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.
An American Eagle flight had to return and make an emergency landing at Jack Brooks Regional Airport in Beaumont, Texas, on December 11.
The twin-engine plane, en-route to Dallas, had to turn back after a hot-engine warning light turned on.
The plane landed uneventfully at 11:38 a.m. No one was injured.
The incident is under investigation.
Southwest Airlines flight 3118 was forced to make an emergency landing at Baltimore–Washington International Airport, Maryland, at 8:49 p.m. on December 12.
Emergency protocols were deployed at the airport after the pilot reported a bird strike. The flight from San Antonio was approaching BWI at the time.
The plane landed safely and all 142 passengers and 5 crew members remained unharmed.
The aircraft was taken for examination.
An Air Asia Flight had to return and make an emergency landing in Bangkok, Thailand, on December 11.
The charter flight was on its way to Nanjing, China, when a Chinese passenger threw boiling hot water and noodles at a flight attendant.
The airline said in statement, “An unidentified female passenger assaulted the flight attendant with the hot liquid after becoming dissatisfied with the service…The captain of the flight decided to return the plane to Don Mueang Airport deeming her actions as endangering to other passengers and impeding in-flight service.”
The plane landed safely and the flight attendant was given medical aid.
The unruly passengers, along with 3 accompanying people, were removed from the plane.
A twin-engine Piper Navajo aircraft, carrying the girls volleyball team from Koliganek, Alaska, had to make a rough landing at King Salmon airport, Alaska, on December 10.
The plane, transporting the volleyball team for state tournament in Anchorage, had to land in emergency after its landing gear got damaged during take-off from Koliganek.
The aircrafts’ landing gear buckled after it touched the runway and skidded some 1,000 feet before coming to stop.
All the passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Team’s Assistant coach Anastasia Ishnook said, “Our girls are really strong…They kept it together…The pilot was really nice…He said he was sorry it happened today but he couldn’t have had better passengers.”
A Piper aircraft made an emergency landing on River Road, near Interstate 40, in Duplin County, North Carolina, on the afternoon of December 11.
The plane, en-route from Maryland to Wilmington, was forced to land in emergency after it lost oil pressure. Authorities said the pilot was trying to land at Wallace Airport but could not make it to there and landed on a road.
The pilot, who was the only one aboard, remained uninjured. He managed to push the aircraft off the road immediately after landing.
The plane’s right wing sustained minor damage.
Joy Air flight JR1518 made an emergency landing in Yulin, Shaanxi province of China, on December 11.
The plane, heading from Yinchuan to Taiyuan, was diverted after the pilot suspected release of undercarriage.
The plane landed uneventfully and no one was injured.
The plane’s inspection revealed that the landing gear had opened midair. The cause of incident is under investigation.
Pakistan International Airlines flight PK 521 had to return and make an emergency landing in Karachi, Pakistan, on December 11.
The ATR-42-500 aircraft, heading to Turbat, Balochistan, was forced to return after one of its engines failed.
The plane safely touched the runway at 7:40 a.m.
All the passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Southwest Airlines flight 3654 had to make an emergency landing in Baltimore, Maryland, on December 10.
The decision for emergency landing was made after a smoke detector set off. The plane was en-route from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida to Baltimore Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport.
The Boeing 737 landed uneventfully and all 118 passengers and 5 crew members remained unhurt.
The airline said in a statement that the fire detector went off after a passenger used an e-cigarette in the lavatory.
Pakistan International Airlines flight PK-782 had to return and make an emergency landing in Toronto, Canada, on December 7.
The Boeing 777-200, bound for Karachi, Pakistan, had to return after the pilot reported that the cabin was not pressurizing properly.
The plane landed uneventfully and was taken for examination.
The aircraft had first attempted to depart from Toronto on December 5 but returned immediately due to cabin pressurization issue. The technicians at Air Canada Hangers conducted maintenance after which it was cleared to take off again 2 days later.
A Qantas flight had to return and make an emergency landing at Hobart Airport in Tasmania, Australia, on the evening of December 9.
The Melbourne-bound Boeing 717 had to turn back, just 20 minutes after taking off, after a warning system indicated a technical issue with the aircraft.
The plane landed safely and was taken for examination.
The flight was able to depart again at 7:40 p.m.
This is the 4th emergency landing of a Qantas jet within 48 hours. The airline insisted that the incidents were un-related. According to Qantas chief Alan Joyce, “We have really high reliability. We have low levels of turnbacks compared to most of the world fleets.”
Southwest airlines flight 623 had to make an emergency landing in Los Angeles, California, on the morning of December 9.
The flight, heading from San Francisco to Phoenix, was diverted to Los Angeles International Airport after a passenger went into labor and gave birth midair.
The plane landed safely and the mother and her new born were shifted to a hospital. According to spokesperson of Los Angeles Fire Department Erik Scott, “LAFD praises an ER RN that assisted the mother in giving birth prior to our arrival.”
The flight was able to resume the journey with a 2.5 hours delay.
Qantas flight QF904 had to return and make an emergency landing at Perth Airport, Australia, at 2:47 p.m. on December 8.
The flight, heading from Perth to Karratha, had to return after an unusual odor was detected in the aircraft’s cabin.
The Boeing 737, carrying around 85 people, landed uneventfully. St John Ambulance examined more than 75 people for smoke inhalation.
The cause of odor is under investigation.
Qantas flight QF2 had to divert and make a priority landing at Perth Airport, Australia, on December 8.
The Airbus A380 was on its way from Dubai to Sydney when a fault in its air-conditioning system was noticed. The pilot then quickly descended to 10,000 feet and sought permission for a priority landing in Perth.
