What: United Airlines Airbus A320-200 en route from Chicago to Boston Where: Logan International When: Oct 23, 2012 Who: 144 passengers, 5 crew Why: The pilot was on approach to Logan when he noticed a problem with his instruments.
The pilot informed ATC of instrument failures and pressurization issues. ATC cleared a holding pattern, until the pilot performed a visual landing.
The pilot taxied to the Terminal C gate at 12:42 pm. Below is the pilot’s audio.
What: Piper PA-23-250 Aztec for sightseeing tour of city Where: Aurora Zoo, Guatemala City When: April 21, 2012 Who: 3 fatalities Why: The Piper took off from La Aurora International Airport and crashed into the Aurora Zoo beside the Esquilandia playground. The pilot of the aircraft, Alex Quezada, 35, Oscar Calderon, 22, who was the co-pilot, and Christian Werner, 20 were killed in the crash. One employee of the zoo, Carlos Aspuac, was hospitalized at Roosevelt Hospital with second and third degree burns. Hundreds of visitors were evacuated from the zoo.
The DAC says the plane was having mechanical problems. Witnesses report seeing the plane “rocking” and emitting black smoke, before it crashed.
Update: The investigation team formed to probe into Friday’s plane crash on Monday (April 23) visited the site and collected evidence. What: Bhoja Air Boeing 737-200 en route from Karachi to Islamabad Where: Islamabad When: Apr 20th 2012 Who: 121 passengers and 6 crew Why: The plane (reported as #AP-BKC a 27 year old Boeing) took off from Karachi, impacted the ground 3-6 miles from Islamabad while on approach and burst into flames in a rural location(Hussain Abad village) near Chaklala Air Base. No survivors were found, and ten houses on the ground were affected. The plane lost contact with the control tower minutes before landing. There was no distress call. There are conflicting reports that the plane was on fire and was not on fire before it impacted the ground. Some reports say the plane was struck by lightning. There was a thunderstorm at the time of the accident. The fire/fireball after the crash does not appear to have engulfed the entire debris area, according to photos of the scene.
Debris from the crash is said to cover a large muddy area. The area has not been cordoned off; reporters and others are swarming over the crash site.
This is reported to be the first Bhorja flight on this route. The jet left at 17:00 and was due to arrive at 18:50.
The flight data recorder has been recovered along with 110 bodies (so far.)
The number of people listed as passengers varies from 127 to 130 aboard.
Trans:
METAR for Benazir Bhutto International Airport, issued on the 20th of the month at 13:00 Zulu Time. Wind from 230° at 20 knots (37 km/h). Visibility 4,000 metres (13,000 ft), thunderstorms in area. Clouds few at 2,500 feet (760 m), cumulonimbus clouds present. Broken clouds at 10,000 feet (3,000 m). Temperature 25°C, dewpoint 15°C. Altimeter setting 1009.3 hPA / 29.80 inHg
What: Lee H Aviation Inc. Cessna 421C en route from Slidell, La., to Sarasota, Fla. Where: Gulf of Mexico When: April 19 2012 Who: pilot Why: The plane took off normally from Slidell at 6:43 a.m., but en route lost contact with ATC and began flying in circles over the Gulf of Mexico.
Around 8:45 a.m, two F-15s that flew in to check on the plane found it flying between 25,000 and 35,000 feet with the windshield iced over. The pilot remained unresponsive. The plane landed “softly” intact and right side up in the water around 12:10 p.m., approximately 120 miles west of Tampa. The pilot was unconscious or incapacitated.
The 87-foot cutter Coho was scheduled to respond as well as a HC-144 plane from Mobile, Alabama and a MH-60 helicopter in Clearwater.
The pilot may have lost consciousness due to hypoxia, or a lack of oxygen.
What: single-engine Cessna en route from North Carolina to Long Island NY Where: Heckscher State Park in East Islip, Long Island NY When: April 15, 2012, 4 pm Who: pilot and student Why: Pilot David J. Jensen and a student were in the single-engine Cessna when it developed engine problems. The pilots made a safe landing on a Heckscher State Park runway normally dedicated to model planes.
The plane was not allowed to take off from that runway, and was dismantled for removal.
What: E300 EXTRA FLUGZEUGBAU GMBH EA-300 Where: Salinas California When: April 8 2012, 6:57 Who: two fatalities Why: Captain George Mellone was flying his plane in Salinas with David Ostendorf when it crashed. Both died of blunt force trauma. Mellone was a harrier pilot who had flown home to Yuma for Easter weekend.
