A Virgin Australia plane had to make an emergency landing at Brisbane International Airport in Queensland, Australia, on February 17.
The plane was heading from Sydney International Airport to Los Angeles International Airport, California, when the airline received a bomb threat and decided to divert it for an emergency landing.
The plane landed uneventfully. Everyone aboard remained unhurt.
The authorities later confirmed that the threat was a hoax.
Image of A320 InteriorOn January 18, 2016, a TAM Linhas Aereas Airbus A320-200 was on a scheduled flight from Brasilia to Aracaju Brazil when the pilots decided to return to Brasilia. They made a safe landing and were in the air ten minutes short of an hour. Incident investigations always take time. So it was a couple weeks later, on Feb 5th when the BEA reported this notice. (Note that the BEA is Le Bureau d’Enquêtes et d’Analyses pour la Sécurité de l’Aviation, France’s Governmental aviation authority.) The BEA reported Brazil’s CENIPA notice why the pilots decided to return.
The Airbus was climbing. Cabin crew told the flight crew that passengers and cabin crew were suffering from significant hypoxia. Hypoxia means inadequate oxygenation of the blood, or deficiency in the amount of oxygen delivered to the body tissues. Web MD says this about hypoxia:
“When your body doesn’t have enough oxygen, you could get hypoxemia or hypoxia. These are dangerous conditions. Without oxygen, your brain, liver, and other organs can be damaged just minutes after symptoms start.”
“Hypoxemia (low oxygen in your blood) can cause hypoxia (low oxygen in your tissues) when your blood doesn’t carry enough oxygen to your tissues to meet your body’s needs. The word hypoxia is sometimes used to describe both problems. Symptoms can vary from person to person, the most common hypoxia symptoms are Changes in the color of your skin, ranging from blue to cherry red, Confusion,Cough, Fast heart rate, Rapid breathing, Shortness of breath, Sweating, Wheezing. If you have symptoms of hypoxia, call 911.”
On the Tam flight in question, the flight crew manually released the passenger oxygen masks. After returning to Brasilia, the incident was rated serious. CENIPA is investigating. CENIPA’s acronym is in Portuguese: Centro de Investigação e Prevenção de Acidentes Aeronáuticos. CENIPA is a unit of the Brazilian Air Force that investigates aviation accidents and incidents in Brazil.
The flight under investigation was JJ-3538 flown by the Airbus registered as #PR-MAA on a standard flight from Brasilia,DF to Aracaju, SE in Brazil.
BEA reports on BEA2016-0061 Serious incident, Brasilia Federal District, on 18 January 2016, AIRBUS – A320, PR-MAA; click to enlarge image
Virgin Atlantic flight VS-25 had to return and make an emergency landing at Heathrow Airport in London, United Kingdom, on February 14.
The Airbus A340-600 took off for John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York, but had to return shortly afterwards after the first officer became sick due to a laser strike.
The plane landed safely. There were 252 passengers and 15 crew members aboard at the time; all of them remained injured.
A Cessna 210 crashed near the intersection of Jack Rabbit Lane and OSR East in Robertson County, Tennessee, on February 16.
The plane was en-route from Arlington to College Station, Texas, when it lost engine power and went down on the Circle X Ranch.
There were three people aboard at the time; two of them, including James Guinn, 54, and his wife Kay, sustained non life-threatening injuries while the third passenger, identified as Melinda Guinn, 76, of Arlington, remained uninjured.
FlyDubai flight FZ-811 made a safe landing at Abha Regional Airport, Abha, Saudi Arabia, on February 13th.
The Boeing 737-800, flying from Dubai, UAE, was about to reach when the crew noticed 2 missiles coming from the direction of King Khalid Airbase, Abha.
Small Planet Airlines Airbus A320-200 had to divert and make an emergency landing in Lyon, France, on February 13.
The plane, performing flight TLB-718 on behalf of Atlantique Air Assistance, was heading from Chalons Vatry airport, France, to Tlemcen, Algeria, when the crew reported a cracked windshield and requested an emergency landing.
The plane landed safely. No injuries were reported.
Emirates flight EK-522 had to make an emergency landing in Karachi, Pakistan, on February 14.
The Boeing 777-200, en-route from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, to Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India, was diverted after the crew needed to shut down its left hand engine.
The plane landed uneventfully. There were 170 people aboard at the time; all of them remained unhurt.
The airline arranged a replacement plane for the passengers.
Westjet flight WS-3240 made an emergency landing in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, on February 9th.
The crew declared emergency after receiving several caution messages about the aircraft’s electrical systems. The plane was en-route from Terrace, British Columbia, to Calgary, Alberta, at the time.
The plane landed safely. All 31 people aboard remained unharmed.
Allegiant Air Flight 872 made an emergency landing in Birmingham, Alabama, on February 12.
The plane took off from St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport, Florida, and was en-route to Eppley Airfield in Omaha, Nebraska, when the crew reported an electrical odor in the cabin and requested an emergency landing.
The plane landed uneventfully. All 153 passengers and 6 crew members remained safe.
American Airlines flight 564 made an emergency landing at Los Angeles International Airport, California, on February 11th.
Authorities said the plane, heading from San Jose, California, to Phoenix, Arizona, was diverted due to a mechanical issue.
The plane, carrying 125 passengers and 5 crew members, landed uneventfully.
Eight people, including seven passengers and one crew member, reported respiratory irritation and were evaluated by paramedics. Authorities said one of them was later taken to hospital.
Alaska Airlines flight 769 made an emergency landing at Denver International Airport, Colorado, on February 9th.
The plane, heading from Logan International Airport, Massachusetts, to San Diego International Airport, California, was diverted after a drunk male passenger became aggressive and threatened the crew and other passengers.
The plane landed safely. The police officers escorted the man out of the plane.
The plane resumed the flight after a 45-minute delay.
An Indonesian air force plane crashed into a house near near Abdul Rahman Saleh air force base in Malang, East Java, Indonesia, on February 10.
Authorities said the plane went down during a routine testing flight after undergoing maintenance.
There were two people aboard the plane, including the pilot Major Ivy Safatillah, and a technician; both of them were killed in the crash.
Authorities confirmed that two people, including a 47-year-old woman and 27-year-old man, who were present in the house at the time of crash were also killed.
United Airlines flight UA-858 had to return and make an emergency landing at Shanghai Pudong International Airport, Shanghai, China, on February 14.
