Landing

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    Cessna Nails Emergency Landing on Florida Highway

    What: single engine C172 en route from Gainesville to Destin
    Where: U.S. Highway 98
    When: Monday, Nov. 8, 2010, 8 pm
    Who: Pilot Michael Dustin Phillips
    Why: While en route, the engine began running rough. The pilot diverted to Tallahassee, but did not reach the airport. The pilot had to make an emergency landing on the highway due to a “mechanical failure” using car headlights to orient the landing. The plane model is described as “172, P172, R172, Skyhawk, Hawk XP, Cutla”

    Manufacturer: CESSNA
    Model: 172A
    N-Number: 7595T
    Engine: CONT MOTOR 0-300 SER
    Serial number: 47195
    Mode s Code: 52437221
    Airworthiness Date: 1959-12-24
    Last Activity Date: 2005-04-18
    Year: 1959
    Certification: Standard
    Issuance date: 2008-09-27

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    Jazz Air Reschedules Flight

    What: Jazz Air/Air Canada CRJ en route from Washington to Montreal
    Where: Reagan National Airport, Washington
    When: Nov 9 2010, 10:45 am
    Who: 12 passengers, 3 crew
    Why: After takeoff, an odor developed in the rear cabin. The crew returned the plane to Washington as a precautionary measure. It seems a light and air vent unit was the source of the odor.

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    Helicopter Crashes in Nepal

    What: Fishtail Air Aérospatiale AS 350B Ecureuil en route from Lukla Airport to Mount Ama Dablam
    Where: near Mount Ama Dablam base camp
    When: Nov 7 2010
    Who: 2 aboard; 2 fatalities Captain Sabin Basnet and Engineer Purna Awale
    Why: After flying from Kathmandu to Lukla at 8 a.m, the helicopter was the rescue team who had flown to Mount Ama Dablam to rescue two stranded Japanese mountaineers. After taking off at Lukla, the helicopter lost contact.

    A Fishtail Air helicopter search found the remains.

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    Qantas Flight Suffers Rolls Royce Engine Rupture


    video capture of damaged Rolls Royce engine

    What: Qantas Airbus A380-842 en route from Singapore (Singapore) to Sydney,NS
    Where: Singapore
    When: Nov 4th 2010
    Who: 440 passengers and 26 crew
    Why: After taking off from Singapore, over Batam the engine exploded and began emitting smoke. The airplane took off at 9:57L, about 4 minutes later abnormal engine #2 indications occurred and the engine shut down at 10:01L. Debris fell in a district called Dutamas, including the Qantas logo, and a turbine falling through a house. The pilot dumped fuel and returned to make a safe landing in Singapore.

    The Trent 900 engine has been subject to an EASA Airworthiness Directive. Maintenance determined that “the intermediate pressure turbine disk of engine #2 failed” and are checking for the directive’s warning (intermediate pressure shaft coupling splines requiring inspection for excessive wear) but they believe the engine failure is unrelated to the Directive.

    The parts that fell in Batam have been quarantined. Australian accident investigators have downloaded the CVR and FDR. The Australian Transportation Safety Board preliminary report deadline is Dec 3 2010.

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    Belly Landing in Puerto Vallarta


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Josh May

    What: Global Air Boeing 737-200 en route from from Mexico City to Puerto Vallarta
    Where: Puerto Vallarta
    When: Nov 4th 2010 1 p.m.
    Who: 99 passengers and 5 crew
    Why: While on approach to Puerto Vallarta, the plane’s nose gear would not extend, in spite of several flybys where the tower verified the nose gear was not extended.

    The plane eventually made a belly landing on foam with emergency services on standby. Pilot Jorge Luz Campos landed the plane with no injuries.

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    Emergency landing in India


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Dennis Löffler

    What: Delta Airlines Airbus A330-200, en route from Amsterdam to Mumbai
    Where: Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport
    When: Nov 4 2010
    Who: 244 passengers
    Why: There are two versions: a call alerted authorities, or a suspicious object was found on the flight. Whatever happened, in any case, the plane made an emergency landing. Passengers were evacuated and a bomb squad searched the plane. Passengers luggage was also searched.

