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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    Executive Runway Excursion, Barbados


    An Executive Air Piper PA-34 Seneca en route from Grantley Adams International Airport (Seawell, Christ Church on the island of Barbados) en route to Maurice Bishop International Airport (St. Georges, Granada) took off, but sustained an unsafe gear warning.

    Pilots returned to Seawell, and made a semi safe landing (as the two pilots and two passengers were uninjured) but on landing, the right main gear collapsed.

    The plane had a runway excursion. Emergency services responded to the scene, and the plane was foamed to prevent a fire.

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    EasyJet Falling Pieces


    On August 12, an easyJet Airbus A320-214 en route from Milan-Malpensa Airport to Lisbon took off okay, but pieces of the plane were falling.

    The control tower spotted the debris on the runway.

    After losing parts of the engine cowling, pilots made a safe, if dramatic landing back at the Milan-Malpensa. None of the 174 passengers and crew sustained injury, though most of them went through an emotional roller coaster, especially when a passenger screamed out that “A piece of the wing has gone flying.”

    Pilots circled for twenty minutes before landing; then after landing safely, when pilots put engines into reverse, more stuff fell off the engine. Although fire engines were on standby, standby is all they had to do. Passengers and crew exited via the staircase.

    In a genius of understatement, Easyjet confirmed “flight EZY2715 from Milan Malpensa Airport to Lisbon on 12 August returned from airborne shortly after take off due to a technical issue with one of the engines.”

    Passengers were provided an alternative flight.

    In George’s Point of View

    I don’t make a lot of comments, due to my copious free time, but I can’t resist. In the meantime while waiting for the updates, we are considering shipping easyJet some Superglue, or maybe a certified mechanic or two. In the words of mechanics everywhere, lefty loosie, righty tighty. I am no mechanic, but this smells to me like…dare I say it…

    Maintenance! Maintenance! Maintenance!

    Not to make light of the situation though–airline safety is no joke. We expect there will be public updates about the investigation into this incident.

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    Yak-18 Emergency Landing Underwater


    ON AUGUST 11, 2013, a Aero Park “Voskresenka” Samara-operated Yakovlev Yak-18 made an emergency landing at the Volga river. The pilot was the only one aboard and he was unhurt.

    Rescue services responding included Main Directorate of MOE Russia in Samara region: 18 people, 6 pieces of equipment; Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations: 7 people and 3 vehicles.

    Diving operations were engaged to help retrieve the plane. The cause of the plane’s engine failure has not been determined.

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    Mooney Flat in Costa Rica

    None of the four aboard a TT Aviation Services Mooney M20R Ovation when it’s landing gear collapsed on at Tobias Bolaños Airport in San Jose Costa Rica.

    At 8:33 am, aircraft registration N10422, was piloted by Venezuelan Alberto Diaz. The plane apparently blew a tire.

    Pavas Fire trucks were on hand but their services were not called for. The plane was towed to the hanger at 10:42.

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    Orient Thai Airlines Flat in Thailand

    On July 31, 2013, an Orient Thai Airlines Boeing 73703T) was en route from Guiyang to Phuket.

    Pilots diverted to Surat THani airport and made an emergency landing around 7pm. While taxiing on the runway, a main gear tire slipped off the pavement had had a flat.

    The plane was towed off the runway. Flights were disrupted till about 9 pm.

    There were 137 Chinese passengers aboard. No injuries were reported.

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    Southwest NoseGear Collapse July 22 Update


    Investigators are still working to determine the problem why the landing gear of Southwest Airlines Flight 345 collapsed while the plane was landing in New York on Monday.

    Input and coverage continues below:

    See Videos

    • Nose Gear Collapse ‘Humongous Jolt’

    • CBS 2 minutes 9 seconds

    • Details from Los Angeles Times 1 min 13 seconds

    • Raw footage 11 seconds

    SOUTHWEST AIRLINES FLIGHT 345 BOEING 737 AIRCRAFT LANDED AND THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED, PASSENGERS EVACUTED VIA CHUTES ONTO THE RUNWAY AND WERE BUSSED TO THE TERMINAL. 8 PERSONS ON BOARD SUSTAINED UNKNOWN INJURIES, LAGUARDIA AIRPORT, NEW YORK, NY

    Date: 22-JUL-13
    Time: 21:45:00Z
    Regis#: N753SW/SWA345
    Aircraft Make: BOEING
    Aircraft Model: 737
    Event Type: Incident
    Highest Injury: Unknown
    Aircraft Missing:
    Damage: Unknown
    LOCATION
    City: NEW YORK
    State: New York

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    Colombia Emergency Landing

    On July 15, 2013, an Aero Expreso del Pacífico Cessna 402B Utiliner with eleven aboard was en route from Gerardo Tobar López Airport to Pizarro Airport when it developed mechanical problems. Runway conditions and weather conditions may have contributed to the problem.

    Pilots made an emergency landing in Pizarro, Bajo Baudo, Chocò, Colombia.

    The two pilots and nine passengers were uninjured.

    The nose of the plane and the right wing sustained damage. Colombian Marine Brigade No. 2 troops removed the plane from the crash site.