Mellone was a Marine Captain stationed at Air Station Yuma who graduated from the University of N. Dakota in 2007 with a degree in aviation management, and had earned three Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals, the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal and Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and obtained the rank of Captain since joining the Corps in 1999. He had been performing stunts right before his plane crashed. The cause of his crash is under investigation.
His co-pilot was 24-year-old David Gary Ostendorf, a 2010 St. Cloud State University aviation graduate, was an FAA controller at the Montery Regional Airport Tower. The cause of the crash has not been identified.
What: Korean Airlines Boeing 777 en route from Vancouver to Seoul Where: Comox air base When: April 10, 2012 5:30 p.m Who: 149 passengers, 12 crew members Why: After a bomb threat was made in a telephone call to the Korean Airlines Los Angeles office, the flight was diverted to Canada’s Comox air base, which is 70 miles outside Vancouver.
The flight was escorted by U.S. Air Force F-15 fighter jets. Three hours after the flight took off, it landed in Comex safely.
Officers checked passengers and luggage, Royal Canadian Mounted Police were investigating. Police, fire trucks and B.C. Ambulance paramedics were also on the scene.
What: US Navy – VFA-106 $29 million McDonnell Douglas F/A-18D Hornet twin-engine supersonic fighter plane en route from Naval Air Station Oceana Where: Virginia Beach When: April 6 2012, 12:00 pm Who: 40 apartments damaged, no fatalities, 5 injures Why: Going 170 mph, a student pilot was in the front seat of the two-seat Hornet and the experienced instructor was in the rear when the plane experienced a “catastrophic mechanical malfunction.” Pilots dumped fuel just before it dived into a Virginia Beach apartment complex in the Hampton Roads area (Birdneck Road, Virginia Beach, near NAS Oceana). No residents of the Mayfair Mews complex were killed in the crash, and the pilots ejected before impact. The plane experienced “catastrophic engine system failure” right after takeoff. The crash site is two miles from the base and a mile from the ocean.
The fuel and the carbon fibers from the burning composite were a special toxic concern for first responders.
There were seven injuries on the ground in addition to the two pilots, but no fatalities have been reported. Witnesses on the scene saw smoke billowing from the building. Bystanders found the young pilot still in his parachute, and cut him free before escorting him farther from the fire. Six buildings were damaged, but now the residents, mostly elderly, are homeless.
The trainee in the front had at least 1 1/2 years of intensive training before boarding the F/A-18D, which is used in training and in combat. The jet was not carrying live ordnance,
Within 24 hours of the crash, sources confirm no one was killed in the crash. The mayor, and the us fleet forces commander agree that it is miraculous that there were no fatalities.
A fund has been established for those made homeless by the fire.
What: Emirates Airlines Airbus A380-800 en route from Bangkok to Hong Kong Where: Hong Kong When: Apr 7th 2012, Why: Passengers on the Emirates flight disembarked on to the runway after a fast landing where two main tires burst.
Passengers smelled the burning rubber and reported that they saw sparks.
On landing, the brakes locked up, which pretty eliminated the tires and part of the wheel (termed an anti-skid failure.) As you can see in the snapshot, the wheels were ground flat by the friction.
The friction just pours off the pavement in the youtube clip. No injuries were reported.
What: C And S Manufacturing Corp Cessna 414A en route from Marco Island, Collier County, Florida to Cherryland Airport in Sturgeon Bay Wisconsin Where: Wisconsin When: April 2,2012 Who: 2 aboard Why: After her husband John passed out at the controls of their Cessna, eighty-one year old Helen Collins took some quick lessons “on the fly” and managed to land the plane, with minor damage.
Air Traffic Control talked to her until pilot instructor Robert Vuksanovic took his plane up to fly by her as he coached her down. The distress call came at 5:05 pm. after Collins was three hours in flight from Marco Island, Florida. On landing, Helen and her husband John were hospitalized; John was declared dead at 6:38 p.m. Helen had back pain, minor bumps and bruises and a broken rib, but her son Richard Collins did not lose both of his parents that day.
A heroic effort from ATC, Collins and flight instructor Robert Vuksanovic.
