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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    Smoke Detected in lavatory; US Airways Express Flight Makes Emergency Landing

    US Airways expressA US Airways Express flight, on its way from Albuquerque to Phoenix, had to make an emergency landing at Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix, Arizona on July 29, 2014.

    The decision was made after smoke was detected in the lavatory of Bombardier CRJ900 series regional jet, which was being operated by Skywest Airlines.

    The plane made an uneventful landing and no one was injured.

    The Phoenix Fire crews and the airport police received the aircraft at the runway. The north runway of the airport remained closed for some time.

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    Alaska Airlines jet Lands in Emergency in Klamath Falls

    AlaskaThe Alaska Airlines flight, from Orange County, California to Seattle, made an emergency landing at the Crater Lake-Klamath Falls Regional Airport in Oregon, at 3:30 p.m. on July 27.

    The flight was diverted due to fuel leakage in one of the engines, according to Bill Hancock, airport operations manager.

    The plane, having 160 passengers and crew members aboard, landed safely.

    The Alaska Airlines sent another Jet from Seattle at about 6 p.m. to pick up the stranded passengers from the Klamath Falls.

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    London-Bound Kuwait Airways Flight Made Emergency Landing at Brussels

    Kuwait airwaysA Kuwait Airways Airbus 300, en route to London from Kuwait, made an emergency landing at Brussels airport, Belgium, on July 28.

    The pilot decided to make an emergency landing after discovering smoke in the cockpit, according to airport spokeswoman Florence Muls.

    The plane landed safely and all 200 passengers aboard remained unhurt.

    The aircraft was taken for examination.

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    Delta Flight Makes Emergency Landing at JFK Airport

    DeltaDelta Airlines flight 6093, bound for Dayton, Ohio, had to make an emergency landing at New York’s JFK Airport on July 28.

    The Embraer ERJ-145 took off from LaGuardia Airport, New York, at 9:14 p.m., immediately after which, the pilot was notified about a possible tire issue. He then declared an emergency and diverted the plane to JFK considering its longer runways.

    The plane made an uneventful landing at 11:34 p.m. All passengers and crew members were safely evacuated.

    The incident is being investigated.

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    Peru’s LAN Airlines Flight Lands in Emergency at Costa Rica

    LAN AirlinesPeru’s LAN Airlines flight LPE-599, made an emergency landing at Juan Santamaria International Airport, Costa Rica, on the evening of July 26.

    The decision for emergency landing was made after the Airbus A320, en route from Cancun, Mexico to Lima, Peru, experienced electrical problems.

    The plane landed safely after circling around to shed extra fuel. All 175 people aboard remained unhurt.

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    Delta Flight Lands in Emergency at Mitchell International Airport

    250px-Delta_logo.svgDelta Airlines flight 1496 from Minneapolis St. Paul airport to New York made an emergency landing at Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, at about 11:15 on July 26.

    The decision to make an emergency landing was made after a smoky odor was detected in the MD-88 which had 148 passengers and 5 crew members aboard.

    The plane landed safely and no one was hurt.

    According to the Delta spokeswoman, the passengers were provided an alternate flight in the afternoon.

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    Single-Engine Plane Hits a Truck on Pyramid Highway

    MustangA P-51 Mustang single engine plane which took off from Reno-Stead Airport and was en route to South Dakota crashed on Pyramid Highway just north of Spanish Springs in Nevada at around 8 a.m. on July 26.

    The accident happened after an experimental Roscher built Thunder Mustang ‘Miss Picabo’ experienced mechanical failure and its engine stopped suddenly. The pilot and the co-pilot then decided to make emergency landing at Pyramid Highway and eventually crashed into a truck travelling northbound with at least 2 people aboard.

    The aircraft caught fire after the crash. However, the pilot and the co-pilot managed to get out of it in just minutes. No major injuries were reported except for some scratches from broken glass.

    Recalling the accident, the Pilot Fred Roscher of Cupertino said, “The plane was flying, and then, all of a sudden the engine just died….. We touched down and immediately hit him [the truck]… A couple minutes later, the plane caught fire and was completely consumed.”

    Two lane Pyramid Lake Road remained closed for six hours.

    The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the cause of the mechanical failure of the aircraft.

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    Electrical Odor Forces United Airlines Jet to Make Emergency Landing

    United Airlines BoeingUnited Airlines flight 328 from Denver to Honolulu made an emergency landing in Salt Lake City, Utah, in the afternoon of July 25.