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    BC Float Plane Propeller Falls Off


    On June 24 a Beaver float plane took off from Powell River, B.C. and made an emergency landing in Halfmoon Bay when its propeller fell off.

    There was minor damage to the pontoons but otherwise the plane was intact.

    June 24 at approximately 1:40 p.m., Sunshine Coast RCMP and Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue (RCMSAR) were dispatched. The downed plane was towed to a dock with the respondents and a local boater.

    The pilot and three passengers were uninjured.

    The incident may have been the result of an engineering malfunction.

    Video below

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    Thomson Airways Boeing Grounded after Bird Strike

    A Thomson Airways Boeing 787-8 sustained a bird strike on a Manchester—Cardiff—Shannon flight on the Cardiff-Shannon leg.

    On taking off from Cardiff, the bird strike occurred. The pilot reported that all systems appeared operational. Pilots continued to Shannon and made a safe landing with emergency services on standby.

    On the ground, the flight did not need to be towed but continued under its own power.

    Maintenance did confirm evidence of damage in the jet’s right side engine. The training flight was cancelled and crews worked on the damaged engine.

    This is listed as a training flight of a recently delivered jet.

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    Air Show Emergency Landing


    On Sunday, pilot, John Klatt was performing at the QC Airshow at the Davenport Municipal Airport in Davenport, Iowa on the Air Guard demonstration team when he had to make an emergency landing.

    A piece broken off of the plane punctured his engine, spraying oil over his windshield. He jettisoned the canopy. Klatt told spectators that he had cut himself worse while shaving.

    Click to see Video

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    United Boeing Dreamliner Flies Houston to Houston


    photographer Greg Kieca

    On June 24, 2013, a United Boeing 787 Houston to Denver flight developed an issue with the brakes (or brake indicator) and made an emergency landing. Details about the specific problem were not released.

    The flight left Houston at 9.12am and arrived in in Houston at 11:58 a.m.

    None of the 219 passengers and 13 crew members sustained any injury. Maintenance examined the plane. The plane was returned to service.

    Stranded passengers were provided travel solutions by a Boeing field service representative.

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    BA Airways emergency landing with Engine fire


    A British Airways Airbus A319-100 was en route from London to Oslo when it developed an engine problem.

    Passengers heard a loud explosion, and saw smoke from the right engine. Apparently the engine doors blew off.

    During takeoff, the casing of the left engine ‘came away’ and the right engine exploded when the plane made a quick return, landing in London.

    Good thing that Emergency services were on standby to extinguish the engine fire.

    Passengers and crew made an emergency evacuation via emergency slides.

    None of the 5 crew and 75 passengers were injured.

    The ABC News video below suggests a birdstrike that is purely speculative

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    Lufthansa Engine Emergency in Poland


    On May 21, 2013, a Lufthansa Bombardier CRJ took off at 6 a. m. from Katowice Poland and developed an engine problem. Pilots returned to Katowice and made a safe landing reportedly with an engine fire. The affected engine was shut down.

    The plane landed at approximately 7 with about an hour spent in the air. All traffic throughout the airport was stopped at the time.

    The fire brigade was ready and the medical responders were immediately on the scene but no injuries were reported. After the plane landed safely, the 63 passengers and four crew were evacuated.

    Passengers were provided alternative flights.

    “S?yszalna by?a detonacja. Kapitan zg?osi? Mayday. Wszyscy s? bezpieczni”

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    Emergency Landing in Mumbai

    An IndiGo flight en route from Srinagar to Mumbai developed a problem with a nose wheel, leading to the pilot requesting priority landing at Mumbai.

    Emergency services were on hand when the pilot made the emergency landing. No injuries were reported.

    The plane was towed to the gate.

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    Two planes collide over Westlake Village


    A Cessna 172 and a Cessna 172RG Cutlass collided over Westlake Village eight miles east northeast of Ventura.

    The Cutlass, registered to Ameriflyers of Florida LLC made an emergency landing on the Westlake Golf Course, Westlake Village, California. Three aboard sustained minor injuries in a belly landing at 2:15 p.m. near the third hole. They were hospitalized with minor injuries.

    The second plane crashed in the Santa Monica Mountains, sparking a brush fire and a search and rescue effort. The pilot was found under the wreckage.

    One of the planes had left Santa Monica Airport on an engine test flight and was heading east when it collided with the other.

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    Denver Emergency Landing

    Republic Flight 1557, operated as Frontier Airlines lost pressure and dropped from 24,200 to 28,600 feet over Aspen, and returned to Denver where it made an emergency landing.

    The cabin did not depressurize and the oxygen masks did not descend, but the crew descended to deal with the cabin pressure issue.

    The ERJ-190 made a safe landing with all of the 98 passengers and 4 crew uninjured.

    Passengers were provided alternative flights from Denver to San Diego.

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    Air Europa Airbus Runs over Debris.

    On April 16, 2013, an Air Europa Airbus A330-202 #EC-JPF was en route from Madrid-Barajas Airport to Caracas-Simón Bolívar International Airport in Venezuela.