What: Jetblue Airbus A320-200 en route from New York to Las Vegas Where: Amarillo When: March 27 2012 Who: 1 medical emergency, 135 passengers, six crew Why: While en route, the pilot of the JetBlue Airbus suffered a panic attack. He was locked out of the cockpit and restrained, and another JetBlue pilot who was aboard assisted the first officer in the cockpit as they diverted to Amarillo and made a safe landing.
The pilot had walked to the back of the plane, and when he returned to the cockpit and found he was locked out, he began yelling “Let me in” and raving about a bomb.
After landing in Amarillo, the captain was taken off the plane into an ambulance that sat on the tarmac for thirty minutes before he was taken to an Amarillo hospital.
Jet Blue’s Official Statement
“Flight 191 departed New York’s JFK airport at 7:28 am ET (was scheduled to depart 6:55 am ET). At roughly 10 am CT/11 am ET, the pilot in command elected to divert to Amarillo, TX for a medical situation involving the Captain. Another Captain, traveling off duty, entered the flight deck prior to landing at Amarillo, and took over the duties of the ill crewmember once on the ground. The aircraft arrived Amarillo at 10:11 am CT, and the crewmember was removed from the aircraft and taken to a local medical facility.
Customers remain on board at this time. JetBlue is working with local authorities and airport officials for the safe deplaning of the aircraft and will send a new aircraft to continue the flight to LAS.”
What: Beechcraft 35 Bonanza Where: Glencoe, MN When: March 21, 2012, 11:00 a.m. Who: 3 fatalities Why: The plane crashed on farmland four mines north of Glencoe killing what appears to be a family of three aboard the plane and also three dogs. Conditions were five miles visibility and overcast at 900 feet and the pilot may have been flying by visual flight rules in conditions when VFR flight isn’t allowed. Visibility in the area is known to drop “at the drop of a hat” so the pilot may have flown into worsening conditions inadvertently.
Witnesses say they heard the plane sputtering, and heard a popping noise before impact. Others saw the plane flying low before it hit the ground in foggy drizzly weather leaving a two-hundred yard debris field. The plane may have been flying from St. Cloud.
By the time bystanders arrived on the scene, the plane was missing the tail and a wing, and was engulfed in a “ball of flame.”
The plane had just been sold by a St. Cloud resident to a new owner.
Stuart Dahlberg, 52, his wife Ivelisse Morillo, and his mother, Mae Dahlberg were en route to visit family in Colorado when they were killed in the crash. Stuart Dahlberg was an experienced pilot.
IDENTIFICATION
Regis#: 3871N Make/Model: BE35 Description: 35 Bonanza
Date: 03/21/2012 Time: 1612
Event Type: Accident Highest Injury: Fatal Mid Air: N Missing: N
Damage: Destroyed
LOCATION
City: GLENCOE State: MN Country: US
DESCRIPTION
AIRCRAFT CRASHED IN FIELD. THE THREE PERSONS ONBOARD WERE FATALLY INJURED. 4-5 MILES NORTH OF GLENCOE, MN
Remember Air France Flight 4590— Charles de Gaulle International Airport near Paris to JFK—the July 2000 crash of an Air France Concorde supersonic transport (SST) in Paris? A hundred passengers and 9 crew died.
A piece of debris ruptured a tire, debris going 310 mph struck the wing led to a tank rupture. Engines one and two lost power on ignition. To make a long story short, the terrible conundrum ensued that the plane was going too fast to stop, unable to ascend, and on fire even before it took off. The plane crashed into the Les Relais Bleus Hotel killing everyone aboard and five in the hotel.
In France, the French court may be on the road to overturning the verdict against Continental Airlines. Opening arguments were heard in an appeals court in Versailles to consider the U.S. carrier’s request to purge the involuntary manslaughter verdict of 2010. Some of the “not guilty” findings may also be overturned.
Fatigue cracking not as a result of stress but because of a manufacturing issue causes widespread concern. The wing problem may cost Airbus a hundred million euros. Airbus will have to compensate airlines for the (estimated) five days time planes will be out of service for remediation.
What: Cessna 501 Citation I/SP en route from Venice Florida to Macon County, NC Where: Franklin-Macon County Airport, NC When: Mar 15, 2012 Who: 2 crew, 3 passengers, 5 fatalities Why: The plane owned by Bogdan Jakubowski of Venice, Florida appeared to be approaching too steeply when it attempted to land at 1:45, and when the pilot tried to level, a wing hit pavement, flipping and rolling the plane, which exploded into flames. Rescuers were on the scene within a minute but the plane was already engulfed. The names of those aboard have not been released.
