane had to dump fuel before landing.
The plane landed safely.
No one was injured.
Vietnam Airlines flight VN-227 had to return and make an emergency landing in Hanoi, Vietnam, on February 5th.
The plane took off for Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, but had to return shortly afterwards due to loss of cabin pressure.
The plane landed safely. All 137 passengers and 7 crew members remained unharmed.
The airline arranged a replacement plane for the passengers.
Croatia Airlines flight OU-631 made an emergency landing in Zadar. Croatia, on February 5th.
The plane was flying from Pula, Croatia, when a bird struck it, prompting the crew to declare an emergency.
The plane landed uneventfully. There were 23 passengers aboard at the time; all of them remained unhurt.
Emirates flight EK-35 made an emergency landing in Trabzon, Turkey, on February 4th.
The Boeing 777-300, heading from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, to Newcastle, United Kingdom, was diverted after the crew reported smoke in the cockpit.
The plane landed safely. All the passengers and crew members remained unhurt.
The airline arranged a replacement plane for the passengers.
Air Canada flight AC-851 had to return and make an emergency landing at Heathrow Airport in London, United Kingdom, on February 3rd.
The Boeing 787-800 plane took off for Calgary, Canada, but had to return shortly afterwards due to an electrical smell in the cabin.
The plane landed uneventfully. Everyone aboard remained unharmed.
American Airlines flight 608 had to make an emergency landing in Jacksonville, Florida, on February 4th.
According to the airline, the plane, en-route from Orlando, Florida, to Charlotte, North Carolina, was diverted due to a mechanical issue.
The plane landed uneventfully. All 126 passengers and 6 crew members remained safe.
Two tires blew out on an Allegiant Air McDonnell Douglas MD-83 plane, upon landing at Lehigh Valley International Airport, Pennsylvania, on February 3rd.
Authorities said the crew requested emergency services after both left hand main tires of the plane blew out upon touch down. The plane was flying from Orlando Sanford International Airport, Florida, at the time.
There were 152 passengers and 6 crew members aboard; none of them were harmed.
The incident is being investigated.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s plane had to divert and make an emergency landing at Nashville International Airport, Tennessee, on February 3rd.
The Boeing B757, heading to Little Rock, Arkansas, had to be diverted after it experienced engine problems.
The plane landed safely. Everyone aboard remained unharmed.
The FAA is investigating.
China Eastern Airlines flight MU-5602 had to divert and make an emergency landing in Qingdao, China, on January 31.
The Airbus A321-200, en-route from Shenyang to Shanghai Pudong, China, was diverted after the left hand engine failed midair.
The plane landed uneventfully. No injuries were reported.
Delta Airlines flight DL-1832 made an emergency landing in Phoenix, Arizona, on January 31.
The plane was flying from Atlanta, Georgia, when lightning struck it, prompting the pilot to declare an emergency.
The plane landed uneventfully. Everyone aboard remained safe.
Aerodynamics Flight 974 had to return and make an emergency landing at Tulsa International Airport, Oklahoma, on February 2nd.
The charter plane, carrying University of Tulsa’s men’s basketball team, had to turn back after one of the engines stopped working. The team was heading to Philadelphia for a Thursday game at Temple University.
The plane landed safely. All 37 people aboard remained unhurt.
Daallo Airlines flight D3159 had to return and make an emergency landing in Mogadishu, Somalia, on February 2nd.
The Airbus A321 plane took off for Djibouti, but had to return shortly afterwards after an explosion sparked fire and blew a hole in the fuselage.
The plane landed back uneventfully. There were 74 passengers and crew members aboard at the time; two of them sustained minor injuries.
The incident is under investigation.
Japan Airlines flight JL-17 made an emergency landing at Narita International Airport, Japan, on January 29.
The plane was flying from Vancouver, Canada, when the crew reported the failure of right hand engine and requested an emergency landing.
The plane landed uneventfully. All 166 people aboard remained safe.
Aeroflot flight SU-2437 had to return and make an emergency landing in Dusseldorf, Germany, on January 28.
The Airbus A320-200 took off for Sheremetyevo International Airport, Russia, but had to return shortly afterwards due to failure of its right hand engine.
The plane landed back safely. Everyone aboard remained unhurt.
The flight was cancelled and the passengers were accommodated in the next flight.
A small plane made an emergency landing in a field in Macedon, Wayne County, New York, on January 21.
Authorities said the pilot was forced to land the single-engine plane in the field behind a home after the ice clogged its carburetor and the engine began seizing up. The plane was heading from New Bedford, Massachusetts, to Rochester, New York, at the time.
The plane landed safely. Both people aboard, including the pilot Jeremiah Coholan and his passenger, Richard Medeiros, remained unhurt.
China Eastern flight MU-5602 had to divert and make an emergency landing at Qingdao Liuting International Airport, Shandong, China, on January 31.
The Airbus A321-200, flying from Shenyang, to Shanghai, China, had to divert due to engine failure. One of its engines had to be shut down mid-air.
The plane landed uneventfully.
No injuries were reported.
Air Canada flight 549 made an emergency landing in Toronto, Canada, on January 29.
The plane, en-route from Newark, New Jersey, to Vancouver, Canada, was diverted after it lost cabin pressure due to a fault in an air conditioning unit.
The Airbus A319 plane landed safely. All 107 passengers aboard remained unhurt.
