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.
LASER Airlines flight QL-941 had to return and make an emergency landing in Maracaibo, Venezuela, on April 23rd.
The plane took off for Caracas, Venezuela, but had to turn back after the crew needed to shut down one of the engines.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Southwest Airlines flight WN-4851 encountered severe turbulence near Tampa, Florida, on April 22nd.
The incident happened when the Boeing 737-800 plane flying from Nashville, Tennessee, was descending toward Tampa.
The plane continued for a safe landing.
According to the FAA, two flight attendants were injured in the incident.
United Airlines flight UA-198 had to divert and make an emergency landing in Tokyo, Japan, on April 22nd.
The Boeing 787-900 plane heading from Los Angeles, California, to Shanghai, China, was diverted due to a hydraulic issue.
The plane landed safely. All two hundred and fifty-nine people aboard remained unharmed.
United Airlines flight UA-3548 had to divert and make an emergency landing in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 22nd.
The plane heading from New Orleans, Louisiana, to Newark, New Jersey was diverted after it encountered turbulence that injured a flight attendant.
The plane landed safely.
Lufthansa flight LH-428 made an emergency landing in Munich, Germany, on April 22nd.
The plane took off for Charlotte, North Carolina, but had to turn back after an electrical odor was noticed in the cabin.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained safe.
Blue Air flight 0B-169 had to return and make an emergency landing at Henri Coanda International Airport, Romania, on April 22nd.
The Boeing 737-800 plane took off for Tel Aviv, Israel, but had to turn back after the crew reported a technical issue.
The plane landed safely. Everyone aboard remained unharmed.
Swiss International Air Lines flight LX-353 had to return and make an emergency landing at Heathrow Airport, England, on April 21st.
The plane took off for Geneva, Switzerland, but had to return shortly afterwards due to an issue with the flaps.
The plane landed safely.
All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Air New Zealand flight NZ-99 had to return and make an emergency landing in Auckland, New Zealand, on April 21st.
The plane took off for Tokyo, Japan, but had to turn back due to issues with the cabin pressure.
The plane landed safely. All two hundred and fifty-six people aboard remained unharmed.
World Atlantic Airways flight RPN-807 suffered a gear collapse after landing at Alexandria International Airport, Louisiana, on April 20th.
The incident happened when the plane was coming from Chicago, Illinois.
The plane became disabled on the runway. All one hundred and one people aboard remained unharmed.
The plane was operating on behalf of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
LOT Polish Airlines flight LO-405 made an emergency landing in Dusseldorf, Germany, on April 19th.
The plane flying from Warsaw, Poland, was on approach to Dusseldorf when the crew requested emergency assistance due to an issue with the flaps.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Neos flight NO-279 had to divert and make an emergency landing in Delhi, India, on April 18th.
The Boeing 767-300 plane heading from Phuket, Thailand, to Milan, Italy, was diverted due to an issue with the cabin temperature controller.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Delta Airlines flight DL-30 had to return and make an emergency landing in Atlanta, Georgia, on April 18th.
The Airbus A330-300 plane took off for Heathrow Airport, England but had to turn back after one of the engines caught fire.
The plane landed back safely. All two hundred and eighty-eight people aboard remained unharmed.
Air New Zealand flight NZ-8058 had to return and make an emergency landing in New Plymouth, New Zealand, on April 18th.
The plane took off for Auckland, New Zealand, but had to turn back after the crew noticed haze in the cabin.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Delta Airlines flight DL-1930 made an emergency landing at Palm Beach International Airport, Florida, on April 18th.
The plane flying from Detroit, Michigan, was descending toward Palm Beach International Airport when the crew requested emergency assistance due to suspicion of a blown tire.
The plane landed safely and was inspected by emergency services.
Everyone aboard remained safe.
Southwest Airlines flight WN-577 had to return and make an emergency landing in Nashville, Tennessee, on April 18th.
The Boeing 737-700 plane took off for Phoenix, Arizona, but had to return shortly afterwards due to a bird strike.
The plane landed safely. All seventy people aboard remained unharmed.
A US military helicopter made an emergency landing at Kumamoto Airport, Japan, on April 20th.
Authorities said the crew decided to make an emergency landing after the UH-1 helicopter developed an issue with the engine cooling system.
The aircraft landed safely. No injuries were reported.
The helicopter belongs to the US Marine Corps Futenma air station.
On April 17th, a Southwest Airlines plane suffered an in-flight engine failure and got hit by debris from the damaged engine, shattering a passenger window and killing one passenger.
The incident happened when the flight WN-1380 was heading from LaGuardia Airport, New York, to Dallas, Texas.
The crew subsequently initiated an emergency descent and diverted to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Passengers reported that the deceased passenger, identified as Jennifer Riordan, 43, was partially sucked out of the aircraft through the shattered window. She was pulled back in by fellow passengers.
Delta Airlines flight DL-5507 had to divert and make an emergency landing at Washington Dulles International Airport, Virginia, on April 17th.
The plane heading from LaGuardia Airport, New York, to Richmond, Virginia, was diverted after it dropped a wheel during departure.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
American Airlines flight AA-749 suffered a bird strike near Charlotte, North Carolina, on April 16th.
The incident happened when the Airbus A330-200 plane flying from Madrid, Spain, was on final approach to Charlotte.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
United Airlines flight 1559 made an emergency landing at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, on April 16th.
The plane heading from Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey, to Palm Beach International Airport, Florida, was diverted due to a mechanical issue.
The plane landed safely. Everyone aboard remained unharmed.
British Airways flight BA-766 had to return and make an emergency landing at Heathrow Airport, England, on April 16th.
The Airbus A319-100 plane took off for Oslo, Norway, but had to turn back after the crew received indication of a nose gear shock absorber malfunction.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Southwest Airlines flight 3461 had to make an emergency landing in Panama City, Florida, on April 14th.
The plane heading from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to New Orleans, Louisiana, was diverted after it encountered severe weather near New Orleans.
The plane landed uneventfully.
The airline said the flight resumed to New Orleans after refueling at Panama City.
Eurowings flight EW-141 made an emergency landing in Cologne, Germany, on April 15th.
The Airbus A330-200 plane flying from Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, was on approach to Cologne when the crew noticed a hydraulic leak.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Qantas flight QF-123 made an emergency landing in Brisbane, Australia, on April 15th.
The Airbus A330-200 plane took off for Auckland, New Zealand, but had to turn back due to an engine issue.
The plane landed safely. All two hundred and fifty-eight people aboard remained unharmed.
Hainan Airlines flight HU-7962 had to return and make an emergency landing in Boston, Massachusetts, on April 14th.
The Boeing 787-900 plane took off for Shanghai, China, but had to turn back due to an issue with the flaps.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
