Yes, it is a miracle. Thanks to the pilots, and pilot unions, and FAA, and crews, and Easa, and Montreal Convention, and IATA, and airports, and airlines, and all the manufacturers, maintenance crews, and everyone I am leaving out, and of course the powers that be, to all who work to keep us safe.
What: American Airlines Boeing 777 en route from Dallas to Sao Paolo, Brazil
Where: Dallas
When: July 31, 2011
Who: 264 passengers, 14 crew
Why: Indicators convinced the pilots of Flight 963 that an engine caught on fire. The pilots returned to Dallas and landed the 777 safely. The brakes locked up and a tire blew out, but that kind of thing is not unusual for an overweight landing.
Onlookers saw the flight dumping fuel, described as fuel streaming from its jets. If they were alarmed, just think how the passengers felt.
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
What: Caribbean Airlines Boeing 737-832(WL) en route from Trinidad to Timehri
Where: Cheddi Jagan International Airport,SYCJ,Georgetown,Guyana
When: July 30, 2011 1:30 am
Who: 162 aboard 157 passengers, six crews
Why: Landing in wet weather, the plane made a hard landing, overshot the runway 100 meters, smashed through a perimeter fence and on a perimeter road. It broke in two, the front section splitting ahead of the wing. There were 52 injuries who went to the hospital, 3 with serious injuries who were held over at the hospital, and no fatalities. The worst injury reported was a broken leg. The plane overshot the runway but stopped short of a ravine. Passengers smelled fuel, and opened a door, and climbed through to the wing and jumped down.
The airport is closed, causing incoming flights to have to divert elsewhere.
STATEMENT FROM CARIBBEAN AIRLINES
Port-of-Spain, 30 July 2011, 17.00 HOURS local time: Caribbean Airlines BW523 en route from Port of Spain, Trinidad to Georgetown, Guyana was involved in an incident at the Cheddi Jaggan International Airport at approximately 1:32am today 30 July, 2011.
There were 157 passengers and 6 crew members on board, all of whom were accounted for.
A Caribbean Airlines team consisting of technical support staff and executives was dispatched immediately to the accident site to assist passengers, and to work with the local authorities in the emergency response and investigations. The Caribbean Airlines executive team and technical support staff are at the scene to offer full support to the injured in Georgetown. A relatives/customer assistance hotline has been established at our emergency centre in Piarco, and counselling is being provided to passengers and family members.
A press conference was held earlier today in Georgetown just after midday. In attendance were Chairman- George M. Nicholas III, Head Corporate Communications- Mrs. Laura Asbjornsen, Vice President Operations – Captain Thomas Lawrence and Vice President Maintenance and Engineering – Mr Colville Carrington. It was confirmed that the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority will be spearheading the investigation and will be assisted by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in the U.S. and the Trinidad and Tobago Civil Aviation Authority (TTCAA).
The team ensured that its CARE policy for affected passengers and crew was deployed in Georgetown. The airline has engaged the services of a company from the United States, together with regional personnel to implement in accordance with this policy.
All enquiries related to this specific incident should be directed to:-
Trinidad & Tobago: 1 868 669 2902
United States: 1 800 786 3891
Canada: 1 800 380 6057
Caribbean: 1 800 744 6453
The latest statements can also be accessed online at www.caribbean-airlines.com.
Caribbean Airlines will continue to release information as it becomes available.
The next press conference is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. local time at the AIRPORTS AUTHORITY OF TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, VIP Lounge, Piarco International Airport
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Bnaf
What: Royal Moroccan Air Force Lockheed C-130H Hercules CNA-OQ en route from Dakhla Western Sahara to Goulimime Airport, Morocco (Flight global released the route as Agadir-Eyes-Dakhla)
Where: 6.3 miles East of Goulimime (Guelmim)Airport,Morocco
When: 26 JUL 2011 at 9 a.m.
Who: 80 aboard, (9 crew, 71 passengers) 80 fatalities
Why: The Royal Moroccan Air Force C-130 Hercules transport plane was in a mountainous area near Goulimime/Guelmim when it crashed into a mountain and was destroyed. The flight originated at Dakhla Airport, and was scheduled to land in Kenitra with scheduled landing in Goulimime.
Eighty occupants were killed; most were members of the Moroccan Armed Forces. The airplane carried nine crew members, 60 troops (including 9 RMAF flight crew) and 12 civilians. It operated on a flight from Dakhla to Kinitra with an en route stop at Goulimime.
Sixty troops were aboard, and a dozen civilians. According to some reports, there were three survivors; other reports say there were no survivors. Three survived the crash, but not the ride to the hospital. The remains have been taken to the military hospital at Guelmin.
Initially, the flight was reported as carrying 81, but one person did not board in Laayoune.
The crash has been attributed to inclement conditions.
Three days of national mourning were declared by King Mohammed VI.
