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 at Jack Brooks Regional Airport

    A private, single-engine plane made an emergency landing at Jack Brooks Regional Airport in Beaumont, Texas, on January 3.

    The incident happened when a Southeast Texas family was returning home from vacation in Colorado. Airport authorities said the pilot sought permission for emergency landing after the plane’s landing gear failed to deploy.

    The plane landed on its belly. Everyone aboard, including 2 adults and a child, remained unharmed.

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    Blue Islands Flight Makes Emergency Landing at London Southend Airport

    Blue IslandsA Blue Islands flight made an emergency landing at London Southend Airport, England, shortly before 9 a.m. on January 2.

    The plane was forced to land in emergency after the crew received a fire alert from one of the engines. The flight, carrying 28 passengers and 3 crew members was heading from Jersey to London City at the time.

    The plane landed uneventfully and no one was injured.

    The airline said, “At approximately 08:28 local this morning, the Blue Islands flight SI712 Jersey to London City Airport, with 28 passengers and three crew on-board, experienced a safety warning…As a precautionary measure, the engine was shut down, and this flight followed standard procedures and diverted to London Southend Airport. The aircraft landed safely at London Southend at 08:48…The aircraft is currently being inspected by engineers at Southend. Initial indications are that no fire took place and it appears to be a false alert.”

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    Air France Plane Diverts to Montreal

    Air FranceAir France flight AF054 had to make an emergency landing at Trudeau Airport in Montreal, Canada, at around 4 p.m. on January 1, 2014.

    The flight, en-route from Paris to Washington D.C., was diverted after smoke was detected in the business class cabin.

    The Boeing 777-300, carrying 152 passengers and 17 crew members, landed safely and no one aboard was harmed.

    The airline confirmed the incident saying that the emergency landing was due to a “minor technical problem”.

    The plane was later able to resume the flight.

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    PIA Jet Makes Emergency Landing due to Landing Gear Problem

    pia-logoPakistan International Airlines flight PK758 had to make an emergency landing at Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore, Pakistan, on December 30.

    The flight, en-route from London, United Kingdom, declared emergency after its landing gear became jammed.

    The plane landed with only minor damage. None of the passengers and crew members was hurt.

    Airport operations were temporarily suspended following the incident.

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    Bird-Struck Jet Airways Flight Lands Safely in Kathmandu

    Jet AirwaysJet Airways flight 9W268 had to make an emergency landing at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, Nepal, on December 29.

    The Boeing 737, en-route from Mumbai, was approaching the Kathmandu airport when a bird struck it, causing a minor fire in one of the engines.

    Emergency protocol was deployed at the airport when the plane touched the runway. All 125 passengers and 6 crew members were safely evacuated while the fire was brought under control.

    The aircraft was taken for examination.

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    London-Bound Air Canada Flight Diverts to Toronto

    Air CanadaAir Canada flight AC850 had to divert and make an emergency landing in Toronto, Canada, on the morning of December 29.

    The Boeing 767 was diverted after the crew reported an electrical smell on board. The flight was heading from Calgary to London Heathrow Airport, England, at the time.

    The plane landed uneventfully and all 201 passengers remained safe.

    Passengers were later transported to London in another aircraft.

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    Engine Issues Forced Emergency Landing at Philadelphia International Airport

    US AirwaysA US Airways Express jet, operated by Republic Airlines, had to return and make an emergency landing at Philadelphia International Airport, Pennsylvania, on the morning of December 29.

    The Embraer 175 aircraft took off from Philadelphia for Manchester-Boston Regional Airport, New Hampshire, but had to turn back just minutes later, due to an engine problem. Some passengers reported that they heard a loud boom and saw fiery flashes shooting out of the plane.

    The plane landed safely and all 75 passengers and 4 crew members remained unharmed.

    The airline accommodated the passengers in another flight while the plane was taken for examination.

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    Porter Airlines Flight Makes Emergency Landing in Pennsylvania

    Porter AirlinesPorter Airlines flight 723 had to make an emergency landing at Williamsport Regional Airport, Pennsylvania, at around 8:45 a.m. on December 28.

    The flight, en-route from Toronto to Washington, D.C, was diverted after the crew reported smoke in the cockpit.

    The Dash 8-400 twin-engine turbo-prop aircraft landed safely. None of the 66 passengers and 4 crew members was harmed.

    The airline arranged an alternate aircraft for the passengers.

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    Porter Airlines Flight Diverted to Toronto Pearson International Airport

    Porter AirlinesPorter Airlines Flight PD539 made an emergency landing at Toronto Pearson International Airport in Ontario, Canada, on the night of December 28.

