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 small Rockwell Commander plane had to make an emergency landing in a field in Penn Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania,
on the afternoon of August 1st.
The two seater plane on a “sightseeing adventure” from Reading, Pennsylvania, had to be landed in emergency due to engine trouble.
The plane was destroyed. The 55 year-old woman and 47 year-old man aboard remained safe.
The FAA is investigating the incident.
Air Canada flight AC682 made an emergency landing at Halifax Stanfield Airport in Nova Scotia, Canada, on August 5.
The plane was heading from Toronto’s Pearson Airport to Deer Lake Regional Airport when it was diverted.
According to the airline, “The aircraft landed normally and safely after it developed a cabin pressurization issue, during which oxygen masks were deployed. The cause has not been determined at this time, and the aircraft has been taken out of service for evaluation.”
A small plane made an emergency landing in St. Ignatius, Lake County, Montana, on August 3.
According to Lake County Sheriff Don Bell, the pilot decided to land on a small cherry tree after the plane’s fuel pump malfunctioned.
The pilot, who was the only one aboard, remained unharmed.
Air Arabia flight ABY-501 had to divert and make an emergency landing at Dabolim International Airport, Goa, India, on August 5.
The pilot requested an emergency landing due to a kidney patient aboard who needed immediate medical attention. The plane was heading from Sharjah, UAE, to Colombo, Sri Lanka at the time.
The plane, carrying 177 people, landed safely.
The patient was immediately transported to hospital.
Allegiant Air flight G4-848 had to divert and make an emergency landing at Piedmont Triad International Airport, Greensboro, North Carolina, at 11 A.M. on August 3.
The plane, heading from St. Petersburg, Florida, to Richmond, Virginia, had to be diverted due to an engine issue.
The plane landed uneventfully and all 150 people aboard remained safe.
Passengers were accommodated in another flight.
China Southern Airlines flight CZ303 was forced to divert and make an emergency landing at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, Netherlands, on the afternoon of August 3.
The Boeing Dreamliner, heading from Guangzhou, China, to Heathrow Airport, London, had to be diverted after it ran out of fuel mid-air.
The plane, with a capacity of boarding 335 passengers, landed uneventfully.
No injuries were reported.
A small plane crash-landed near the runway of Georgetown-Scott County Airport, Georgetown, Kentucky, on the night of August 1.
The the twin-engine Beechcraft King Air plane was attempting an emergency landing when it crash-landed. All 4 people aboard sustained injuries and were taken to hospitals.
The injured were identified as the pilot Mark Conrad and his pasengers Ron Absher, Aaron Conrad and Jonathan Absher.
The FAA is investigating.
A Coast Guard Helicopter made an emergency landing in golf course of Richmond County Country Club, Staten Island, New York, on August 2.
The chopper, heading from Atlantic City, New Jersey, to Bayonne, New Jersey, had to land in emergency due to fumes and smoke in cockpit.
The helicopter landed uneventfully and all 4 people aboard remained safe.
The cause of smoke is being investigated.
Allegiant Air flight 514 had to return and make an emergency landing at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas, Nevada, on August 1.
The Boeing 757, heading to Fresno, California, had to be turned back after the pilot reported possible left engine fire.
The plane landed safely and no one was hurt.
Air India flight AI-410 had to make an emergency landing at Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi, India, at around 11 A.M. on July 31.
The pilot of Airbus A-319 requested emergency landing after detecting a technical snag. The plane was flying from Patna to New Delhi at the time.
The plane landed uneventfully and everyone aboard remained safe.
Cebu Pacific flight 5J-7945 had to divert and make an emergency landing at Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi, India, on the morning of July 30.
The Airbus 330-300 had to be diverted due to a disruptive woman passenger, identified as Jeane T., who first complained of sickness and then informed the crew about a bomb in the plane.
The plane en-route from Dubai, UAE, was transporting 430 passengers and 12 crew members to Manila, Philippines, at the time.
The plane landed uneventfully and everyone aboard remained safe.
The plane was cleared to depart after security clearance while the woman was handed over to the Philippines Embassy in India.
Turkish Airlines flight TK-79 had to make an emergency landing at Warsaw Chopin Airport, Warsaw, Poland, at around 3:50 P.M. on July 30.
The Boeing 777-300, heading from Istanbul Atatürk Airport, Turkey, to San Francisco, California, had to be landed in emergency due to an unclaimed mobile phone found in the cabin.
The plane landed safely and all 332 people aboard remained unhurt.
The journey continued after security clearance.
Virgin Australia flight VA-8 returned and made an emergency landing at Los Angeles International Airport, California, on the morning of July 29.
The Boeing 777, heading towards Brisbane, Australia, was turned around after the pilots noticed a crack in its windshield.