What: American Airlines Dallas to Chicago Where: Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport When: March 9 2012 Who: 1 flight attendant Why: While American Airlines Flight 2332 was on the runway, a flight attendant gave a fifteen minute rambling dialogue on the public address system just before she had a meltdown, and started screeching about the plane crashing. (see passenger’s raw video youtube below.) The fight attendant is apparently bi-polar and had not taken her medication.
Among other things, she said, “We are not taking off. We’re having technical difficulties. We are heading back to the gate.”
Passengers and crew cooperated in restraining her.
Wisely the pilot did not take off with her aboard but returned to the gate and dropped her where she was detained by police. Two flight attendants were injured and hospitalized. (Reports do not say if this number included the bipolar attendant.)
What: Beechcraft 35-A33 Debonair Where: Rio Vista California When: Feb 19 2012 Who: 2 aboard Why: After the helicopter and plane bumped over Rio Vista, the pilot had to make a hard landing short of Byron Airport, 8 miles south of Rio Vista Municipal Airport. Apparently the plane struck the chopper’s skids. The 1961 six-seat Beechcraft plane involved in the collision is registered to Ronald A. Gawer of Brentwood in Contra Costa County.
When the Solano Fire crews arrived on the scene, they found the pilot with minor injuries, and the passenger was unhurt.
What: Vertical CFI Helicopters Robinson R22 Beta II Where: Rio Vista California When: Feb 19 2012 Who: 1 aboard Why: The helicopter clipped the plane over Rio Vista. The chopper was eight miles from the airport when it crashed.
Although the contact broke off the tail of the chopper and ended the severed rotor up 50 feet from the fuselage, the pilot walked away. She was reported to be unhurt; She is an experienced commercial airplane pilot who was logging night-flying hours alone toward a helicopter license.
The SINGAPORE AIRSHOW AVIATION LEADERSHIP SUMMIT, held in conjunction with the Singapore Airshow, is a collaborative effort by the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS), Experia Events Pte Ltd, International Air Transport Association (IATA) and Ministry of Transport (MOT).
The airshow brings together aviation stakeholders, including Airbus CEO Tom Enders, who had damage control on his mind. Airbus is under fire for the wing cracks found on Airbus A380 jets. Between inspection and repairs, the cost is anticipated to be $1.23 million per aircraft, for up to $32 million euros.
Qantas Airways grounded one A380 for a week after finding 36 separate cracks in wing parts. Other A380s have demonstrated similar cracking above and beyond the normal degradation and microfissures that inspections often find as a result of heavy usage.
Tom Anders of Airbus told airshow attendees that “…we will fix it (wing problem) as quickly as possible. This is unfortunate, this is us. We screwed that up. Whatever the cost, we will fix it”
They have to fix it. EASA has ordered Airbus to check all A380 superjumbo planes. Meanwhile, Airbus is trying to turn media attention to their ramped-up assembly line.
What: Cessna 172N Skyhawk en route from Buchannan Field Airport Where: Fresno California When: Feb 5 2012 Who: 1 fatality Why: Apparently Ray Pirro who was not a pilot snuck into Buchanan Field and stole the Cessna Skyhawk that took his life. Pirro had no pilots license, was covered in tattoos, was recently released from prison, and apparently just took the plane to take a joy ride. He flew into power lines and smashed up by Barstow Avenue. Owner Felix J Boston is a retired lieutenant colonel. He had left the plane in Buchanan Field Airport and was surprised to find someone had taken it. He called the plane “his baby” and regrets its loss.
The thief had covered the plane’s registration numbers and stopped off at a Stockton Walmart for junk food. (The crash site was strewn with Cheese whiz.) There was still gas in the plane, so it did not run out of gas, but striking the power lines may have been Pirro’s downfall.
