What: Air Tran Boeing 737 en route from Seattle to Milwaukee
Where: Billings Montana
When: Oct 29, 2011
Who: 124 passengers
Why: The flight took off normally, but over Montana, the windshield cracked.
The crew diverted the flight to Billings Montana where they made a safe landing.
What: Jet Airways Airbus A318 en route from Hamburg to Dubai
Where: Constanta, Romania
Who: five crew and three passengers
Why: While en route, the jet airways airbus windshield cracked.
Pilots diverted to Mihail Kogalniceanu airport in Constanta, where they made a safe landing. No injuries were reported.
What: PJ Helicopters Hughes MD500D turbine
Where: SW of Colusa
When: 10 27, 2011, 3 PM
Who: pilot
Why: Thursday Bradley Hall had ported electrical workers to a platform when the chopper failed, lost altitude and made what has been described as a crash and a hard controlled landing. It crashed in a field off Wescott Road at Colusa National Wildlife Refuge.
Hughes was airlifted to Enlie Medical Center in Chico.
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Dana Low
What: Northern Thunderbird Air Beechcraft 100 King Air en route from Vancouver International Airport to Kelowna International Airport
Where: Russ Baker Way, near Vancouver International Airport, Canada
When: Oct 27, 2011 4 pm
Who: 9 occupants, 2 fatalities
Why: Reporting difficulty to ATC after a warning light came on in the cabin fifteen minutes after takeoff, the pilot, Luc Fortin attempted to return to the airport. The plane crash landed short of the runway. On impact, the fuselage separated from the tail section by 10 yards and was on fire beside the road. Fortin died of his injuries, and the co-pilot died later with burns on 80% of his body. There were 9 people aboard, and all of them were hospitalized. The plane had hit the ground and skidded, it’s wing striking a car. Two on the ground (in the car) were injured by debris.
Fortin, a 14,000-hour pilot, died at Vancouver General Hospital, and leaves a wife Dagne and sixteen month old daughter Katelyn.
After weeks in intensive care, co-pilot, Matt Robic, 26, died at Vancouver General Hospital on November 16, 2011 with 80% burns. He leaves his wife Natalie Redfearn.
On landing on Russ Baker Way (street), the plane burst into flames. Passersby on the street pulled over and rushed to the burning plane to pull those aboard from the flames. Initially both pilots were alive and were rushed to the hospital in critical condition. Read the accounts of some of those involved by following the “read more” link below.
The flight had been chartered as a private rental by an executive group with business in Kelowna.
Jeremy Kerr, John Redmond, Haim Peri, Shawn Nagurny, Lonney Lee and half a dozen other good samaritans had been driving by (or worked in the immediate area) and pulled over to run into the burning plane and rescue those aboard. Thanks to their efforts, seven people survived. Carolyn Cross, Lorelei Sobolik, Cameron Sobolik, Tony (Troy?) Zanatta, Kelly Jablonski, Jeff McCord were among the survivors.
The black box and data therein was recovered.
What: Delta Boeing 757 en route from Atlanta to Seattle
Where: Great Falls International Airport
When: October 23, 2011, 12:30 pm
Who: 177 passengers, 1 emergency
Why: While en route, a passenger aboard flight 129 became unconscious.
The pilots diverted to Great Falls where they made an emergency landing, and delivered the passenger to an ambulance which took her to Benefits Health System, facilitated by the Montana Air National Guard Fire Department.
The flight took off again, promptly.
What: Gobierno del Estado de Mexico Agusta A109S Grand
Where: Peréz Valenzuela (street), Del Carmen district, in Coyacán, Mexico
When: Oct 21, 2011
Who: 4 aboard, 2 fatalities
Why: If you imagine going about your normal daily life, you do not expect a chopper to fall in the street, crush your cars and slam into your house.
A chopper owned by the government of Mexico fell in the streets of Coyoacán, between Guillermo Pérez Valenzuela and Avenida Universidad, landing on two vehicles and striking the wall of a house. Because of a fuel spill, the area was cordoned off.
The chopper is an Agusta A-109-S Grand, XC-EDM
Initial coverage was confusing and indicated no fatalities, then three fatalities, then two fatalities with identities unknown.