The passenger jet landed safely and there were no reported injuries.
After inspection, the crew “rectified the issue”, and allowed the plane to fly again.
Cathay Pacific flight CX884 had to divert and make an emergency landing at a U.S. military airport in Shemya, Aleutian Islands, Alaska, on July 29.
The Boeing Co 777-300ER, en-route from Hong Kong, China, to Los Angeles, California, had to be diverted after it was filled with smoke.
The plane landed uneventfully. All 276 passengers and 18 crew members remained safe.
American Airlines flight 1277 had to make an emergency landing in Indianapolis, Indiana, at around 9:15 P.M. on July 28.
The plane was heading from O’Hare International Airport, Illinois, to Charlotte, North Carolina, when the pilot declared emergency due to “indication of a mechanical issue.”
The plane landed safely and was cleared to resume the flight after inspection.
All passengers and crew members remained unhurt. Charles Tillman, former Chicago Bears player, was also aboard at the time.
An Ultralight plane made an emergency landing in a field near 1991 West Plymouth Avenue, Florida, on the morning of July 29.
The single-engine plane, with 2 people aboard, had to land in emergency after it lost fuel pressure.
The pilot, identified as Patrick O’Brien, and his passenger remained unhurt. The aircraft sustained minor damage.
United Express flight 5393, operated by SkyWest Airlines, had to return and make an emergency landing at General Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on July 28.
According to SkyWest Airlines, the plane had to return after the pilots noticed an engine issue. The flight was heading to Chicago, Illinois, at the time.
The plane landed uneventfully and all 41 passengers aboard remained safe.
British Airways flight BA327 made an emergency landing at London Heathrow Airport, England, at around 10:30 P.M. on July 27.
The Airbus A320, en-route from Charles de Gaulle Airport, France, to London Heathrow Airport, England, had to be landed in emergency after the crew detected a “burning smell” in the cockpit.
The plane carrying 163 passengers landed uneventfully and all passengers remained safe.
The cause of smell is under investigation.
Allegiant Air flight 426 had to make an emergency landing at Hector International Airport, Fargo, North Dakota, on July 21.
The airport was closed for the US Navy’s Blue Angels’ rehearsals, when the pilot requested an emergency landing due to dangerously low fuel level.
The plane landed safely and all 114 passengers and 6 crew members aboard remained unhurt.
It is believed that the Boeing MD-80, en-route from Las Vegas was scheduled to land at the airport 12 minutes before it was closed, however, the flight’s take off was delayed.
The incident is being investigated.
EasyJet flight EZY8435 had to return and make an emergency landing at Gatwick Airport in Crawley, England, on the afternoon of July 27.
The pilot decided to return as a precaution after the Airbus A319 experienced technical issues. The plane was en-route to Basel, Switzerland, from London, England, at the time.
The plane landed uneventfully.
All passengers aboard remained safe.
American Airlines flight AA-88 had to return and make an emergency landing in Beijing, China, on the morning of July 27.
The Boeing 787-800 Dreamliner, heading towards Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Texas, had to return after it sustained damage by a hailstorm.
The plane landed uneventfully.
All 209 passengers and 13 crew members remained safe.
Germanwings flight 4U-526 had to return to Cologne Bonn Airport, Germany, on July 23.
The Airbus A320-200, en-route to Barcelona, Spain, from Cologne, Germany, had to return due to an unusual odor in the cockpit.
The plane landed uneventfully and all 164 passengers remained unhurt.
Passengers were accommodated in a replacement plane.
Lufthansa flight LH-712 had to return and make an emergency landing at Frankfurt Airport, Germany on July 23.
The Airbus A380-800 was heading towards Seoul, South Korea, when the crew decided to return due to hydraulic failure.
The plane landed uneventfully and everyone aboard remained safe.
United Airlines flight UA-641 had to divert and make an emergency landing at Kona International Airport, Kona, Hawaii, at around 10:40 A.M. on July 23.
The Boeing 777-200, en-route from Los Angeles, California, to Honolulu, Hawaii, had to be landed in emergency due to an issue with one of its engines.
The plane landed uneventfully.
All 359 people aboard remained unhurt.
United Airlines flight 447 had to divert and make an emergency landing at Grand Junction Regional Airport, Colorado, on July 22.
The Airbus A320, en-route from Denver, Colorado, to Los Angeles, California, had to be landed in emergency after several passengers started feeling ill.
According to an airline spokesperson, “After receiving reports of multiple ill customers, our crew deployed the oxygen masks and elected to divert to Grand Junction… Our maintenance team will inspect the aircraft to determine if there were any technical issues.”
There were 150 passengers and 6 crew members aboard at the time; authorities said 1 passengers was taken to hospital.