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    Beech Crashes in Karachi

    The plane may be seen here.

    What: JS Air Beech 1900C en route from Karachi to Bhit Shah (Pakistan)
    Where: Gulistan-e-Jauhar Town, Karachi Pakistan
    When: Nov 5th 2010 7:13 a m
    Who: 19 passengers and 2 crew
    Why: THE JSAIR flight had been chartered by a US firm working on an oil field in Karachi. The destination was an oil field at Bhit Shah in the southern province of Sindh.

    Just after takeoff, the plane’s right engine failed. When the plane banked to head back to the airport, the other engine failed as well.The flight crashed less than 2 minutes after takeoff. Fifteen of the passengers were ENI (Italian oil and gas) employees:(Altaf Hussain Khalid, Hussain Sadaqat, Jamali Nisar Ahmed, Khan Noor, Moazzam Saeed, Nadeem Ahmed, Nizamani Muhammad Azam, Rafique Sajid, Rana Muhammad Alam, Raza Amir, Saleemuddin, Sasso Antonio (Italian), Shah Iqbal Hussain, Siddique Shahid, Syed Anwar Imran, Syed Irshad Ali and Tahir Muhammad.) Also killed in the crash were three crew members of JSAir, including Chief Pilot (and general manager operations) Captain Naeemul Haq (53-year-old chief pilot was a former squadron leader with the Pakistan Air Force), First Officer Captain Muhammad Nauman Shamsi, flight technician Tariq Mehmood, and inspector Zafar Iqbal.

    The black box has been recovered. An international team of investigators including reps for Beechcraft is expected.

    The plane operated 2 Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-65B engines, and had accrued 18545 total airframe hours since its first flight in 1991.

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    Cuban Flight Crashes; All aboard are Lost


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Teemu Tuuri

    What: Aerocaribbean ATR-72-500 en route from Santiago to Havana
    Where: Guasimal, Sancti Spiritus Cuba
    When: Nov 4 2010
    Who: with 61 passengers and 7 crew
    Why: The last flight to leave Santiago before the airport closed due to tropical storm Tomas disappeared from radio contact at 5:42 pm while over Guasimal not far from the Zaza Reservoir. The crew made an emergency call at 5:42. 40 cubans were aboard and 28 non-cubans (9 Argentinian, 7 Mexican, 3 Dutch, 1 French, 2 German, 2 Austrian, 1 Italian, 1 Spanish, 1 Venezuelan, and 1 Japanese).

    A hospital worker said “The plane made several abrupt movements before crashing to the ground.” Rescuers hiked in through thick vegetation (using bulldozers to get through the vegetation to find the plane shattered and in flames and no survivors.

    Tropical storm Tomas developed into a hurricane. Cuba declared a state of alert.

    The ongoing investigation has not ruled that weather is the definitive factor because the storm had not reached Cuba at the time of the crash.

    Cuban state airline Cubana de Aviacion owns Aerocaribbean. The flight normally flies twice a week from Port-au-Prince, Haiti, to Santiago de Cuba to Havana

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    Jetstar Airbus A330-200 Autopilot Fails


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer John Richard Thomson

    What: Jetstar Airways Airbus A330-200 en route from Phuket (Thailand) to Sydney,NS
    Where: Changi Airport, Singapore
    When: Nov 1 2010
    Who: 288 passengers
    Why: While en route, the autopilot failed. The pilots diverted to Singapore where they made a safe landing with emergency services on standby.

    Alternative arrangements have been made for the affected passengers, who were booked onto other flights and offered accommodation in Singapore.

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    Allegheny Energy Chopper Crash in WV, 1 killed, 3 injured

    What: MD HELICOPTERS INC registered to WINCO INC in a rural area of Tucker County
    Where: Thomas WV
    When: October 30 10:30 am
    WEATHER: 1551Z EKN 00000KT 10SM CLR 09/01 A3009
    Who: subcontractors of Allegheny Energy: fatality Gary Bland, 52, of Georgia. Injured identified as Robert Rogers, Ryan Lang and Jeffrey McCay
    Why: A pilot and three linemen were working on wiring on a transmission tower, when the helicopter came down, killing one, injuring 3. The injured were taken to Ruby Memorial Hospital.