    The Bombardier Dash 8-400 aircraft, en-route from Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport to Sudbury, was diverted after its cabin filled with smoke.

    The plane landed safely and the passengers were transported to the terminal.

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    Virgin Atlantic Plane Returns to Gatwick Airport due to Landing Gear Problem

    Virgin AtlanticVirgin Atlantic flight VS43 had to return and make an emergency landing at Gatwick Airport in Sussex, England, on December 29.

    According to an airline statement, “Virgin Atlantic can confirm that flight VS43 on 29 December, travelling to McCarran international airport Las Vegas, returned to Gatwick due to a technical issue with one of the landing gears.”

    The Boeing 747 circled over the south coast of England before it landed uneventfully, shortly before 16:00 GMT. No one aboard was injured.

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    Unruly Passenger Forces Delta Emergency Landing on Christmas Night

    250px-Delta_logo.svgDelta Airlines flight 81 had to make an emergency landing on Christmas night, at Albuquerque International Sunport, Albuquerque, New Mexico.

    The Boeing 767, en-route from Atlanta to Los Angeles, was diverted after the pilot reported a ‘security threat’ due to a disruptive passenger on-board.

    The plane, carrying more than 200 passengers, landed shortly after 6 p.m. The police escorted the unruly passenger out of the plane.

    The flight was able to take off again after around 90 minutes.

    According to Airport spokesperson Daniel Jiron, the man was not charged but was not allowed to board the flight again.

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    Chopper Carrying Indian Union Home Minister Makes Emergency Landing

    A helicopter carrying Indian Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh had to return and make an emergency landing at Tezpur IAF airbase in Assam, India, on December 25.

    The helicopter was en-route to Kokrajhar when it was forced to return due to a technical problem.

    The chopper landed back uneventfully.

    Singh resumed his journey in an alternate helicopter after some time.

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    American Eagle Flight Returns to Lexington

    American eagleAn American Eagle flight had to return and make an emergency landing at Blue Grass Airport, Lexington, Kentucky, on the night of December 23.

    The flight, heading from Lexington to Chicago, had to turn back after the crew reported an electrical smell on board.

    The plane landed uneventfully shortly after 7 p.m. None of the 7 passengers and 3 crew members aboard was injured.

    The airline said the passengers will be accommodated in other flights.

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    Medical Emergency Prompts American Airlines Flight to Land in Lubbock

    American AirlinesAmerican Airlines flight 1527 had to divert to Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport, Texas, due to a medical emergency on the night of December 20.

    The flight was heading from Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport when the pilot decided to divert due to a sick passenger. According to an airline statement, “Flight 1527 (PHX-DFW) made a diversion to Lubbock last night because of an ill passenger on board. The flight landed and the passenger was removed. The flight then continued on to DFW.”

    The sick passenger passed away on his way to the hospital.

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    United Flight Diverts to Spokane due to Engine Problem

    new-united-logoUnited Airlines flight 273 had to divert and make an emergency landing in Spokane, Washington, shortly before 7 p.m. on December 21.

    The flight, en-route from Seattle to Newark, NJ, was diverted after the Airbus A320 lost power to one of its two engines.

    The plane landed uneventfully and no one aboard was injured.

    An alternate aircraft was arranged for the passengers.

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    F-15 Jet Lands in Emergency at Frenso Base

    An F-15 fighter plane had to make an emergency landing at the 144th Fighter Wing’s Air National Guard Base in Frenso, California, on December 19.

    The jet took off for a routine training flight, however, it had to land back in emergency due to a landing gear malfunction. Col. Clay Garrison, a 144th Fighter Wing commander, said the plane’s wheel failed to retract after it took off and therefore, an arresting gear was employed to help it land safely.

    The pilot remained uninjured.

    The aircraft was taken for examining the cause of landing gear malfunction.

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    United Airlines Flight Makes Emergency Landing in Cleveland

    new-united-logoA United Airlines flight had to divert and make an emergency landing at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport in Cleveland, Ohio, on December 17.

    The flight, en-route from Los Angeles, California to Newark, New Jersey, was diverted after the pilot reported possible smoke on board.

    The plane landed safely and no one aboard was hurt.

    An Airline spokesperson confirmed that the passengers were accommodated in other flights to Newark.

    The cause of smoke is being investigated.

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    United Airlines Flight Returns to Heathrow Airport

    new-united-logoUnited Airlines flight UA28 had to return and make an emergency landing at London Heathrow Airport on December 17.

    The Boeing 767-400 was heading to Newark, New Jersey when some ‘maintenance issues’ forced the pilot to turn back.