Eventually two people were confirmed to be deceased, and two as survivors, but the identities took some time to sort out. Two names were released: Juan Estevan Rodriguez (Ruiz Rodriguez) and Julius Caesar Maturano Gomez were reported to be the fatalities—that is, one of the pilots, and the assistant of the secretary of Metropolitan development. We can assume this is correct because of reports of officials attending the funerals in #7 Rue insurgentes in Sapotian neighborhood, Santa Maria Cuevas, Zumpango.
Fernando Alberto Garcia Cuevas (the government official) and the surviving pilot were rushed to Hospital Ángeles Pedregal by emergency responders. Cuevas suffered bleeding of a kidney, which is being addressed by catheter embolization. The surviving pilot, Juan Manuel Ramírez Rivera will be undergoing surgery for broken vertebra in his chest, when he is stabilized.
The pilots attempted to land and save the lives of their passengers and we acknowledge their heroic effort.
Our sources have one photo of the chopper in question:
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Luis Tena Orozco – AeroImagenes de Mexico
There was significant confusion in the reportage, so that based on reported coverage, all I can say is this:
There may have been a flaw in the rotor of the aircraft, though it is not clear if it was something that the pilots had been informed of prior to the flight, or if there was a failure during the flight. There was also a statement published that the chopper fell out of the sky, and was seen plummeting, and that the rotor stopped because the hasp detached (or did not detach) from the main rotor. I am sure the truth come out in the investigation; it is too soon to know what happened, but if any parties in the know want to comment or make corrections, we welcome the input.
As always, condolences to the families of Rodriguez and Gomez, and best wishes to the recovery of the injured.
What: Yemen Air Force Antonov
Where: Al-Anad Air Base, Yemen
When: October 25, 2011
Who: 15 aboard, 5 fatalities
Why: A plane carrying eight Syrian engineers and seven Yemenis crashed while landing at Al-Anad on October 25 in the southern province of Lahij.
Three Syrian technicians and one Yemeni died at the scene. Four, then five deaths have been reported.
The condition of the survivors has not been released.
What: Allegiant Air en route from Orlando Florida to Plattsburgh New York
Where: North Carolina
When: October 23, 2011
Who: 145 passengers
Why: While en route, the pilots saw an indication of an oil pressure problem and diverted to Wilmington where they made a safe landing.
The flight made a safe landing in Wilmington.
What: Air Canada Embraer 180 en route from Halifax
Where: Trudeau Airport, Montreal Canada
When: October 24, 2011, 9:00 am
Why: While en route from Halifax, the pilots received an indication that the flaps were not performing.
The flight diverted to Trudeau airport where the plane made a safe if high-speed landing with emergency vehicles on standby.
Click to view full size photo
Contact photographer Paul Chandler
What: Cessna 210G Centurion #N5894FN en route from Puebla to Villahermosa, Tabasco.
Where: Veracruz Mexico
When: October 23, 2011, 10.00 local tim
Who: 2 fatalities
Why: Over the town of Angel R. Cabada, the plane was flying in a westerly direction, made a turn and then exploded in the air. Documents found on the bodies belong to a married couple, Reggie and Andrea Henkart . The occupants were employees of U.S. company Agfa Phoenix.
Rescue services responded to the call but there was not much they could do for the victims but secure the scene.
There was a slight rain at the time of the event, and the location is one that is difficult to access in a sugar cane field and tropical rainforest. The two aboard were Americans.
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Goye
What: ANA All Nippon Airways Airbus A320-200 en route from Nagoya to Sapporo
Where: Nagoya
When: Oct 20th 201
Who: 169 aboard
Why: On taking off from Nagoya, the pilots found a cabin pressure problem. They returned to Nagoya to make a safe landing. The plane was in the air less than half an hour.
The error appears to have been the indicator. An investigation is underway.
What: Emirates A380 en route from Bangkok to Dubai
Where: Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Shamshabad
When: October 23, 2011, 3:40 a.m.
Who: 481 passengers
Why: While en route, the plane developed problems. Pilots planned to land in Chennai but could not get clearance, and diverted instead to Shamshabad, where they were able to be cleared to land.
The flight did land safely. The passengers disembarked with no reported injuries, and were provided a plane to take them the rest of the way to Dubai. Some took alternative flights.