    The Boeing 777 with 269 passengers and 10 crew members aboard was forced to make emergency landing due to an “electrical odor,” according to airline spokeswoman Jennifer Dohm.

    The plane landed safely and no one was hurt.

    The aircraft was taken for inspection by the airline’s maintenance team.

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    Delta Operated Jet Makes Emergency Landing at Burlington

    deltaA Canadair regional jet 200, operated by Delta Airlines, returned and made an emergency landing at Burlington International Airport at about 5:30 p.m. on July 24.

    The incident happened when the flight was heading to Detroit from Burlington International Airport in Burlington, Vermont.

    Heather Bowman, operations specialist at the airport said the aircraft developed some mechanical problem and the pilot felt “unknown vibrations” in the plane.

    The plane landed safely and no one was hurt. It was briefly inspected after landing.

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    Sunwing Flight Lands in Emergency in Toronto

    sunwingwSunwing flight 772 had to return and land in emergency in Toronto due to an ‘agitated passenger’.

    The incident happened on July 25 after a passenger, identified as Ali Shahi, 25, allegedly started making threats regarding the security of the plane. The flight which was taking 183 passengers and 6 crew members from Toronto to Panama, was then turned back towards Toronto.

    Two U.S. F16 fighter jets were sent from Toledo, Ohio, to escort the plane. The authorities confirmed that the plane safely landed at 8:55 a.m.

    Armed officers removed the passenger from the plane. He was then taken into custody by Peel police while  the plane was inspected.

    Ali Shahi, who is an Canadian national, has been charged with Mischief interfering of the lawful enjoyment of property, Uttering threats, Mischief to property, Endangering the safety of an aircraft.

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    British Fighter Jets Escorted Private Jet to Stansted

    A Luton-bound private passenger jet was escorted from Lagos by two British fighter jets to make emergency landing at Stansted airport, Essex at 7:49 p.m. on July 24.

    The aircraft, which is believed to be a Gulfstream small business jet, lost contact with UK authorities shortly after 7 p.m., forcing deployment of two Eurofighter Typhoons from RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire.

    Reportedly one of the jet fighters also landed at the airport.

    An Essex Police spokesperson said: “Military jets were deployed on a precautionary basis when a private jet was diverted to Stansted…This was due to a loss of communication with the aircraft. The aircraft landed safely at Stansted airport at 7.49pm… All three people who were on board have been spoken to by police, it was established that everything was in order and the police response was stood down.”

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    Lightning-Struck CF-18 Safely Landed in Whitecourt, Alberta

    CF-18A CF-18 was struck by lightning about 50 miles away from Whitecourt, Alberta, on July 24.

    The pilot, Capt. Adam Runge, was flying to Whitecourt for participating in the Hometown Heroes Airshow. He was about 50 miles short of his final destination when his aircraft was struck by lightning.

    However, Runge managed to safely land at Whitecourt airport. No damage to the aircraft or pilot has been reported.

    “A clearly defined bolt stretched from the clouds towards the aircraft…It was probably just a split second, we’re talking not even half a second I’m guessing, that it hit the aircraft around the cockpit area…It was just a short tingle,” said Runge.

    The manager of Whitecourt airport, William Stewart said “He [the pilot] said the electronics did a flash on him and he had a tingling sensation during the strike, but after that, everything seemed to function as it was supposed to.”

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    Virgin Atlantic Flight Carrying Tom Daley Made Emergency Landing in Russia

    Virgin AtlanticVirgin Atlantic flight VS251 carrying Olympic diver Tom Daley and his team-mates including Sarah Barrow and Tonia Couch, had to make an emergency landing at a military base in the Russian city of Irkutsk on July 21.

    The decision to make an emergency landing occurred after a technical issue developed with the Airbus A346, after it departed from Pudong International Airport, China, at 11.40am. It was scheduled to land at London Heathrow at 4.34 p.m.

    At first, the pilot decided to land in a river. He was eventually able to reach an airstrip at a Russian army camp. There were 283 passengers and 12 crew members aboard at the time of incident; all of them remained unhurt.

