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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    Emirates Flight Hits Landing Gear/ Gear Door snag


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer

    What: Emirates Airlines Airbus A340-500 en route from Cape Town to Dubai
    Where: Capetown
    When: Jan 4 2012 1.55pm
    Who: 243 passengers
    Why: After takeoff, the gear did not retract and (as was observed) the gear doors remained open. We presume the pilots did a fly-by that was the source of the visual conformation of the issue at hand.

    An hour and a half after takeoff, with emergency crews on standby, the pilots landed back in Capetown (3.20pm), and was towed.

    Passengers were provided hotel accommodations. The replacement flight was scheduled for Jan 5, 2012.

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    Air China Airbus False Emergency Causes Return to Sanya

    <What: Air China Airbus A330-200 en route from Sanya to Beijing
    Where: Sanya
    When: Jan 8th 2012
    Who: not available
    Why: After a faulty cargo door refused to close and held up the flight for two hours, once the flight was in the air, the door emitted an unsafe indication.

    The flight returned safely to Sanya and made a safe landing. The door problem was reported as a false indication.

    In George’s Point of View


    One wonders if the delicate electronic indicator mechanism was damaged during attempts to close the door? I can’t help picturing the cargo door being repeatedly slammed. But wHo knows? We haven’t heard if the flight continued, was cancelled or if the jet was replaced.

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    Wing Ripped off Crashing Tupolev Kyrgyzstan, Jet Rolls, No Fatalities



    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Valeriy Fedorov

    What: Kyrgyzstan/Altyn Air Tupolev 134A-3 en route from Bishkek to Osh
    Where: Osh Airport, Kyrgyzstan
    When: 28 DEC 2011
    Who: 6 crew, 82 passengers, 25 injured
    Why: After a hard landing in dense fog, the plane skidded off the runway, collapsing the right main gear, and flipped. As it rolled over, the right wing separated, and the ensuing fire was quickly contained by rescue services standing by. Passengers inside were hanging upside down, suspended by their seatbelts, but had to find a way to evacuate quickly, before the plane had a chance to explode. A fire occurred from a fuel leak in the remaining wing, but it was controlled.

    The metar at the time of the landing was:
    UAFO 280700Z 02002MPS 0300 R12/0550 FG VV001 00/00 Q1023 R12/19//50 TEMPO 0300 FZFG VV002 RMK QFE691/0922 BASE050M
    Wind from 020 degrees at 2 m/sec; visibility 300m; on runway 12, touchdown zone visual range is 550m in fog; vertical visibility 100 m; pressure: 1023 hPa; temperature: 0°C.

    Six crew members and nineteen passengers were hospitalized, but there were no fatalities reported. Nine children were aboard. The plane was evacuated.

    Because of the incident, the airport (runway) was temporarily closed, and Osh-Bishkek flights are delayed.

    Of the 25 reported injured and hospitalized, these have been identified: Rustamov A. b. 1977, Ismatova A. b. 1993, Turgunaliev Charles b.1960; and two injured, Mamatov A., born 1992, and Suyunbaeva A. 2011g.r. who are in a children’s hospital in Osh. The most seriously injured is a 19 year old girl.

    Kyrgyzstan Airlines is on the EU banned list.

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    After Weather Tag, Five Injured in Yogyakarta Emergency Landing

    What: Sriwijaya Air Boeing 737-300 en route from Jakarta to Yogyakarta (Indonesia)
    Where: Yogyakarta
    When: Dec 20th 2011, 17:35
    Who: 131 passengers
    Why: The plane aborted an approach to Yogyakarta due to weather and low visibility. The flight diverted to Solo, where it could not land due to weather; and diverted again to Surabaya where the flight landed to refuel. Meanwile, weather conditions at Yogyakarta improved, so the pilots returned to Yogyakarta, and proceeded to land at a higher than normal speed in the hard rain. The plane veered off the runway, with brakes rendered ineffective due to rain, and came to a stop 60 meters past the runway, with collapsed nose gear and with fuselage damage. Bits and pieces of the plane were scattered along the runway.