What: Belarusian Eurocopter AS 355NP Ecureuil II AS355 NP border patrol helicopter
Where: Lithuanian border about 800 metres from Vileity
When: October 20 2011, 3:45 p.m
Who: 5 fatalities
Why: Three journalists, Vitaly Prochkovsky, 36; Sergei Shamalov, 39; and Yulia Shaternik, 28 died working on a report about border security for Union, a Belarus television and radio company. Pilots Igor Skvortsov and Andrew Pekarsky also died in in the crash. The chopper circled a house, and fell out of the sky. The Twin Squirrel helicopter they were on crashed for an unknown reason. Forester Elena Kirplyuk witnessed the crash. Crash site specialists converged on the scene. An investigation is underway.
What: Air India Airbus A319-100 en route from Bhopal to Indore
Where: Bhopal
When: Oct 19th 2011
Who: 70 passengers
Why: The Air India flight took off normally but once in the air developed a hydraulic failure.
The flight returned to the airport and made a safe landing after being in the air for a quarter of an hour.
Passengers were booked on alternative flights.
What: Sky King/Direct Air Boeing 737-200 en route from Lakeland,FL to Niagara Falls,NY
Where: Lakeland
When: Oct 15th 2011
Why: The charter flight took off once and returned to the Lakeland with cabin pressure problems, then took off again, again with cabin pressure problems.
The passengers were booked on alternative flights.
What: Cezanne Air Express Cessna 401A
Where: 10km west of Nairobi, Kenya
When: Oct 21, 2011
Who: 2 fatalities, 3 aboard
Why: The flight took off from Wilson Airport taking Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education exam papers to Marsabit and Lodwar and crashed. Witnesses describe the flight as spinning out of control before it crashed near a school. Kenya Red Cross Action team and Emergency Medical Services (Eplus Kenya) responded.
The pilot and two passengers were hospitalized at Karen Hospital. Two died from the crash, one at the hospital. One passenger is still alive in critical condition.
Extensive photos of the wreckage of this tragic event are available on facebook at Facebook Photos
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Ruud Brinks – Aerospray
What: Lufthansa Cityline Embraer ERJ-190 en route from Frankfurt to Hanover
Where: Cologne
When: Oct 21st 2011
Who: 41 passengers and 5 crew
Why: After takeoff from Frankfurt, an engine was shut down (for the second day in a row). The pilots diverted to Cologne where they made a safe landing. Passengers were driven to Hanover.
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Gary Claridge-king
What: British Airways Boeing 777-200 en route from Santa Maria Azores Islands (Portugal) to London Heathrow
Where: Atlantic
When: Oct 19th 2011
Why: While en route to Portugal, one of the plane’s four engines (right engine) had to be shut down after experiencing a problem with the oil pressure. The flight diverted to Lisbon, and made a safe landing.
The same plane had had a similar problem on October 16th, and had diverted at that point to Santa Maria.
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Rodolfo García López
What: US Airways Boeing 767-200 en route from Philadelphia, to Frankfurt Germany
Where: Providence
When: Oct 19th 2011
Who: One injury
Why: While while en route over west Providence over Rhode Island, an encounter with turbulence resulted in a serious injury to a passenger’s ankle. The flight returned to Philadelphia due to the medical emergency. Departure was delayed. The flight did land in Frankfurt about four hours late.
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Aleksey Lisitsyn
What: Iran Air Boeing 727-200 en route from Moscow Sheremetyevo (Russia) to Tehran Imam Khomeini
Where: Tehran
When: Oct 18th 2011
Who: 94 passengers and 19 crew
Why: On approach to Imam Khomeini Airport, the crew aborted the approach due to a landing gear issue. The crew diverted the flight to Mehrabad Airport (also in Tehran).
The fly by at Mehrabad indicated the nose gear issue was actual, and not an indicator problem.
The crew landed without the nose gear on the main gear, and the runway had been foamed. There were no reported injuries.
What: Delta McDonnell Douglas MD-88 en route from Flint Michigan to Atlanta Georgia
Where: Cincinnati
When: Oct 18, 2011
Who: 130 passengers, 6 crew
Why: While en route, the cabin began to smell “smokey.” The crew diverted to Cincinnati where they made a safe landing. They disembarked, and were able to leave Cincinnati around noon. The cause of the smokey smell was not released.
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Pieter-Jan Van De Vijver
What: Spanair McDonnell Douglas MD-83 from Ovideo to Barcelona
Where: Bilbao
When: Oct 13th 2011
Who: 96 passengers
Why: While en route, the plane developed problems with cabin pressure. The pilots diverted to Bilbao, where they made a safe landing.
