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.
KLM flight KL-565 had to return and make an emergency landing in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on January 16th.
The Boeing 747-400 plane took off for Nairobi, Kenya, but had to turn back after a loose part was observed on a wing.
The plane landed back safely. All 376 people aboard remained unharmed.
Air Europa flight UX-75 had to divert and make an emergency landing in Bridgetown, Barbados, on January 15th.
The plane heading from Madrid, Spain, to Lima, Peru, was diverted due to an engine issue.
The plane landed safely. Everyone aboard remained unharmed.
Lufthansa flight LH-1452 made an emergency landing in Moscow, Russia, on January 15th.
The Airbus A321-200 plane was flying from Frankfurt, Germany, when the crew reported a crack in a windshield.
The plane landed uneventfully. All passengers and crew members remained safe.
Delta Airlines flight DL-68 had to divert and make an emergency landing in Cold Bay, Alaska, on January 14th.
The Boeing 767-300 plane heading from Narita International Airport, Japan, to Portland, Oregon, was diverted after the crew needed to shut down one of the engines.
The plane landed uneventfully. There were 210 passengers and 11 crew members aboard at the time; all of them remained safe.
Wings Air flight IW-1156 had to return and make an emergency landing in Palu, Indonesia, on January 14th.
The plane took off for Luwuk, Indonesia, but had to return shortly afterwards due to the failure of right hand engine.
The plane landed safely. All 64 people aboard remained unharmed.
KLM flight KL-714 had to make an emergency landing in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on January 15th.
The Boeing 747-400 plane flying from Paramaribo, Suriname, was descending toward Amsterdam when the crew declared an emergency due to an indication of smoke in a cargo hold.
The plane landed safely. All 428 people aboard remained unharmed.
Pobeda Airlines flight DP-1433 made an emergency landing in Moscow, Russia, on January 14th.
The Boeing 737-800 plane took off for Perm, Russia, but had to turn back due to a cracked windshield.
The plane landed safely. Everyone aboard remained unharmed.
Envoy Air flight MQ-3373 had to return for an emergency landing in Miami, Florida, on January 13th.
The plane took off for Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, Kentucky, but had to turn back after the crew reported a landing gear problem.
The plane landed uneventfully. All passengers and crew members remained safe.
CityJet flight WX-180 had to return and make an emergency landing in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on January 13th.
The plane took off for London, United Kingdom, but had to return shortly afterwards due to an issue with nose gear.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Alaska Airlines flight AS-322 had to make an emergency landing in San Jose, California, on January 12th.
The pilots declared an emergency after the crew noticed a white powder leaking from the cabin air conditioning vents and three of them reported feeling unwell. The Boeing 737-900 plane was flying from Seattle, Washington, at the time.
The plane landed safely. One crew member was taken to hospital while two others received treatment at the airport. All 181 passengers remained unharmed.
It is believed that the white substance was a de-icing agent.
Turkish Airlines flight TK-415 had to return for an emergency landing in Moscow, Russia, on January 12th.
The Boeing 737-900 plane took off for Istanbul, Turkey, but its tail hit the runway during rotation.
The crew subsequently returned to Moscow where the plane landed safely.
Everyone aboard remained unharmed.
Mahan Air flight W5-1053 had to return and make an emergency landing in Tehran, Iran, on January 12th.
The Airbus A300-600 plane took off for Kerman, Iran, but had to return shortly afterwards after the crew needed to shut down one of the engines.
The plane landed uneventfully. All passengers and crew members remained safe.
A medical helicopter had to make an emergency landing at Kirtland Central High School, in Kirtland, New Mexico, on January 12th.
The chopper was transporting a patient from Kayenta Health Center in Kayenta, Arizona, when the pilot received a low fuel indication and decided to make an emergency landing.
The helicopter landed safely. The patient was taken to hospital in an ambulance.
A Middle East Airlines flight had to divert and make an emergency landing in Istanbul, Turkey, on January 11th.
The plane heading from Beirut, Lebanon, to London, United Kingdom, was diverted after a violent fight broke out between two passengers.
The crew were able to separate the two passengers before the plane landed safely.
ASL Airlines Belgium flight 3V-76B had to make an emergency landing in Liege, Belgium, on January 12th.
The plane flying from Bologna, Italy, was on approach to Liege when the crew aborted approach reporting an unsafe gear indication.
The crew subsequently worked the checklists and landed uneventfully.
All passengers and crew members remained safe.
Singapore Airlines Cargo flight SQ-7359 made an emergency landing in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on January 11th.
The Boeing 747-400 freighter plane took off for Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, but had to turn back after the crew needed to shut down one of the engines.
The plane landed safely. Everyone aboard remained unharmed.
Cargolux Airlines flight CV-856 had to divert for an emergency landing in Vienna, Austria, on January 11th.
The Boeing 747-800 plane flying from Luxembourg to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, was diverted after the captain began feeling unwell and subsequently became incapacitated.
The plane landed safely. The captain was rushed to a hospital.
Etihad Airways flight EY-833 had to return and make an emergency landing in Hong Kong, China, on January 11th.
The Airbus A330-200 plane took off for Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, but had to return shortly afterwards due to a flaps control problem.
The plane landed safely after burning off excess fuel.
All passengers and crew members remained safe.
Luftfahrtgesellschaft Walter (LGW) Airlines flight AB-6479 had to make an emergency landing in Nuremberg, Germany, on January 11th.
The plane was heading from Saarbrucken to Berlin, Germany, when the crew reported an engine issue and decided to divert.
The crew had shut down the faulty engine before the plane landed safely. Everyone aboard remained unharmed.
Germania Airlines flight ST-6334 had to divert for an emergency landing in Dalaman, Turkey, on January 10th.
The plane flying from Erfurt, Germany, was on approach to Antalya, Turkey, it was struck by lightning and began experiencing turbulence.
The crew aborted approach and diverted to Dalaman where the plane landed safely.
All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Fedex Federal Express flight FX-1590 made an emergency landing in Rochester, Minnesota, on January 10th.
The Boeing 757-200 plane was flying from Memphis, Tennessee, when the crew declared an emergency due to a cargo smoke indication.
The plane landed safely. Everyone aboard remained unharmed.
No evidence of fire or smoke was found upon inspection.
SunExpress Airlines flight EW-1216 had to make an emergency landing in Stockholm, Sweden, on January 9th.
The Boeing 737-800 plane flying from Dusseldorf, Germany, was on approach to Stockholm when the crew reported a flaps issue and aborted approach.
The plane subsequently made a second approach and landed safely at a higher than normal speed. All 168 people aboard remained unharmed.
Swift Air flight Q7-5017 had to return and make an emergency landing at St. Louis Downtown Airport, Illinois, on January 8th.
The plane took off for Los Angeles, California, but had to return shortly afterwards after the crew noticed smoke in the cockpit.
The plane landed safely. Everyone aboard remained unharmed.
The plane was carrying ice hockey team of the Dallas Stars at the time.
Southwest Airlines flight WN-3356 had to make an emergency landing in Los Angeles, California, on January 8th.
The plane took off for San Francisco, California, but had to return shortly afterwards after the crew reported a bird strike.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
KLM flight KL-624 had to return and make an emergency landing in Atlanta, Georgia, on January 8th.
The plane took off for Amsterdam, Netherlands, but had to return shortly afterwards after the crew detected a water leak into the avionics.
The plane landed back uneventfully. All 325 people aboard remained safe.
