Emergency

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.

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    Small Plane Makes Emergency Landing in Ottawa Field

    A small Piper fixed-wing aircraft had to make an emergency landing in a field off Labette Road and Louisiana Road near Ottawa, Franklin County, Kansas, on January 19.

    It is believed that the pilot was forced to land in the field due to icy conditions.

    The plane landed uneventfully. There were two people aboard at the time, including the pilot Robert Fenton, 67, of Olathe, and his passenger Donald Davis, 68, of Lenexa; both of them remained unharmed.

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    PSA Airlines Jet Diverts to Dayton due to Hydraulic Failure

    American AirlinesPSA Airlines flight AA-5394 had to divert and make an emergency landing in Dayton, Ohio, on January 15.

    The Canadair CRJ-700 aircraft was en-route from Des Moines, Iowa, to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Virginia, when the crew decided to divert due to hydraulic failure.

    The plane, being operated on behalf of American Airlines, landed uneventfully. There were 69 passengers aboard at the time; all of the remained unharmed.

    The airline arranged a replacement aircraft for the passengers.

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    Dominican-Bound Passengers Stranded 27 hours in Norfolk After Engine Shut Down

    1470
    After its right engine shut down, United Airlines flight 1470 en route to Santo Domingo diverted to Norfolk where passengers were stranded for 27 hours. When the replacement jet arrived, crew had exceeded their flying time, and it was cancelled. The disgruntled passengers eventually secured United Airlines flight 2109 which landed in Santo Domingo Monday afternoon, but not before passengers complained of the long wait and bad treatment. Delta said:

    “Customers are on their way to the Dominican Republic after United flight 1470 from Newark, NJ to the Dominican Republic diverted yesterday to Norfolk, VA due to a mechanical issue. We attempted to re-accommodate passengers on a new aircraft, but the flight was unable to depart before the crew exceeded their legally permitted duty hours. We apologize to our customers, and provided them with meals and overnight accommodations. We will also be offering customers a goodwill gesture for the inconvenience.”

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    Swiss International Airlines Makes Emergency Landing

    swiss
    A Swiss International Airlines Airbus en route from Zurich to Helsinki developed a brake problem, and return to Zurich.

    The plane made a safe landing. No further notification has been made public regarding the condition of the brakes, but the plane was taken from rotation for maintenance and inspection.

    Passengers were booked an alternative flights.

    Swiss International Air Lines is the flagship airline of Switzerland. Its main hub is Zurich Airport.

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    Ukraine International Emergency Landing

    baggage
    On January 15, a Ukraine International Airlines flight PS34 encountered problems. Thirteen minutes after taking off, pilots returned the Boeing 737 to Lviv Airport, the airport of departure after smoke developed in the cabin. Repairs were performed and the plane was out of service only for part of the day. News source Zic reported that passengers aboard were screaming that the plane was burning. Emergency landing instructions are only reported in Ukrainian so foreigners must have been mystified about what was happening. No injuries were reported; and passengers were provided alternative transportation.

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    United Airways Plane makes Emergency Landing in Bangladesh due to Engine Trouble

    united airwaysA United Airways flight had to make an emergency landing at Shahjalal International Airport, Dhaka, Bangladesh, on the night of January 12.

    The plane had to be landed in emergency minutes after taking off, after the crew noticed “mechanical fault in one of its engines”.

    The plane landed safely.

    All 170 passengers aboard remained unhurt.

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    Tigerair Plane Diverts to Thailand due to Passenger’s Death

    tigerairTigerair flight PR 2177 had to divert and make an emergency landing at Suvarnabhumi Airport, Bangkok, Thailand, on January 12.

    The plane had to divert in emergency after a passenger died mid-air. The passenger has been identified as Mr. Seet Ngow Chai, 58.

    The reason of death is assumed to be the passenger’s chronic illness.

    The plane landed safely. No one was injured.

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    Fedex Federal Express Plane Returns to Tennessee after Bird Strike

    FedExFedex Federal Express flight FX-541 had to return and make an emergency landing at Memphis International Airport, Memphis, Tennessee, on January 9.

    The McDonnell Douglas MD-10, en-route to Las Vegas, Nevada, had to return due to bird strike during the take off. The plane was getting a lot of vibrations during the flight.

    The plane landed uneventfully.

    No one was injured.

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    Air India Plane makes Precautionary Landing in India due to Low Pressure in Tyre

    airindia2Air India flight AI 102 had to make an emergency landing at Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi, India, on January 12.

    The Boeing 777-300, flying from New York, had to make a precautionary landing after the crew noticed low pressure in one of its tyres.

    The plane landed safely.

    All 325 passengers aboard remained unhurt.

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    JetBlue Plane Makes Emergency Landing due to Laser Blinding

    JetBlueA JetBlue flight had to make an emergency landing at Las Americas Airport, Dominican Republic, on January 9.

    Authorities said the pilots declared emergency after one or more individuals pointed a laser beam on the plane, impairing pilot’s visibility. The flight was coming from New York at the time.

    The plane landed uneventfully. There were 120 people aboard at the time; all of them remained unharmed.

    The police are investigating.

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    Small Plane Makes Emergency Landing in Tulsa

    A Cessna 172SP plane made an emergency landing in a field along 41st Street and Lynn Lane in east Tulsa, Oklahoma, on January 11.