IDENTIFICATION
Regis#: 7582D Make/Model: C172 Description: 172, P172, R172, Skyhawk, Hawk XP, Cutla
Date: 02/06/2012 Time: 0006
Event Type: Accident Highest Injury: Fatal Mid Air: N Missing: N
Damage: Substantial
LOCATION
City: FRESNO State: CA Country: US
DESCRIPTION
AIRCRAFT STRUCK POWERLINES AND CRASHED INTO A FIELD, THE 1 PERSON ON BOARD
WAS FATALLY INJURED, 12 MILES FROM FRESNO, CA
INJURY DATA Total Fatal: 1
# Crew: 1 Fat: 1 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
# Pass: 0 Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
# Grnd: Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
OTHER DATA
Activity: Unknown Phase: Unknown Operation: OTHER
FAA FSDO: FRESNO, CA (WP17) Entry date: 02/06/2012
What: Bankstown Helicopter Pty. Ltd. Robinson R44 Raven II Where: Jaspers Brush Airfield, Berry, NSW, Australia When: Feb 2, 2012, 3:55 pm Who: 2 aboard Why: Taking off, the helicopter was carrying two men scouting locations for a Jervis Bay documentary when the Robinson crashed and caught the field on fire.
Andrew Wight, The fifty year old pilot was from Melbourne, writer-producer of the 3D movie “Sanctum” based on Wight’s near-death experience in an underwater cave.
Mike DeGruy, 60, of Santa Barbara, California, won multiple Emmy and British Academy of Film and Television Arts, or BAFTA, awards for cinematography. He was a specialist in underwater photography.
Four ATSB investigators will be investigating.
A Rural Fire Service (RFS) responded. The cabin of the chopper burned, and sparked a brush fire.
What: Condor Flying Club Inc Piper PA-28-180 Cherokee en route from Fredrick, Maryland. Where: Lincoln Highway West, Thomasville, PA When: Jan 29, 2012, 11:00 am Who: 1 fatality Why: The piper crashed in a cornfield off of Lincoln Highway, a mile from the airport. The pilot, Douglas Helms of Westminster Maryland was pronounced dead at the scene. Helms will be at Lehigh Valley Hospital. The cause of the crash is unknown. An investigation is underway. The vehicle is registered to CONDOR FLYING CLUB INC
Street 16192 COASTAL HWY.
What: Horizon Air de Havilland Dash 8-400 en route from Portland,OR to Seattle,WA Where: Portland When: Jan 26 2012 Who: 55 passengers, 4 crew Why: While en route, the right engine was shut down. According to wptv witnesses aboard the flight, “there was an explosion. Then, all of a sudden, everything stopped, and it just got totally quiet, and everyone started to panic.” Passengers took photos of the plane’s stopped propellor; and then the plane began shaking, and they could feel the weight on the left side.
Pilots returned to Portland and made a safe landing. An inspection of the plane is underway.
DENVER, Jan. 17, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Few aircraft since the Wright Flyer have truly become an “Aircraft of Legend.” Like the DC-3, the technological advancements of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner are expected to profoundly impact commercial aviation. The Living Legends of Aviation have chosen the Boeing 787 Dreamliner to receive the “Aircraft of Legend Award” which will be presented at the 9th Annual Living Legends of Aviation Awards to be held January 20th at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles, Calif. Mr. Scott Fancher, VP and General Manager of the Boeing 787 Program, will be accepting the award on behalf of all who have contributed to the “Boeing Dreamteam.” The
Living Legends of Aviation Annual Awards is the most important and prestigious recognition event of aviation.
On December 17, 1903 at 10:31 am with Orville at the controls and Wilbur running along side steading the wing, the world experienced the first controlled powered flight. Exactly 100 years later the Living Legends of Aviation organization was born to celebrate and recognize significant contributions for the second hundred years of aviation.
The “Living Legends of Aviation” are a group of extraordinary people of accomplishment. They are defined as aviation entrepreneurs, innovators, record breakers, astronauts, industry leaders, pilots who have become celebrities and celebrities who have become pilots.
What: M & W Aviation LLC Cirrus SR22 GTS en route from Kendall-Tamiami Executive to Port au Prince Where: Off the coast of Andros, Bahamas When: Jan 7 2012, 1 pm Who: 2 aboard, no fatalities Why: After the Cirrus engine failed, a father and daughter from Birmingham Alabama on a humanitarian mission deployed the plane’s parachute and ended up in a raft in the sea after their airplane crashed two miles off the coast of the Bahamas.
After their distress call to ATC Miami Center of Aircraft Emergency at around 12: 15 p.m., the U.S. Coast Guard sent a HC-144 Ocean Sentry on reconnaissance and located their raft. Richard McGlaughlin, 59, and Elaine McGlaughlin, 25 were retrieved from their inflatable onto a Jayhawk chopper.