    The plane circled over the English Channel for hours before it landed back safely, shortly before 4 p.m. All 227 passengers and 13 crew members were safely evacuated.

    An airline spokesperson said, “Our maintenance team is currently inspecting the aircraft…Our customer service team at Heathrow is providing assistance to customers and is making arrangements for them to complete their journeys…We regret any inconvenience experienced by our customers.”

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    Engine Catches Fire Midair; Flybe Plane Makes Safe Emergency Landing in Belfast

    FlybeFlybe flight BE130 made an emergency landing at Belfast international airport, Northern Ireland, on the night of December 16.

    The flight, en-route from Glasgow to Belfast City Airport, was diverted after one of its engines caught fire midair.

    The plane landed uneventfully and all 76 passengers and 4 crew members remained unharmed.

    The airline said in a statement, “Flybe can confirm that flight BE130 from Glasgow to Belfast City diverted to Belfast International Airport due a small engine fire, which was extinguished before landing…At no time was the safety and wellbeing of passengers compromised…Flybe operates its fleet of aircraft in strict compliance with all manufacturers guidelines.”

    The cause of engine fire is under investigation.

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    AA Flight Diverted to Japan after Hitting Turbulence; 14 Injured

    American AirlinesAmerican Airlines Flight 280 was forced to make an emergency landing at Narita international airport in Japan, early on December 17.

    The plane heading from Seoul, South Korea, to Dallas, Texas, had to be diverted after it encountered severe turbulence.

    The flight, carrying 255 people, landed at around 12:55 a.m. Authorities said atleast 14 people were injured due to turbulence. Five of them were shifted to hospital while the others were treated at the scene.

    The Airline said in a statement, “American’s primary concern at this time is for our passengers and crew on board the airplane and our team in Narita is providing assistance.”

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    Plane Experiences Technical Issue, Vietnam Airlines Pilot Accidentally Sends Hijacking Signal

    Vietnam airlinesVietnam Airlines flight VN1266 had to make an emergency landing at Noi Bai international airport in Hanoi, Vietnam, on the afternoon of December 16.

    The pilot of the flight, en-route from Ho Chi Minh City to Vinh, sought permission for emergency landing after the cabin began de-pressurizing and oxygen masks deployed. However, instead of sending the ’general emergency’ code 7700, the pilot mistakenly sent code 7500 which means ‘unlawful interference’.

    Emergency services were ready at the scene to handle hijacking situation when the Airbus A321-200 landed safely. None of the 140 people aboard was harmed.

    The situation later got cleared and the airline released a statement confirming that the emergency landing was due to a technical issue and there was no hijacking incident.

    The incident is under investigation.

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    Delta Flight Makes Emergency Landing in Billings

    250px-Delta_logo.svgA Delta airlines flight had to make an emergency landing in Billings, Montana, at around 7:30 p.m. on December 15.

    The Boeing 767 was en-route from Seattle to Paris when the crew requested emergency landing due to an electrical odor on-board.

    The plane landed uneventfully and all 203 passengers and 10 crew members remained unharmed.

    The technicians examined the aircraft and cleared it for resuming its journey.

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    Medical Emergency Prompts AA Flight to Return to Heathrow

    American AirlinesAmerican Airlines flight AA135 had to return and make an emergency landing at London Heathrow airport, on December 15.

    The airline said that the Los Angeles-bound Boeing 777 had to turn back due to a medical emergency.

    The plane, carrying 267 passengers, landed back safely at around 4 p.m.

    Authorities said the flight again departed London shortly after 6 p.m.

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    Sunwing Flight Lands in Wilmington due to Medical Emergency

    SunwingSunwing Flight 764 had to make an emergency landing at Wilmington International Airport, Wilmington, North Carolina, on the afternoon of December 14.

    The pilot of the plane, en-route from Montreal, Canada to Freeport, Bahamas, sought permission for emergency landing after a 60-year-old passenger began experiencing heart attack symptoms midair. There were 198 people aboard at the time.

    The flight landed without incident and the sick passenger was immediately taken to New Hanover Regional Medical Center.

    The airline said an alternate aircraft would be arranged for the passengers.

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    Air France Flight Makes Emergency Landing due to Heat from Vegetables

    Air FranceAir France flight AF-733 had to make an emergency landing at Shannon airport, Ireland, at around 10 a.m. on December 14.

    The Boeing 747-, heading from the Dominican Republic to Paris, had to land in emergency after a fire alarm went off.

    The plane landed uneventfully and all 156 people aboard remained unharmed.

    A replacement plane was arranged for the passengers.

    It was later found that the heat from a cargo of vegetables triggered the fire alarm.