    The pilot decided to make an emergency landing after the plane, that took off from Jones Riverside Airport, developed an engine problem. According to Terry Maurer with the Tulsa Police Department, the pilot first thought of landing at Harvey Young Airport but it is surrounded by a residential area and “he didn’t want to try and land a disabled plane around a residential area.”

    The plane landed safely. The pilot Zach Prewitt, who is a flight instructor at the Christiansen Flight School, Jones Airport, remained uninjured.

    The FAA is investigating.

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    Austrian Airlines Plane Diverts to Canada due to Unruly Passenger

    Austrian AirlinesAn Austrian Airlines flight had to divert and make an emergency landing at St. John’s International Airport, Newfoundland, Canada, on January 10.

    Authorities said the plane, en-route from Vienna to New York, was diverted due to a 35-year-old Israeli man who was showing disruptive behavior on-board.

    The plane landed uneventfully. Everyone aboard remained unhurt.

    The unruly passenger was removed from the plane and was shifted to Health Sciences Center to be seen by a doctor.

    Authorities said he is facing several charges including uttering threats and causing disturbance in flight.

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    United Airlines Plane Diverts to Vancouver over ‘Threatening Message’

    new-united-logoUnited Airlines flight 1104 had to make an emergency landing at Vancouver International Airport, Canada, on January 9.

    The plane, heading from Anchorage, Alaska, to Denver, Colorado, was diverted after the crew discovered a threatening message from a passenger.

    The plane landed uneventfully. There were 131 passengers and 6 crew members aboard at the time; all of them remained unhurt.

    The Royal Canadian Mounted Police office in Richmond, British Columbia, confirmed that they took the suspect in custody.

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    Aegean Airlines Plane Makes Emergency Landing in Spain

    Aegean airlinesAegean Airlines flight A3 688 had to divert and make an emergency landing at Palma de Mallorca Airport in Mallorca, Spain, on January 10.

    The plane was heading from Athens, Greece, to Madrid, Spain, when it was diverted due to a terror threat. According to the airline, “Aegen was notified by the Athens International Airport, today, Sunday 10 January, for additional security check to a passenger on the scheduled Aegen flight A3 688 from Athens to Madrid…Considering this information, Aegen has instructed the commander of the flight to land on the nearest airport.”

    The plane landed safely. Everyone aboard remained unharmed.

    “All the additional security checks were conducted for the aircraft and the passengers, as provided by regulations. The security checks revealed no issues and the aircraft departed from Mallorca to its final destination Madrid,” the airline said.

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    Air Canada Plane Makes Emergency Landing at Halifax Stanfield International Airport

    Air CanadaAir Canada flight 623 made an emergency landing at Halifax Stanfield International Airport in Nova Scotia, Canada, on January 8.

    According to the airline, the pilot reported an “acrid odour” and requested an emergency landing back at the airport. The plane was heading to Toronto at the time.

    The Embraer 190 regional jet landed safely.

    All 66 passengers remained unhurt.

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    United Airlines Plane Diverts to Detroit due to Disruptive Passenger

    new-united-logoUnited Airlines flight 3461 had to make an emergency landing at Detroit Metropolitan Airport, Michigan, on January 7.

    The plane heading from LaGuardia Airport, New York, to O’Hare International Airport, Chicago, had to be diverted due to an unruly passenger. It is believed that a woman asked to be let off the plane mid-air and when the crew members told her it was not possible, she became aggressive and attacked the passengers and crew.

    The woman was restrained using scarves, belts, seat belts when the plane, carrying 69 passengers and 4 crew, landed in Detroit.

    She was taken into custody by the FBI. The plane resumed its journey after a short delay.

    The flight was being operated by Shuttle America.

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    Bird-Hit Southwest Airlines Jet Returns to Sacramento International Airport

    southwest_airlines_logoSouthwest Airlines flight 3097 had to return and make an emergency landing at Sacramento International Airport, California, on January 9.

    The plane took off for John Wayne Airport in Orange County, California, but had to return shortly afterwards after it lost power to one of the engines due to a bird strike.

    The plane landed safely. No injuries were reported.

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    Eastern Airways Plane Returns to Aberdeen Airport

    Eastern AirwaysEastern Airways flight T34717 had to return and make an emergency landing at Aberdeen Airport in Scotland, United Kingdom, on January 7.

    According to an airline spokesperson, “The captain operating this afternoon’s T3 4717 flight from Aberdeen to Leeds Bradford made a precautionary return to Aberdeen, after receiving an abnormal right hand engine oil temperature indication during flight. The engine was not shutdown in flight.”

    The Jetstream 41 plane landed uneventfully. None of the nine passengers and three crew were harmed.

    A replacement aircraft was arranged for the passengers.

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    AirAsia Plane Diverts due to Medical Emergency

    AirAsia ZestAn AirAsia plane made an emergency landing in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, on January 7.

    Authorities said the plane, heading from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, was diverted due to a medical emergency. It is believed that an elderly woman passenger suffered from severe chest pain mid air.

    The plane landed safely. All 286 passengers remained unhurt.

    The 71-year-old passenger was rushed to a hospital in Guindy, along with two attendants.

    The flight resumed after half an hour.