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.
Batik Air flight ID-6890 encountered turbulence on the way to Kualanamu International Airport, Indonesia, on October 24th.
The Boeing 737-800 plane was flying from Jakarta, Indonesia, when it hit severe turbulence that injured a passenger and a flight attendant.
The plane continued for a safe landing. The injured were rushed to a hospital.
Southwest Airlines flight WN-1604 had to divert and make an emergency landing in Amarillo, Texas, on October 24th.
The Boeing 737-700 plane heading from Tulsa, Oklahoma, to Las Vegas, Nevada, was diverted after the crew received indication of smoke in a lavatory.
The plane landed uneventfully. All passengers and crew members remained safe.
Cathay Pacific flight CX-260 had to divert and make an emergency landing in Urumqi, China, on October 24th.
The Boeing 777-300 plane heading from Charles de Gaulle Airport, France, to Hong Kong, China, was diverted after the crew received an engine oil indication.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
American Airlines flight AA-5723 made an emergency landing in Birmingham, Alabama, on October 24th.
The Canadair CRJ-900 plane took off for Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Texas, but had to turn back after the crew reported smoke in the cabin.
The plane landed uneventfully. All seventy-nine passengers and four crew members remained safe.
Caspian Airlines flight RV-6920 overran the end of the runway at Mashhad International Airport, Iran, on October 24th.
The McDonnell Douglas MD-83 plane, coming from Asaluyeh, Iran, blew both right hand main tires and stopped at the end of the runway.
All one hundred and twelve people aboard remained uninjured.
Fuji Dream Airlines flight JH-150 had to return and make an emergency landing in Fukuoka, Japan, on October 23rd.
The Embraer ERJ-175 plane took off for Shizuoka, Japan, but had to return shortly afterwards due to an electrical failure.
The plane landed back safely. All thirty-nine people aboard remained unharmed.
JetBlue flight B6-877 had to divert and make an emergency landing at John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York, on October 23rd.
The Airbus A320-200 plane heading from Boston, Massachusetts, to Las Vegas, Nevada, was diverted after it suffered a bird strike.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
United Airlines flight UA-1258 made an emergency landing in Boston, Massachusetts, on October 23rd.
The Boeing 737-800 plane flying from Chicago, Illinois, was on approach to Boston when the crew reported they had a blown tire and declared an emergency.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
SATA Air Acores flight SP-479 made an emergency landing in Lajes, Portugal, on October 21st.
The plane flying from Pico Island, Portugal, was descending toward Lajes when the crew declared an emergency due to smoke in the cockpit.
The plane landed safely. All twenty-six people aboard remained unharmed.
Aeroflot flight SU-1513 had to divert and make an emergency landing at Koltsovo Airport in Yekaterinburg, Russia, on October 21st.
The Airbus A321-200 plane heading from Surgut International Airport to Sheremetyevo International Airport, Russia, was diverted after the crew noticed smoke emanating from a galley.
The plane landed safely. Everyone aboard remained unharmed.
Southwest Airlines flight WN-5509 made an emergency landing in Baltimore, Maryland, on October 21st.
The Boeing 737-700 plane heading from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to Islip, New York, was diverted after it sustained damage due to a bird strike.
The plane landed uneventfully. All passengers and crew members remained safe.
American Airlines flight AA-5772 made a safe landing after suffering a bird strike near McAllen Miller International Airport, Texas, on October 20th.
The plane flying from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Texas, was on final approach to McAllen Miller International Airport when a bird hit it.
The plane continued for a safe landing. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Delta Airlines flight DL-1474 had to divert and make an emergency landing in Knoxville, Tennessee, on October 22nd.
The McDonnell Douglas MD-88 plane heading from Atlanta, Georgia, to Cleveland, Ohio, was diverted due to an engine problem.
The plane landed uneventfully. All one hundred and thirty-nine passengers and six crew members remained unharmed.
A small plane made an emergency landing in a field in White Lake Township, Oakland County, Michigan, on October 20th.
Authorities said the plane started experiencing engine issues shortly after taking off from Oakland County International Airport.
The plane landed safely. The pilot, who was the only one aboard, remained uninjured.
Qantas flight QF-73 had to return and make an emergency landing in Sydney, Australia, on October 20th.
The Boeing 747-400 plane took off for San Francisco, California, but had to turn back due to a technical issue.
The plane landed uneventfully. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Malaysia Airlines flight MH-1 had to return and make an emergency landing at Heathrow Airport, England, on October 20th.
The Airbus A380-800 plane took off for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, but had to turn back due to a water supply problem in the lavatories.
The plane landed back safely. Everyone aboard remained safe.
British Airways flight BA-2715 had to divert and make an emergency landing at Bordeaux–Merignac Airport, France, on October 19th.
The plane heading from Malaga, Spain, to Gatwick Airport, England, was diverted after it underwent a rapid descent.
The plane landed safely. Everyone aboard remained unharmed.
Virgin Australia flight VA-319 made an emergency landing in Melbourne, Australia, on October 20th.
The Boeing 737-800 plane took off for Brisbane, Australia, but had to turn back after the crew suspected a bird strike.
The plane landed back safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Zagros Airlines flight ZO-4013 had to return and make an emergency landing in Tehran, Iran, on October 19th.
The McDonnell Douglas MD-83 plane took off for Ahvaz, Iran, but burst a left main tire during departure.
The crew subsequently returned and landed safely. Everyone aboard remained unharmed.
LATAM Airlines Brasil flight JJ-8094 had to return and make an emergency landing at Sao Paulo–Guarulhos International Airport, Brazil, on October 19th.
The Boeing 777-300 plane took off for Miami, Florida, but had to turn back due to a bird strike.
The plane landed back safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Finnair flight AY-73 made an emergency landing in Helsinki, Finland, on October 19th.
The Airbus A350-900 plane took off for Tokyo Narita Airport, Japan, but had to turn back due to a technical problem.
The plane landed back safely. All two hundred and eighty-seven passengers aboard remained unharmed.
Delta Airlines flight DL-38 had to divert and make an emergency landing at Tokyo Narita Airport, Japan, on October 19th.
The Airbus A330-200 plane heading from Hong Kong, China, to Seattle, Washington, was diverted after the crew needed to shut down one of the engines.
The plane landed safely. All two hundred and thirty people aboard remained unharmed.
Austrian Airlines flight OS-215 had to return and make an emergency landing in Vienna, Austria, on October 18th.
The plane took off for Leipzig, Germany, but had to turn back due to an issue with the cabin pressurization system.
The plane landed safely. All thirty-five passengers aboard remained unharmed.
Edelweiss Air flight WK-34 had to return and make an emergency landing in Zurich, Switzerland, on October 18th.
The Airbus A330-300 plane took off for Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, but had to turn back after the crew noticed issues with the landing gear.
The plane landed back safely. There were two hundred and fifty-seven passengers and eleven crew members aboard at the time; all of them remained safe.
KLM Cityhopper flight KL-1768 made an emergency landing in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on October 17th.
The plane flying from Frankfurt, Germany, was descending toward Amsterdam when the crew reported a hydraulic issue.
The plane landed safely. All fifty-six people aboard remained uninjured.