The plane landed safely and no one was hurt.
An airline spokesperson said, “It was a fault with the air-conditioning so the engineers are having a look at that now.”
U.S. Airways flight US797 had to make an unscheduled landing at Fiumicino Airport in Rome, Italy, at around 1:38 a.m. Local time on December 6.
The Airbus A330, carrying 129 passengers and 14 crew members, was en-route from Tel Aviv, Israel to Philadelphia when a foul odor started to sicken the passengers and crew members.
Authorities said the pilot had to divert to Rome after 2 passengers and all 14 crew members suffered from red eyes and started vomiting midair. The plane landed uneventfully and all 16 of them were given medical treatment.
According to the airline, “The aircraft is being evaluated by our maintenance team to determine what may have caused the odor.”
A Cessna 210 flipped over after making an emergency landing in a field near Sussex Airport, New Jersey, at around 10:58 a.m. on December 4.
The incident happened when the plane was carrying a pilot and 5 skydivers. All of them sustained minor injuries and were treated by Wantage Emergency Squad.
The pilot, identified as Richard Winstock, 46, is the co-owner of Skydive Sussex as well as the national director of the U.S. Parachute Association. He said he had to land in emergency due to some engine troubles and that the muddy field caused the plane to overturn.
The passengers were identified as 41-year-old Ryan Leak, of Paterson, 48-year-old Caig Vanetten, Saugerties, New York, 26-year-old Matthew Vidusek, of Hampshire, 28-year-old Chris Delpozzo, of Troy and 25-year-old Kurt Steinbruch, of Wyckoff.
The incident is under investigation.
Delta Airlines flight 312 had to make an emergency landing at Toledo Express Airport, Ohio, on the night of December 4.
The pilot declared an emergency after a smoky odor was detected in the aircraft’s cabin. The flight was heading from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, Michigan to Fort Lauderdale, Florida at the time.
The Boeing 757-300 landed without incident and was able to taxi to the gate on its own power. No one aboard was injured.
The plane was taken for examination while the passengers were transferred to another aircraft.
A UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter made an emergency landing in an open field near Jim Hamilton – L.B. Owens Airport, Columbia, South Carolina, at 4:18 p.m. on December 4.
The helicopter, assigned to the 1-111th General Aviation Support Battalion, S.C. Army National Guard military, had to make a precautionary landing after it experienced a main rotor blade malfunction. According to Major Cindi King with the SC National Guard, the helicopter was on a routine training mission at the time.
All the three people aboard remained safe.
A small twin-engine plane, owned by Gama Aviation, made an emergency landing at Sikorsky Memorial Airport in Stratford, Connecticut, shortly before 8 a.m. on December 3.
The pilot decided to return after one of the engines of the plane stopped working just 10 minutes into the flight.
The plane landed uneventfully and all 7 people aboard remained unharmed.
American Airlines flight 974 had to divert and make an emergency landing at LF Wade International Airport, Bermuda, on December 3.
The Boeing 767-300, en-route from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to New York, was forced to divert after a computer indicated fire in one of its wheels.
The plane made an uneventful emergency landing at 6:20 a.m. All 120 passengers aboard remained unharmed.
Firefighters thoroughly inspected the plane.
The airline said they would be making arrangements for the passengers.
A Beech C23 aircraft had to make an emergency landing at interstate-575 near airport road in Canton, Georgia, on December 2.
FAA spokesperson Kathleen Bergen confirmed the incident saying that the pilot was able to taxi the aircraft to a grassy area. She confirmed that none of the 2 people aboard was injured.
The aircraft is registered to an Atlanta-based flight training school Quality Aviation Inc.
The cause of emergency landing is being investigated by the FAA.
Pakistan International Airlines flight PK-607 had to return and make an emergency landing at Benazir Bhutto International Airport, Islamabad, Pakistan on December 1.
The Gilgit-bound plane was forced to return after it developed a technical fault.
The flight landed uneventfully and everyone aboard remained unharmed.
A Copa Airlines flight had to make an emergency landing at Juan Santamaria International Airport in Costa Rica, at around 10 a.m. on November 30.
The pilot declared emergency after a fuel leak alarm went off, indicating fuel leakage from the aircraft’s left wing.
The plane landed uneventfully and none of the 118 people aboard was harmed.
The aircraft was taken for examination.
A single-engine plane made an emergency landing on the CTFastrak busway on New Park Avenue, West Hartford, Connecticut, at around 3:15 p.m. on November 29.
It appears that the plane, which was flying from Robertson Airport, Plainville, lost engine power while attempting to land at Hartford-Brainard Airport.
The pilot, identified as Danny Hall, of Torrington, remained uninjured.
The FAA is investigating.
Delta Airlines flight 434 had to make an emergency landing in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, just after 1 p.m. on November 29.
According to an airline statement, “Delta flight 434, a Boeing 757-200 aircraft with 169 passengers onboard, from New York-JFK to San Francisco diverted to Pittsburgh International Airport when the crew detected a smoky odor in the vicinity of the aft galley. Out of an abundance of caution, the captain elected to divert the flight.”
The plane landed uneventfully and none of the passengers and crew members was hurt.
Authorities said the plane was examined after which, it was able to take off again at 2:30 p.m.
The cause of smoky odor is not known at the moment.
A Cessna 210 made an emergency landing near Gordon Downs Road, near Halls Creek, East Kimberley region, Western Australia, on November 28.
The plane was on its way to Ringer Soak when the pilot noticed engine failure, shortly after 1 p.m.
The plane landed uneventfully. The pilot and his only passenger remained unharmed.