    Passengers exited via emergency slide. Five passengers reported injury.

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    Four Injured in Aviation Fire in Papua, Pilot Fatality

    What: Associated Mission Aviation Pacific Aerospace 750XL en route from Jayapura to Okbibab.
    Where: Abmisibil Airport, Okbibab, Papua
    When: Dec 17, 2011
    Who: 5 aboard, 2 fatalities
    Why: The plane landed at Abmisibil Airport, and skidded into a ravine at the end of the runway.

    Pilot Arnold Burung did not survive. The injured, Jacob Uropmabin, Timothy Uropmabin, Ramli, and Rady (AKA Yakob Uropmabin,Timotius Uropmabin, Ramly and Radi) were hospitalized at Dian Harapan Hospital in Jayapura.

    Pacific Aerospace manufactures planes in New Zealand.

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    Piper Cherokee Lands on Longmont Road in Rush Hour Traffic


    What: PIPER PA-28-151 CHEROKEE, ARROW, WARRIOR, ACHER
    Where: Longmont
    When: 12/18/2011 5:36 pm
    Who: pilot
    Why: A pilot flying over Longmont had engine trouble and had to make an emergency landing.

    The pilot realized he could not make the airport, and maneuvered in position over the road. He managed to land on a busy road with substantial traffic but there was no impact and the plane and cars were undamaged. The pilot apparently coasted in with the engine off. Interview is below

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    Delta/Pinnacle Emergency Landing in Quebec


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Tim Perkins

    What: Delta/Pinnacle Airlines Canadair CRJ-200 en route from Detroit,MI to Quebec
    Where: Quebec
    When: Dec 10th 2011
    Who: 45 aboard
    Why: On approach to Quebec, the pilots received a flaps fault.

    The pilots aborted the approach. After declaring emergency, the pilots reset the flap system and made a second approach, landing safely.

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    Yakima Emergency Landing


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Andrew Compolo

    What: Frontier Airlines Airbus A319-100 en route from Seattle to Denver
    Where: Yakima
    When: Dec 14th 2011
    Who: 138 passengers
    Why: While en route, the plane developed smoke in the aft galley.

    Pilots diverted to Yakima, where they made a safe landing with emergency services on standby. The call came in at 9:22 a.m.and the plane landed at 9:40.

    It was determined that the source of the smoke seems to have been a coffee pot or oven in the galley. A replacement jet was provided.

    In George’s Point of View

    The source of the problem could have been an electrical short, and the air quality may have been affected, so despite jokes about landing over kitchen equipment, the airport manager and airline management stand by the pilots decisions, which are based on correct emergency response which resulted in no deaths, no injuries.

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    Lightning Strike Disables Plane over Five Finger Mountains


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Ole Simon

    What: Pegasus Airlines Boeing 737-800, registration TC-ASP performing flight PC-223 from Ercan Cyprus to Adana Turkey
    Where: Ercan
    When: Dec 9th 2011 11:05
    Who: 75 passengers and 6 crew
    Why: Just ten minutes out of Ercan, over the Five Finger Mountains, the plane was struck by lightning.

    Consequently, several systems malfunctioned. Pilots returned to Ercan State Airport and made a safe landing. Passengers were provided alternative flights.

    Many regions in cyprus have been subjected to torrential rain and thunder.

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    Yak Shut down


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Andrei Mihaila

    What: UTAir/Tulpar Airlines Yakovlev Yak-42 en route from Moscow Vnukovo to Volgograd with 57 passengers and 7 crew
    When: Dec 10th 2011
    Who: 57 passengers and 7 crew
    Why: While en route, the Yak developed engine problems in the left engine.

    The crew shut down the engine (idled) and made a safe landing in Volgograd.

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    British Airways Burning Scent instrumental in expedited Landing


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Alexander Kelli

    What: British Airways Airbus A319-100 en route from London UK to Zurich Switzerland
    Where: Zurich
    When: Dec 11th 2011
    Why: On approach to Zurich, passengers and crew smelled an odor described as “burning” and “electrical.”

    The crew made an accelerated approach and wore oxygen.