    However, the flight took off after an Aéromexico tail strike, and ran over fuselage debris which punctured a nose gear tire.

    Pilots circled the airport, and returned to Barajas where they made a safe landing at 19:30 with emergency services on standby.

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    Air Mediterranée Airbus Runway Overrun

    On March 29, 3013, an Air Mediterranée Airbus A321-111 en route from Agadir-Al Massira International Airport to Lyon Saint-Exupéry Airport ran off the runway on landing at Lyon Saint-Exupéry Airport.

    The flight from Dakar had a stopover in Agadir.

    The plane was mired in soft ground. Firefighters assisted the passengers out one by one on waterlogged ground. Passengers were ported to the terminal by bus.

    According to witnesses, the crew was Greek, and had little English and little French.

    Machine translation of the incident from the beginning:
    “The stop in Agadir was not provided. We said we had to refuel because of the weather. Upon landing, there were warning signs: the plane was a little unusual zig-zag before stopping. We left about 20 minutes later. In Lyon, the aircraft flew over the track for a long time, very close to the ground, without asking. Then we felt the brakes, we went left, then right, straight into a field, probably over a hundred meters. We then felt burnt and we were afraid that it caught fire.”

    182 people were aboard. No injuries were reported.

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    Piper Crash in Florida Parking Lot

    On March 15, 2013, a Piper PA-31-350 Navajo Chieftain took off from a small Fort Lauderdale airport, developed problems and struck a tree while returning to the airport. The plane impacted the ground in a parking lot for repossessed cars at 964 NW 53rd Court which was described as going up like a fireball.

    No one on the ground was injured but there were three fatalities aboard. Kevin Watson, in his 30s, and his father, Wallace, who owned Avionics Engineering were aboard.

    Locals are concerned about aviation safety and are interested in having city inspectors to check planes for safety like the FAA and NTSB.

    The fire at the lot was under control within thirty minutes.

    The FAA and the NTSB are investigating.

    Video Below

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    Missouri Emergency Landing


    A Learjet diverted to Saint Louis Missouri and made a safe landing after the pilot experienced problems with the landing gear. The plane was coming from Wooster Ohio.

    The pilot was forced to circle Cahokia airport after experiencing trouble with the landing gear, planning to land at Parks Airport in Cahokia but eventually landing in Lambert.

    The pilot performed a flyby for the tower to inspect the landing gear, and subsequently burned off fuel, and landed without landing gear.

    None of the eight people aboard reported injury. Emergency services were on standby, and passengers exited the plane normally, and were carried via shuttle bus to the gate.

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    Russian Sukhoi Superjet Makes Emergency Moscow Airport Landing


    On March 7, 2013, an Aeroflot Sukhoi Superjet registration #RA-89009 was en route from Moskow to Nizhny Novgorod when the landing gear failed. The gear doors failed to close.

    Pilots returned to Moscow, and maintained a holding pattern till they landed at 16:52. Pilots made a safe landing at Sheremetyevo Airport.

    No injuries to the 84 aboard (77 passengers, 7 crew) were reported.

    The Sukhoi Superjet has also suffered engine failures. Less than a month ago, Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency suspended flights of four of the 10 aircraft Sukhoi Superjet due to failures in the system of the chassis and wings.

    Video Below

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    Alaskan Airlines Emergency Landing in San Jose


    An Alaskan Airlines de Havilland DH8 en route from San Jose to Boise Idaho developed a fire in the right engine and made an emergency landing when it returned to the San Jose airport.

    Emergency services were on standby. None of the 47 passengers or six crew reported any injuries.

    The odor of burned metal was in the cabin, but no fire was found. Passengers were provided alternatives.
    Video

    http://bit.ly/Zfu8Uz

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    Cessna Emergency Landing Key Largo


    On Feb 24, 2013, a Cessna 336/337 en route from North Perry Airport Hollywood Florida to Florida Keys Marathon Airport went down in Biscayne Bay, Bayfront Park in Homestead after the pilot lost power.

    There were four people aboard. After the plane was upside down, the pilot and passengers came out from under the plane. They were taken to Black Point Marina and from there to a local hospital for minor injuries.

    It was termed a forced landing (wheels up) in Biscayne Bay.

    There were no fatalities.
    Video below

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    Emergency landing Lake Rotorua New Zealand

    On Feb 24, 2013, a Volcanic Air Safaris Ltd Robinson R44 Raven II made an emergency upright landing on skids near the end of Bennetts Rd, Koutu, not long after lifting off from Lake Rotorua New Zealand.

    The female pilot and three passengers escaped the helicopter 60 metres from the shore in knee deep water. A boat went to the helicopter’s aide about 10.10.

    The passengers were a man and his two children. There were no injuries.

    The chopper had suffered mechanical problems.

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    Tupolev Emergency Landing in Russia

    On Feb 17, 2013 at 9:30, a Vladivostok Avia Tupolev 204-300 with 104 (97 passengers and 7 crew) aboard were en route from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky Airport to Vladivostok when they made an emergency landing at Vladivostok. The plane’s hydraulic system failed.

    No injuries were reported.

    The Russian Emergencies Ministry did not provide details.