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    Lionair Overrun in Indonesia


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer M Radzi Desa

    What: Lionair Boeing 737-400 en route from Jakarta to Pontianak
    Where: West Kalimantan, Indonesia
    When: Nov 2 2010
    Who: 167 passengers, 7 crew
    Why: While landing at Pontianak’s Supadio Airport during a heavy rain, the plane overran the end of the runway. Its nose and main undercarriage collapsed and it stopped mired in a field beyond the end of the runway. There were no injuries.

    A passenger reported that the plane shook (or vibrated) about a quarter of an hour before landing; and no announcements were made by the pilot or crew during the vibration, or during the landing. The airline said no announcement was made because the seatbelt light was on.

    Passengers panicked and evacuated through an emergency exit. Military personnel at the airport assisted.

    Where were the crew while terrified passengers were jumping off the plane?

    They are saying the plane’s inability to stop was not due to weather, a wet runway, that the plane was well maintained and that it was a normal landing. So. If this is all true, why did it overrun?

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    Zurich Bird Strike


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Gerry Stegmeier

    What: Swiss International Airlines Airbus A321 en route from Zurich to London
    Where: Zurich
    When: Oct 31st 2010
    Who: 194 passengers
    Why: After takeoff, the plane suffered a bird strike.

    The pilot returned to Zurich where they made a safe landing. The plane was taken out of service to be inspected for damage, and passengers were provided alternative transportation. No description of the amount of damage or the unfortunate bird has been provided.

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    Delta Africa Flight Cut Short in NY


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Mattia Vichi

    What: Delta Airlines Boeing 767-300 en route from New York JFK,NY to Accra
    Where: over the Atlantic
    When: Oct 29 2010
    Why: While en route 300 miles out of New York, the plane developed an internal leak in the right engine, and smoke collected in the cabin.

    The pilot descended to a lower altitude and made a safe landing at JFK with rescue services on standby. Passengers did not disembark for nearly two hours.

    Maintenance determined that the oil leak or smoke from an oil leak got into the air conditioning.

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    Meridiana Emergency Landing


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Federico Buonanno

    What: McDonnell Douglas MD-82 en route from Naples to Cagliari
    Where: Naples
    When: Oct 31 2010
    Who: 33 passenger
    Why: After takeoff, the plane developed problems in the right engine and had to shut it down. The pilot returned to Naples and made a safe landing with rescue services standing by.

    Passengers were provided accommodations until a replacement flight came in the next day.

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    Turkey: Galley Smokes Cabin


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer

    What: Azerbaijan Airlines Boeing 757-200 en route from Istanbul Turkey to Baku Azerbaijan
    Where: Istanbul
    When: October 30
    Who: 221 aboard
    Why: After takeoff, the cabin filled with smoke coming from a galley oven.

    The plane returned to the Istanbul airport and made a safe landing. No replacement was provided. The plane received maintenance, and continued some hours later.

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    French Researchers Lost Lives in Antarctica

    What: Institut Polaire Français Aérospatiale AS 350 Squirrel helicopter carrying supplies between the French research vessel and supply ship, l’Astrolabe and the country’s Dumont d’Urville research base in Adélie Land.
    Where: Antarctica
    When: October 28, 2010
    Who: 4 Fatalities
    Why: After taking off from the French research vessel L’Astrolabe which is icebound northeast of the Dumont-d’Urville station, the helicopter went down in bad weather. The helicopter was last seen flying at 29 feet. The helicopter normally supplied the research base. Initially there was hope of one survivor. A U.S. Air Force C-17 flew over; the distress beacon was activated off Adelie Land, but cloud cover prevented visibility; bad weather complicated rescue efforts. An Australian unit which spotted three bodies dropped supplies and survival equipment. A doctor flown in later confirmed that the pilot, the mechanic and two employees of the French Polar Institute who had been aboard the helicopter were dead. The remains were recovered and flown back in an Australian Hercules C-130 to a chapel at the base. (US) McMurdo base and AMSA’s rescue coordination centre are assisting the French recovery team.