    The airline later released a statement saying, “Virgin Atlantic can confirm that the VS251 travelling from Shanghai to London Heathrow has diverted to Irkutsk Airport, Russia, as a precautionary measure due to a technical issue…Safety and security is always our top priority…The aircraft is currently on the ground and our customers are being looked after by our cabin crew. Our priority now is to ensure our customers resume their journey as soon as possible…The airline would like to thank passengers for their patience and apologise for any inconvenience caused.”

    The English divers were returning after diving at the World Cup in Shanghai. They are also scheduled to participate in the upcoming Commonwealth Games at Glasgow 2014.

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    Southwest Flight Makes Emergency Landing in Ohio

    southwest_airlines_logoThe Southwest Airlines flight 424, from Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport to Chicago Midway International Airport, had to divert and land in emergency at Port Columbus International Airport, Ohio, at 2 a.m. Central Time on July 23.

    The pilot decided to make an emergency landing after there was an indication of smoke in the forward cargo hold.

    The plane landed safely and slides were used to evacuate the 49 passengers on board. No one was hurt.

    The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating. Southwest Airlines has declared the plane out of service for inspection.

    An alternate was flight arranged for taking the passengers to their destination.

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    Small Plane Makes Emergency Landing at Swansea Beach

    small planeA small plane flying from Swansea Airport to Popham Airfield in Basingstoke had to make an emergency landing at Jersey Marine, a beach at Swansea, Wales, UK, at around 16:00 BST on July 22.

    The plane carrying 3 people was flying at 2,000 ft when the pilot noticed that something was wrong with the engine and decided to make an emergency landing on the beach.

    No major damage was done to the plane and no one was hurt. The owner of the plane, Derek Clyde, 60, from Kidwelly said the pilot, James Hooton, did an excellent job. “He is an ex-RAF pilot and very experienced,” said Clyde.

    He also said, “We have just recovered the aircraft and the engine will be sent to the manufacturers and rebuilt in about eight weeks…The Air Accident Investigation Branch has been in touch and said it will not be investigating as it was an off-airfield landing with no damage and no injuries.”

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    Travelspan Flight Returns to JFK for Emergency Landing

    TravelSpanA Guyana-bound flight of Travelspan, operated by Vision Air, had to return to JFK International Airport, New York for emergency landing on the morning of July 15.

    Chief Operations Manager at Travelspan Guyana, David Goberdhan, confirmed that the plane had to return to JFK, just two and a half hours after leaving the airport, because of “compression” problems with one of its engines.

    The plane, a 767-300, landed safely and everyone aboard remained unhurt.

    The aircraft was taken for examination by the airline’s mechanical and technical teams. Another aircraft was deployed to take the passengers to Guyana.

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    JetBlue Flight 354 Diverts and Lands in Emergency

    jetBlueJetBlue flight 354 had to divert and make an emergency landing at Orlando International Airport, shortly before 11 a.m. on July 16.

    The incident happened when the plane, carrying 104 passengers, was en route from West Palm Beach International Airport to John F. Kennedy International Airport.

    Spokesperson of JetBlue, Tamara Young, confirmed the incident and said in statement that the decision for emergency landing was made after the pilot observed a ‘mechanical indication’ in the cockpit area.

    The statement further said, “The aircraft landed safely, without incident and taxied to the gate under its own power. The aircraft is currently being inspected.”

    A replacement plane was arranged for taking the passengers to their destination.

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    South African Airbus Turbulence Injures 28 over #Malaysia

    southafricanairwaysSouth African Airways Flight SA286, an Airbus A340-313X, was en route from OR Tambo International Airport in Kempton Park, Ekurhuleni, Gauteng, South Africa, near the city of Johannesburg to Hong Kong International Airport when it encountered severe turbulence four hours from Hong Kong while over Malaysia. The plane suffered cabin damage.

    Three crew and twenty-five passengers were tossed out of their seats and into the ceiling. THere were 163 passengers aboard. Fourteen ambulances waited at Chek Lap Kok airport to transport the injured to North Lantau Hospital, Princess Margaret Hospital and Yan Chai Hospital. Two people are still hospitalized.

    Pilots continued to Hong Kong and made a priority landing.
    injured
    The injured were taken off the plane and hospitalized.

    Malaysian authorities will be assisting the Civil Aviation Department in the investigation.

    *A priority landing means that the incident leads to the aircraft being given landing priority by the airport where it is about to land.

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    Bird Forces Private Jet to make Emergency Landing at Dulles

    HawkerA private Hawker 800 jet made an emergency landing at runway 19-R of Washington Dulles International Airport in Sterling, Virginia, shortly before 12:30 pm on July 14.