Passengers were provided alternate flights.
What: Moremi Air Cessna 208B Grand Caravan en route from Xakanaka Airstrip to Pom Pom Camp Airstrip
Where: Xaxanaka (Botswana)
When: OCT 14 2011
Who: 12 aboard, 8 fatalities
Why: A Moremi Air Cessna crashed in Botswana in the Okavango Delta soon after takeoff. Fatalities include the pilot and seven tourists. Four Swedes, two Brits, and two French were burned beyond recognition. One of the twelve people aboard actually jumped out of the plane while it was in the air, to avoid the fire, and that individual died at Maun Airport.
The four who survived include two Botswanan officials of the Department of Road Transport and Safety, and a french couple treated at Delta Private Hospital in Maun. The husband had burns, the wife was unhurt. One of the vehicle examiners, Bernard Lottering, kicked out a window when the plane landed, then facilitated his colleague’s exit.
The crash is under investigation.
Moremi Air Charters has grounded their fleet.
What: PNG Airlines de Havilland Canada DHC-8-102
Where: 20 km (12.5 mls) S of Madang Airport (MAG) (Papua New Guinea)
When: Oct 13, 2011
Who: 4 crew, 28 passengers, 4 survivors
Why: The Png flight crashed 20 miles south of Madang, and was lost and later discovered on fire. 28 died in the crash, but pilots, one passenger and an attendant survived. The Australian Captain broke both legs in the crash. The surviving passenger is a Chinese man who incurred serious burns.
“Based on the information that the pilot gave to the towers which was there’s smoke coming out of the engines and we’re running out of power, doing a forced landing, that’s what they said, which resulted in it crash landing.” The Ministry of Civil Aviation in Papua NG announced unofficially that there was a mechanical problem with the plane. The black box was recovered and sent to Australia for analysis.
A Canadian team from de Havilland is doing an independent investigation.
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Raymond Ngu
What: PNG Airlines de Havilland Canada DHC-8-102
Where: 20 km (12.5 mls) S of Madang Airport (MAG) (Papua New Guinea)
When: Oct 13, 2011
Who: 4 crew, 28 passengers, 4 survivors
Why: About 5.15pm, while en route from Lae to Madang, the flight went down in dense forest in bad weather. The pilots managed to send a distress call. Four survivors were pulled from the wreckage and taken to Yamad clinic. The survivors include an 64 year old Australian pilot and a New Zealand pilot and an Asian passenger who was sitting in the seventh seat, who crawled through a crack in the fuselage, and who suffered burns on 27% of his body (including back and arms). Survivors are being transported by boat to Modilon hospital in Madang.
First responders were initially blocked when they could not cross the Guabe river, then a boat suffered engine problems, then the third attempt made it to the scene of the crash. A violent storm and dense forest hampered the rescue efforts, which were facilitated by chopper.
Australia engaged four army Blackhawk helicopters to assist in the rescue. Rescuers on the Gogol river were impeded due to heavy rains. It took four boats to reach the crash site.
PNG quarantined Laes Nadzab airport and grounded the Dash 8 fleet.
Witnesses saw the plane crash on the Guabe River bank and on impact, burst into flame. Most of the passengers were local Papuan parents of Madang’s Divine Word University students. According to a resort manager who went to pick them up from the airport, six of the plane’s occupants — one passenger and five crew members – had reservations to stay at Madang Resort.
PNG Accident Investigation Commission’s spokesman Sid O’Toole talked to the media.
PNG Airlines released the following:
We are sad to confirm that there has been an accident involving an Airlines PNG Dash 8 aircraft near Madang late Thursday afternoon.
Emergency services have been activated and Airlines PNG is co-operating with authorities to mount rescue and recovery efforts.
There were 28 passengers and 4 crew members on board. There appear to be some survivors while a number of people remain unaccounted for.
Airlines PNG is working with the emergency service authorities to confirm this information in more detail.
A full investigation is underway by authorities and Airlines PNG as to the possible cause of the accident.
Airlines PNG fully supports the action of local authorities at Lae who have quarantined aviation fuel at Lae airport from where the aircraft originated.
Airlines PNG has also grounded its Dash 8 fleet of 12 aircraft until further notice.
Our prayers and thoughts are now with all those affected by this very sad day for Papua New Guinea.
For further information contact:
Media Relations:
Email: media.relations@apng.com
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