    Two researchers were from l’Institut polaire Paul-Emile Victor, in Brest, Brittany, France.

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    Kochi: Air Arabia Bird Strike


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Steve Brimley

    What: Air Arabia Airbus A320-200 en route from Kochi to Sharjah
    Where: Cochin International Airport
    When: October 29, 2010 8:15 pm
    Who: 154 passengers, 6 crew
    Why: After takeoff, the flight suffered a problem, and according to officials a bird strike “was not ruled out”. It took fifteen minutes to return to the airport to make a safe landing after the bird strike.

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    Turkish Airlines: Hard landing in Brussels


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    Contact photographer Fabio Lorenzato

      What: Turkish Airlines Airbus A340-300 en from Istanbul Turkey to Brussels Belgium
      Where: Brussels
      When: Oct 24 2010
      Why: The flight had a hard landing in Brussels, when the nose gear failed to make ground contact and the right wing lifted enough that the left engine scraped the runway. The plane was removed from service for repairs due to damage.

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    Oil Fire Smokes Air Greenland Lavatory


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    Contact photographer Stefan Sonnenberg

    What: Air Greenland de Havilland Dash 8-200 en route from Nuuk to Paamiut
    Where: Nuuk
    When: Oct 25th 2010
    Who: 11 passengers and 3 crew
    Why: While en route, a fire was reported in the lavatory. Smoke was detected in the cabin. The crew returned to Nuuk where they made a safe landing.

    Maintenance found an oil leak in the bleed air system.

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    Hull Breach in American Airlines Flight


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    Contact photographer

    What: American Airlines Boeing 757-200 from Miami,FL to Boston,MA
    Where: Miami
    When: Oct 26th 2010
    Who: 154 passengers and 6 crew
    Why: A half hour after takeoff, the plane developed rapid decompression at 31,000 feet requiring oxygen masks, an emergency descent and a return to Miami.

    Maintenance found a one by two foot hole in the hull.

    George’s Point of View

    Maintenance, Maintenance, Maintenance!

    Even with AD Directives issued, this was still missed. Was there telltale evidence prior to this event that could have prevented endangering 154 passengers and six crew?

    The hole in the hull is not unprecedented. Sixteen months prior to flight AA-1640, Southwest Airlines (SWA) flight 2294, (another Boeing suffering a hole in the hull in July 13, 2009), the FAA has already issued Airworthiness Directive 2010-01-09 mandating inspection requirements. At that time, they ascribed the hull failure to a design fault: Fuselage skin failure due to preexisting fatigue at a chemically milled step.

    It’s an easy enough thing to visualize-picture slightly squeezing an empty cola can, then blowing into it; and repeating the process, over and over. In a soda can, it would not take the 20 years this plane has been flying for the stressed areas to develop a crease, and eventually crack.

    Not that a soda can is expected to sustain the significant pressures at 10,000+ feet, nor does it have the design flaw of chemical milling, nor is its skin made of single and double bonded layers. If it were, one could theoretically presume and anticipate metal fatigue to occur at the weakest location–the edges of where the metal is double-bonded.

    In the Southwest Airlines event, it was observed that the progression of metal fatigue tends to be higher at the borders between chemically milled and non-chemically milled bays.

    The inspection requirements in SB 737-53A1301 require inspections to detect cracks in the vulnerable areas (the chem-mill step) to avoid sudden fracture and failure of the fuselage skin panels.

    Did this plane undergo “repetitive external non-destructive inspections to detect cracks in the fuselage skin“?

    Carriers out there, when there are directives which indicate potential problems, pay attention!

    If not for the stellar performance of this flight crew, this plane would have been a statistic.

    Thank you, John D King for sending the links.