    As per officials of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA), the pilot declared emergency after a bird hit and damaged the aircraft.

    The plane landed safely but had to be towed off to the hanger due to damage to its under carriage and loss of hydraulic fluid.

    There were 2 people aboard at the time of accident; none of them was injured.

    The fire crews responded at the runway as a precaution step.

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    Air India Emergency Bird Strike in Newark NJ

    duck77An Air India Boeing 777 en route from Newark to Mumbai had 292 passengers and 21 crew aboard when it took off at 4:36 in the afternoon. Witnesses saw flames shooting from the left engine when flight 144 took off.

    Pilots reported problems with the left engine, and twenty-two minutes after taking off, returned to land in Newark.

    The landing must have been pretty hard, because tires were blown. The airport’s New Jersey spokeswoman Erica Dumas described it as a “rough landing.” Also, the left engine problems were attributed to a bird strike.

    Passengers disembarked and were provided hotel accommodations while they rebooked.

    *No ducks were injured in the photoshopping of this B777 windowseat snapshot.

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    TAP Diverts to Paris with Air Conditioning Emergency That Sets off Warning Bell

    bellA TAP Air Portugal Airbus A320-214 was en route from Lisbon, Portugal to Amsterdam when it developed a problem with the air conditioning.

    Pilots made an emergency landing in Paris at Orly airport.

    None of the 72 passengers was injured.

    However, an online twitter post assumed that the problem was an engine fire because an engine bell was heard during radio transmissions to ATC. There was no fire.

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    #Delta Emergency Landing in Knoxville TN

    A Delta McDonnell Douglas MD-88 en route from Orlando to Cincinnati made an emergency landing in Knoxville after pilots reported smoke coming from the plane.

    The five crew and all the passengers put on oxygen masks but removed them on landing as a ground crew inspected the outside of the plane. Emergency services did not see smoke or fire.

    The unplanned landing was uneventful. A replacement flight was provided for to accommodate 52 passengers. There were no injuries, but there was a discrepancy of the number of people reported aboard.

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    #Rescue: Three Men in a Boat

    seaexpressiiAfter the cargo ship they were in was forced to make an emergency landing, three Miamians were found floating in a boat in the Bahamas, fifteen miles from Bimini.

    Pilot Ernie Martin had to land the Cessna 337 on the water when both engines lost fuel. He sustained a small cut that did not require hospitalization.

    Passengers Daniel Puig and Javier Avino were aboard after a vacation in Great Harbor Key. Puig credits his seat belt for keeping him from going through the windshield.

    All three were rescued by the Sea Express II, a Seacor Island Lines’ cargo ship.

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    British Airways Flight Makes Emergency Landing at London Heathrow

    britishairwaysBritish Airways flight BA 676, on its way to Istanbul, Turkey, had to return and make an emergency landing at Heathrow Airport, London, shortly after it took off at about 11 a.m. on July 3.

    The decision to make an emergency landing was made after the crew reported a ‘burning smell’ in the cockpit of the Boeing 767-300. A hundred eighty-five passengers were aboard.

    Metropolitan Police Service and fire fighters were on alert when the plane landed back at the airport, just 35 minutes after it departed. No one was injured.

    The airline confirmed that the plane experienced a minor technical problem which is being resolved and it will soon return to service.

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    Water Leak Floods the Aisles; Qantas Flight Returns to LAX

    QantasQantas Airways Flight 94 had to return and make an emergency landing at Los Angeles International Airport due to a water pipe leak, on July 2.

    The Airbus A380 was en route from Los Angeles to Melbourne, Australia and was cruising at an altitude of about 31,000 feet when it sprung a leak, making the aisles flood with water.

    The pilot then decided to return to Los Angeles, where the plane made a safe emergency landing at about 2:40 a.m. No one was injured.

    According to a statement released by Qantas, “[The crew] did everything they could to help customers, including moving them to unaffected areas and providing spare blankets so they could stay dry.” The statement further said, “We’re also providing customers with hotel accommodation while the issue is being fixed by our engineers in Los Angeles. We apologise to customers for the inconvenience. There were no safety of flight concerns with the water leak, however the Captain decided to return to LA in the interests of passenger comfort. We are liaising with Airbus to understand what caused this fault.”