    They made a safe landing.

    Pilots taxied to the gate as usual, and passengers disembarked, with emergency services on standby.

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    Southern Air Transport Landing Causes Airport Closure


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Rainer Bexten

    What: Southern Air Transport Boeing 747-200 freighter en route from Charleston,SC to Liege Belgium
    Where: Liege
    When: Dec 11th 2011
    Who: 5 crew
    Why: On approach to Liege, the pilots encountered issues with the hydraulic systems.

    The flight made a safe landing in Liege.

    After allowing the Southern Air Transport flight to land, the Liege airport shut down, forcing in bound traffic to divert to other airports.

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    Pinnacle Fast and Flapless in Minneapolis


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Nino Buda-CYYZ

    What: Pinnacle Airlines Canadair CRJ-200 on behalf of Delta Airlines en route from Louisville,KY to Minneapolis,MN (USA)
    Where: Minneapolis
    When: Dec 8th 2011
    Why: While on approach to Minneapolis, the CRJ-200 underwent a flaps failure.

    The pilots made efforts to correct the problems and were unsuccessful in facilitating reparations. They made a fast landing without flaps, but the landing was otherwise without incident.

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    Southwest Emergency Landing

    What: Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-300 en route from Saint Louis,MO to Dallas
    Where: Saint Louis
    When: Dec 7th 2011
    Who: 137 passengers and 5 crew
    Why: After takeoff, systems revealed unsafe gear.
    The pilot returned to Lambert and made an emergency landing. No injuries were reported, and passengers were provided alternate flight.

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    Aruba-bound jet incurs Donkey Strike

    What: Tiara Air Aruba Shorts 360-100 en route from Las Piedras Venezuela to Aruba
    Where: Las Piedras
    When: Dec 5th 2011
    Who: 29 passengers, 4 crew
    Why: Taking off from Las Piedras, the plane struck a donkey with its right main gear.

    Pilots continued on to Aruba where they made a safe landing.

    There were no injuries. Apparently the forecast for repair is better in Aruba than Las Piedras.

    In George’s Point of View


    If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a hundred times, keep the donkeys OFF the runway.

    Actually, that’s one thing I never thought I’d need to say

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    Unstable Portuguese Passenger Alarms Toronto-bound Passengers

    What: WESTJET en route from Vancouver to Toronto
    Where: Thunder Bay, Ontario
    When: December 3, 2011 5 pm
    Who: 118 passengers
    Why: A Westjet Boeing 737 was en route when a Portuguese passenger made what seemed to be bomb threats.

    The flight diverted to Thunder bay. The passengers disembarked, and the disturbed passenger, a former mental patient, was taken into custody and hospitalized.

    The plane was examined and no explosives were found. Passengers were able to resume their flight on December 4.

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    Emergency Diversion to Shamshabad


    What: Qatar Airways en route from Doha to Bangalore
    Where: Rajiv Gandhi International Airport at Shamshabad
    When: December 2, 2011
    Who: 240 passengers
    Why: While en route, the pilots received information of bad weather in Bangalore.

    They decided to divert to Hyderabad, and made a 5 a.m. emergency landing.

    Passengers were provided alternate transportation to Bangalore.

    Last week, an Emirates flight from Bangkok to Dubai diverted to Rajiv Gandhi International Airport to make an emergency landing due to what was reported as a “technical snag” which may have been hydraulics, or 3 generators off line depending on which rumor you wish to believe.

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    United Airlines Emergency Landing in Wisconsin

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    What: United Airlines Michigan to Chicago
    Where: Green Bay
    When: Dec 1 2011
    Who: 21 passengers
    Why: After takeoff, the flight developed problems with the landing gear. Pilots diverted to Green Bay where they made a safe landing at Austin Straubel International Airport.

    Passengers were provided alternate flights from Green Bay.

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    Flybe Emergency Landing in Pori, Finland


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Teemu Pesonen

    What: Flybe Avion de Transport Regional ATR 72-500 en route from Vaasa Finland to Tallinn Estonia
    Where: Pori Airport, Finland
    When: Nov 28, 2011
    Who: 11 passengers
    Why: The Flybe flight was en route when the pilots discovered smoke in the cockpit.