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    Maintenance, Smoke Grounds UA Flight to Shanghai

    What: United Airlines Boeing 777 en route from Chicago to Shanghai
    Where: Winnipeg
    When: Oct 25, 2010 1:40 pm
    Who: 194 passengers
    Why: While en route, the plane developed smoke in the cabin. The nearest place to land a 777 (requiring a long runway) was Winnipeg, so the pilot diverted to Winnipeg and made a safe landing with emergency crews on standby on the tarmac. Monday afternoon, a UA crew was assessing the plane; but a replacement plan is scheduled to arrive Tuesday to take the passengers to Shanghai.

    George’s Point of View

    Sometimes it seems as if it takes an emergency for a plane to get maintenance.

    Airliners never stop; they land, unload passengers, cleanup, fuel up, load more passengers and they are off again.

    When do planes get maintenance? After they see smoke?

    It’s not just United.

    Look at our posts: Engine failures, engine fires, cracked windshields, no oil pressure, low air pressure, breaking landing gear, non-working nose gear, shredding tires, smokey cabins…

    When do they stop a plane long enough for it to truly get a little TLC?

    I knew a former navy mechanic who said he would never fly on a commercial plane. Before AND After every flight, the crew checks every plane from nose to tail, ensuring everything is in perfect working order. It seems like a commercial plane only gets a good once over once it’s too late.

    We don’t do that with our cars. You know once the car’s warning light comes on, it’s already too late, and damage has already happened. So we get timely oil changes, and basic care because every dollar spent on maintenance is a hundred dollars not spent on repair.

    Sure, flight 835 plane is getting a once over now, but for that to happen, a plane full of passengers had to be put at risk.

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    Emergency Landing Kuwait City


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Christopher Schneider

    What: Kuwait Airways Airbus A300-600 en route from Kuwait City to Dhaka
    Where: Kuwait
    When: Oct 23rd 2010
    Why: After takeoff, the windshield developed a crack. The pilot returned to Kuwait and made a safe landing.

    Conflicting reports:
    According to Mohammed Bursali, Public Relations Director of Kuwait Airways, The windshield was replaced and the flight resumed an hour later. However, a replacement jet arrived four hours later to resume the flight.

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    Chaos on Aero Contractors in Lagos


    Not the 500. Pictured: Boeing 737-322 exAero Contractors Nigeria lease
    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer JayDeeKay

    What: Aero Contractors Boeing 737-500 en route from Port Harcourt to Lagos
    Where: Nigeria
    When: Oct 24 2010
    Who: 84 passengers, 15 injuries
    Why: Passengers were complaining of pressure problems resulting in ear pain. Passengers reportedly “ran amuck” in the cabin when they saw smoke, apparently resulting in injury.

    Officially, ten minutes before arrival in Lagos, a smoke problem in the cabin was reported to ATC. The crew reported the smoke, and made a safe landing at Murtala Muhammed International Airport with emergency on standby at 6:30 pm. Passengers evacuated, resulting in fifteen injuries. Passenger’s luggage was not released until 8:30 pm

    According to maintenance, the smoke problem was mist and condensation from the air conditioning which had been switched to manual.

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    US Airways Diverts to Stephenville


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    Contact photographer Fred Seggie

    What: U S Airways Boeing 757-200 from Philadelphia to Brussels
    Where: Stephenville
    When: Oct 24, 2010, 10:00 pm
    Who: 149 passengers, 9 crew
    Why: The flight diverted to Stephenville when there was smoke in the cockpit. Passengers disembarked, and waited in the terminal until the replacement flight arrived at 5:30 a.m.

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    Cessna Crashes in Pond, no fatalities


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Adam Howley

    What: Ardmore Flying School Cessna C172R
    Where: Thames New Zealand
    When: Oct 25 2010
    Who: 2 aboard
    Why: At 10:22 a.m, the plane crashed into the pond at the end of a runway. Both individuals aboard the plane were able to exit under their own power. The plane presumably is a total loss. This is not the first time a plane has crashed into the pond at the foot of the runway.