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.
Martinair flight MP-8142 made an emergency landing in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on April 7th.
The Boeing 747-400 plane was flying from Nairobi, Kenya, when the crew reported issues with one of the engines.
The plane continued for a safe landing. Everyone aboard remained unharmed.
Air Arabia flight G9-522 had to divert and make an emergency landing in Kolkata, India, on April 6th.
The Airbus A320-200 plane heading from Chittagong, Bangladesh, to Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, was diverted after smoke was noticed in the cockpit.
The plane landed safely. There were 164 passengers and 17 crew members aboard at the time; all of them remained unharmed.
American Airlines flight AA-991 made an emergency landing in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, on April 6th.
The Boeing 767-300 plane flying from Miami, Florida, was on final approach to Belo Horizonte when the crew declared an emergency due to an unsafe gear indication.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Aeromexico flight AM-11 had to return for an emergency landing in Santiago, Chile, on April 5th.
The Boeing 787-800 plane took off for Mexico City, Mexico, but had to turn back after cracks were noticed on captain’s windshield.
The plane landed back safely. Everyone aboard remained unharmed.
Alaska Airlines flight AS-892 had to return and make an emergency landing in Honolulu, Hawaii, on April 5th.
The Boeing 737-800 plane took off for San Diego, California, but had to turn back after an unusual odor in the aft cabin caused nausea and headache to four crew members.
The plane landed back uneventfully. The affected crew members were taken to a hospital.
Envoy Air flight MQ-3822 made a safe landing following a bird strike near Pensacola, Florida, on April 5th.
The plane flying from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Virginia, was on approach to Pensacola when a bird impacted one of its engines.
The plane continued for a safe landing. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Nordica flight LO-8119 made an emergency landing in Tallinn, Estonia, on April 5th.
The plane took off for Stockholm, Sweden, but had to return shortly afterwards due to reports of smoke in the lavatories.
The plane landed uneventfully. Everyone aboard remained safe.
A Jet2 flight had to make an emergency landing at Leeds Bradford Airport in England, United Kingdom, on April 5th.
The plane was coming from Larnaca, Cyprus, when the crew requested emergency assistance due to a landing gear issue.
The plane landed safely. All 111 passengers remained unharmed.
An Air Canada flight had to divert and make an emergency landing in Calgary, Canada, on April 4th.
The plane en-route from Toronto to Vancouver, Canada, was diverted after a female passenger went into medical distress.
The plane landed safely. The patient was rushed to Peter Lougheed Centre, Calgary.
The flight resumed shortly afterwards.
United Airlines flight UA-804 had to return and make an emergency landing in Tokyo, Japan, on April 4th.
The Boeing 777-200 plane took off for Washington Dulles International Airport, Virginia, but had to turn back after smoke was noticed in the cabin.
The plane landed back safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Iran Aseman Airlines flight EP-850 had to return and make an emergency landing at Mehrabad International Airport in Tehran, Iran, on April 4th.
The Airbus A320-200 plane took off for Zahedan, Iran, but had to return shortly afterwards after the crew needed to shut down one of the engines.
The plane landed back safely. Everyone aboard remained unharmed.
The airline arranged a replacement plane for the passengers.
Gulf Air flight GF-784 made an emergency landing in Peshawar, Pakistan, on April 4th.
The Airbus A330-200 plane flying from Bahrain was on approach to Peshawar when the crew reported an issue with the brakes.
The plane landed safely and was towed to the apron. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
An F-16C fighter jet made an emergency landing at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Greene County, Ohio, on April 4th.
According to the base spokesperson Bryan Ripple, the jet belonging to the Toledo-based 180th Fighter Wing declared an emergency due to a hydraulic leak.
The plane landed safely. No injuries were reported.
It is believed that the jet was involved in an aerial training exercise in the Buckeye Military Operating Area before the incident.
Turkish Airlines flight TK-98 made an emergency landing in Medina, Saudi Arabia, on April 3rd.
The Airbus A330-200 plane flying from Istanbul, Turkey, was on approach to Medina when the crew requested assistance due to a hydraulic failure.
The plane landed safely and was towed to the apron. Everyone aboard remained unharmed.
Southwest Airlines flight WN-1658 had to make an emergency landing in Portland, Maine, on April 3rd.
The Boeing 737-800 plane flying from Baltimore, Maryland, was on approach to Portland when the crew declared an emergency due to a problem with the flaps.
The plane landed at higher than normal speed. There were 180 people aboard at the time; all of them remained unharmed.
An American Airlines flight had to divert and make an emergency landing in Little Rock, Arkansas, on April 2nd.
The plane heading from Destin, Florida, to Dallas, Texas, was diverted after an electrical odor was noticed in the cabin.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Turkish Airlines flight TK-322 had to return and make an emergency landing in Istanbul, Turkey, on April 2nd.
The Boeing 737-800 plane took off for Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, but had to return shortly afterwards due to a suspected tail strike.
The plane landed safely after burning off excess fuel. All 140 people aboard remained unharmed.
United Airlines flight 4340 had to divert for an emergency landing in Little Rock, Arkansas, on April 2nd.
The plane en-route from Houston, Texas, to Columbus, Ohio, was diverted due to problems with the electronic equipment on-board.
The plane landed uneventfully. Everyone aboard remained safe.
China Eastern Airlines flight MU-5665 made a safe landing after a bird strike near Xiamen, China, on April 1st.
The Airbus A320-200 plane flying from Shanghai, China, was on approach to Xiamen when a bird hit it.
The plane continued for a safe landing. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Peruvian Airlines flight P9-219 had to return and make an emergency landing in Lima, Peru, on April 1st.
The Boeing 737-500 plane took off for Cuzco, Peru, but had to return shortly afterwards due to issues with the ailerons.
The plane landed safely. All 120 people aboard remained unharmed.
Air Nelson flight NZ-8807 had to return for an emergency landing in Tauranga, New Zealand, on April 1st.
The plane took off for Christchurch, New Zealand, but had to return shortly afterwards after one of the pilots fell ill.
The plane landed safely. Everyone aboard remained unharmed.
Nordic Regional Airlines (Norra) flight AY-215 had to return and make an emergency landing in Helsinki, Finland, on April 1st.
The plane took off for Mariehamn, Finland, but had to turn back due to cabin pressure issues.
The plane landed back safely. All 34 people aboard remained unharmed.
JetBlue flight B6-897 had to divert and make an emergency landing in Orlando, Florida, on April 1st.
The Airbus A320-200 plane heading from Boston, Massachusetts, to Liberia, Costa Rica, was diverted due to a bird strike.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Delta Air Lines flight 2824 had to make an emergency landing at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Georgia, on March 31st.
The plane was flying from Lafayette, Louisiana, when the crew declared an emergency due to a possible nose gear issue.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Lufthansa flight LH-8365 had to return and make an emergency landing in Hyderabad, India, on March 30th.
The plane took off for Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, but had to return shortly afterwards after the crew reported smoke in the cockpit.
The plane landed back safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