    Pilots made an emergency landing. A replacement jet was sent to the town Pori.

    The source of the smoke was a faulty printer in the cockpit.

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    Blackpool Emergency Landing

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    What: Manx2 LET-410 en route from Isle of Mn to Blackpool Eng (UK)
    Where: Blackpool
    When: Nov 26, 2011, 11:38
    Who: 9 aboard
    Why: On landing at Blackpool, a tire burst.

    A replacement plane flew to Blackpool with spare and maintenance crew.

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    Denver to Toronto Returns after “pop” and smoke


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Je89 W.

    What: United Airlines/Shuttle America Embraer ERJ-170 en route from Denver,CO to Toronto
    Where: Denver
    When: Nov 23rd 2011
    Who: 68 passenger
    Why: While climbing out of Denver, passengers and crew smelled smoke in the cabin.

    A newscast said that passengers heard a “pop” before the pilots turned around and returned to the Denver airport.

    They made a safe landing. Passengers disembarked on the runway and were provided an alternative flight.

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    Indian Pilots: One bad seed


    What: Air India Express en route from Cochin-Salalah
    Where: Salalah
    When: Nov 3, 2011 9:45
    Who: 87 passengers

    In George’s Point of View


    India has made noises in the press about cleaning house regarding some of the bad pilots that skated through a flawed and corrupt school and accrediting system.

    In this event, the pilot of an Air India Express COK-Salalah (Oman) flight, made three attempts to land. A cumulation of numerous small errors threatened passenger safety and defied standard operating procedures and included mis-entering data into the system.

    The pilot forced the B737 to land using “autoland” in high cross-winds.

    Wind speed on the ground was 25 knot (46 kmph) gusting to 35 knot (65 kmph.) Operating procedure allows landing when winds are no higher than 25 knots. The Boeing FCOM lists 35 knots as the max permissible crosswind landing component on a 45m wide. The pilot would have been correct to divert to another airport. There was adequate fuel to do so (if he had realized the numbers entered into the system were incorrect). Ground conditions were at the top of what Boeing allows and would be a challenge. Instead of diverting to Abu Dhabi, the pilot landed in defiance of safety norms.

    The pilot attempted to land twice, and then decided to divert. Having been entered with incorrect data, the FMC (Flight Management Computer) incorrectly concluded there was only six minutes of flight time left. This was incorrect, as the plane had 4.7 tons of fuel, more than enough to reach Abu Dhabi, 75 minutes away.

    On the pilot’s third attempt, the pilot autolanded (without having trained for autolanding.) It was a safe, if hard landing, and one that damaged the plane and nearly went off the runway. Two tires burst, and the landing gear was damaged.

    Maybe this pilot is a fool, or maybe just careless. The plane did land with no loss of life. You know they always say “the devil is in the details.” I don’t know verifiable particulars. We don’t have available first hand data to analyze, but Air India and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation does.

    But when we see evidence of problems like this, we wonder if India has gone far enough in raising the bar.

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    American Airlines Lands over Fuel Pump Issues


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Brian Casity

    What: American Airlines McDonnell Douglas MD-83 en route from Dallas Ft. Worth,TX to Pittsburgh,PA
    Where: near Dallas
    When: Nov 19th 2011
    Why: Just after take-off, the pilot switched the fuel supply from center fuel tank to main wing tanks and the right engine flamed out.

    Pilots returned to the airport and made a safe landing.

    Maintenance is investigating why operating pumps were working, yet failing to provide fuel to the right engine.

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    Bird Strike over Panama


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Bill Shull

    What: Continental Airlines Boeing 737-900 en route from Panama City (Panama) to Newark,NJ
    Where: Panama City
    When: November 18, 2011
    Who: 176 aboard
    Why: After takeoff, while climbing out of Panama City, the Continental flight suffered a bird strike. After ingesting the bird, the left engine surged, and caught on fire. Pilots shut down the engine, and returned to Tocumen Airport where they made a safe landing.