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.
Lufthansa flight LH-401 had to return and make an emergency landing at John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York, on February 22nd.
The Boeing 747-800 plane took off for Frankfurt, Germany, but had to turn back due to an engine failure.
The plane landed uneventfully. All one hundred and twenty-seven passengers aboard remained safe.
Kish Air flight Y9-7184 had to divert and make an emergency landing in Isfahan, Iran, on February 22nd.
The plane heading from Kish Island to Kashan, Iran, was diverted due to a cracked windshield.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
United Airlines flight UA-878 overran the end of the runway during landing at Green Bay-Austin Straubel International Airport, Wisconsin, on February 23rd.
The Boeing 737-900 plane, flying from Madison, Wisconsin, was originally scheduled for Minneapolis, Minnesota. However, the pilots decided to divert to Green Bay due to bad weather in Minneapolis.
The plane came to stop about 250 feet off the runway.
All one hundred eighty passengers and seven crew members remained uninjured.
Croatia Airlines flight OU-4456 made an emergency landing in Brussels, Belgium, on February 22nd.
The plane flying from Zagreb, Croatia, was on final approach to Brussels when the crew received an unsafe nose gear indication and went around to work the checklists.
The plane subsequently landed safely. All fifty-eight people aboard remained unharmed.
Southwest Airlines flight WN-6584 had to divert and make an emergency landing in Orlando, Florida, on February 21st.
The Boeing 737-700 plane heading from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to Nashville, Tennessee, was diverted due to a cracked windshield.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Swiss International Air Lines flight LX-1957 made an emergency landing in Marseille, France, on February 22nd.
The Airbus A321-100 plane heading from Barcelona, Spain, to Zurich, Switzerland, was diverted due to an odor in the cockpit and a system malfunction indication.
The plane landed uneventfully. All passengers and crew members remained safe.
Aeroflot flight SU-5436 had to return and make an emergency landing in Vladivostok, Russia, on February 22nd.
The plane took off for Seoul, South Korea, but had to turn back after the crew received an engine oil indication.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter made an emergency landing in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, California, on February 22nd.
According to a spokesperson, the crew decided to land in the park after a maintenance light come on. They were returning from a search-and-rescue operation at the time.
No injuries were reported.
American Airlines flight AA-1191 had to return and make an emergency landing in Chicago, Illinois, on February 21st.
The Boeing 737-800 plane took off for Newark, New Jersey, but had to turn back after an unusual odor was noticed on board.
The plane landed back uneventfully. All passengers and crew members remained safe.
Brussels Airlines flight SN-3667 made an emergency landing in Toulouse, France, on February 20th.
The Airbus A319-100 plane flying from Brussels, Belgium, was on approach to Toulouse when the crew reported an issue with the flaps and went around.
The plane subsequently landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
PSA Airlines flight JIA-9925 had to return and make an emergency landing in Kansas City, Missouri, on February 20th.
The plane took off for Charlotte, North Carolina, but had to return shortly afterwards due to a gear problem.
The plane landed safely. Everyone aboard remained unharmed.
Swiss Global Air Lines flight LX-1660 had to return and make an emergency landing in Zurich, Switzerland, on February 20th.
The plane took off for Venice, Italy, but had to turn back after a bird strike.
The plane landed back safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Sita Air flight 603 made an emergency landing in Kathmandu, Nepal, on February 20th.
The plane took off for Lukla, Nepal, but had to turn back after the crew needed to shut down one of the engines.
The plane landed safely. All twelve passengers and three crew members remained unharmed.
Thai Airways flight TG-676 had to return and make an emergency landing in Bangkok, Thailand, on February 19th.
The Airbus A380-800 plane took off for Narita International Airport, Japan, but had to return shortly afterwards due to an engine problem.
The plane landed uneventfully. All passengers and crew members remained safe.
All Nippon Airways flight NH-469 had to return and make an emergency landing in Tokyo, Japan, on February 19th.
The Boeing 777-300 plane took off for Okinawa, Japan, 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.
United Airlines flight UA-1068 had to divert and make an emergency landing at Washington Dulles International Airport, Virginia, on February 18th.
The Boeing 737-700 plane heading from Newark, New Jersey, to Bogota, Colombia, was diverted after both autopilots failed.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained safe.
Southwest Airlines flight WN-289 had to divert and make an emergency landing in Houston, Texas, on February 18th.
The Boeing 737-700 plane heading from Belize to Denver, Colorado, was diverted due to loss of cabin pressure.
The plane landed uneventfully. All passengers and crew members remained safe.
Nok Air flight DD-9407 had to return and make an emergency landing in Sakon Nakhon, Thailand, on February 18th.
The plane took off for Bangkok, Thailand, but had to turn back after the crew needed to shut down one of the engines.
The plane landed safely. All eighty-four people aboard remained unharmed.
Jet2 flight LS-1202 had to divert and make an emergency landing in Faro, Portugal, on February 17th.
The Boeing 737-800 plane heading from Lanzarote, Spain, to Birmingham, England, was diverted after the first officer became unwell.
The plane landed safely.
American Airlines flight AA-206 made an emergency landing at Lajes Field, Portugal, on February 16th.
The Boeing 767-300 plane heading from Miami, Florida, to Milan-Malpensa Airport, Italy, was diverted after the crew noticed multiple system failures.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Qeshm Air flight QB-1202 made an emergency landing in Mashhad, Iran, on February 16th.
The plane flying from Tehran, Iran, was on final approach to Mashhad when the crew failed to fully deploy the landing gear.
The plane subsequently performed a partial gear up landing.
All one hundred and four people aboard remained unharmed.
Aerotrans Cargo flight ATG-4428 had to return and make an emergency landing at Frankfurt-Hahn Airport, Germany, on February 15th.
The Boeing 747-400 plane took off for Baku, Azerbaijan, but had to turn back after an unidentified loud bang was heard on-board.
The plane landed back safely. Everyone aboard remained unharmed.
American Airlines flight AA-5359 had to divert and make an emergency landing in Birmingham, Alabama, on February 15th.
The plane heading from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Virginia, to Jackson, Mississippi, was diverted due to an engine failure.
The plane landed safely. All fifty-two people aboard remained unharmed.
Korean Airlines flight KE-2728 had to return and make an emergency landing at Kansai International Airport, Japan, on February 15th.
The Boeing 777-200 plane took off for Seoul, South Korea, but had to return shortly afterwards due to an engine issue.
The plane landed uneventfully. All two hundred and sixteen people aboard remained safe.
Yakutia Airlines flight R3-498 made an emergency landing in Blagoveshchensk, Russia, on February 15th.
The plane took off for Yakutsk, Russia, but had to turn back after the crew noticed an engine problem.
The plane landed back safely. All thirty-one passengers and four crew members remained unharmed.