What: DAVCRON PTY LTD Bell 206
Where: South Turramurra, Sydney Australia
When: July 22, 2011
Who: 2 fatalities
Why: While on a routine flight from Rosehill to the owner’s hanger in Wyee, the bell chopper crashed north of Sydney while flying in a heavy downpour. The wreckage was spread in a hundred meter area at the foot of a cliff in Lane Cove National Park. The pilot and passenger were confirmed dead. Emergency services could only reach by rappelling down. Recovery has been postponed till the weekend because of continued bad weather.
Witnesses say they may have seen something fly off the back of the helicopter and one witness said the helicopter was upside down when it fell. Descriptions of the troubled helicopter included “clattering” and “explosion.”
Initially the victims of the crash were not known, but their names have been released. The bodies of pilot Colin Greenwood, 35 and 85 year old Businessman Bruce Campbell were found in the wreckage.
Officials say the pilot had filed a flight plan although it was not required.
Campbell founded Davcron Engineering Pty Ltd and owned the chopper which regularly on Fridays flew him to his semi-rural home. Campbell has three sons and is a grandfather of five.
What: 1946 Piper J3C-65 Cub
Where: Waterford Township
When: July 19, 2011 7:10 p.m.
Who: pilot
Why: The pilot was attempting to make a lake landing with the single engine seaplane when he hit trees near Ideal Terrace and crashed in a field near Williams Lake. The pilot managed to avoid houses in the area, but was injured in the crash with severe injuries to his neck and cuts on his legs.
Click to see video
Southwest just reported that El Paso-Phoenix jet that landed at 9:30 p.m. in Phoenix with one engine did so because of an engine exhaust problem. Good for them for catching it.
This was certainly less of an issue that the April 1 2011 surprise, the fuselage rupture in the roof of the Southwest Phoenex-Sacramento flight. That fifteen year old plane lost pressure (kind of a given, one would think, with a huge hole in the roof) and had to make an emergency landing in Yuma, 150 miles southwest of Phoenix. There were no injuries except to Southwest’s reputation.
On April 4, the FAA sent out a letter mandating operators of specific early Boeing 737 models to conduct initial and repetitive electromagnetic inspections for fatigue damage.
The NTSB is investigating. And all of the onus is not on Southwest–it’s also on Boeing, as they examine that
Southwest is a busy airline operator. The stats of take offs and landing every 24 hours must be staggering. Their 737s are renowned workhorses that don’t tire, but they have to be taking a beating.
Let’s not wait for something terrible to happen. Let’s double on maintenance. Let’s do the footwork to prevent another metal fatigue occurrence to happen again, busting a hole in the fuselage at 36,000 feet.
Audio, Documents Detailing Southwest Emergency Released: MyFoxPHOENIX.com
What: Robinson R22 helicopter The chopper had recently been overhauled. 
Where: Garfield
When: June 27, 2011
Who: Steve Titsworth
Why: Steve Titsworth, a retired (30 year) firefighter was flying the Robinson R22 chopper belonging to Don Arsenault when the chopper began falling apart. The propellers split and flew into the river; the rotor fell into the trees; and the rest of the chopper crashed hit a tree about 300 feet south of the river. The wreckage caught fire and was engulfed.
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Gustavo Bolson Maia
What: NOAR Linhas Aéreas Let L-410UVP-E20 en route from Recife to Natal
Where: 1.1 miles SSE of Recife-Guararapes International Airport
When: July 13, 2011
Who: 2 crew, 14 passengers, 16 aboard
Why: Shortly after takeoff from Guararapes-Gilberto Freyre International airport in Recife, the Noar LET L410 Turboprop, the pilot declared an emergency. The crew said it would attempt to land at Boa Viagem beach, and made a steep descent.
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Wagner Damasio – Cavok Brasil Team
The plane reportedly into a vacant lot sandwiched between the Piedade and Boa Viagem neighborhoods at 0651 local time. The fire burned the plane, leaving a charred shell 300 feet short of where the pilot had intended to land. There was a total loss of life, but the black boxes have been recovered.
The plane had a recent history of power loss on takeoff.
The pilot had 15.000 flight hours and 2.000 on type.
The pilot avoided landing on a densely populated area.
LET is a Czech-built plane that had been in operation for a year. According to a spokesperson, two LET-410 twin-engine aircraft were purchased new in the Czech Republic. The Noar began its daily operations in the Northeast on June 14, 2010.
Noar is a small regional airline
12 second capture of the plane coming down behind a building.
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
MIT engineers have built a car that flies. Or a plane that drives on the street. This vehicle flies (and drives) on ordinary gas. Below, we have attached a clip of the TRA’s first flight, or as the video calls it, it’s “Wright Brothers Moment.” The wings retract so it can drive on the road.
What: single-engine Cessna 182 en route to Adelanto
Where: Summit Valley Road and Maple Avenue, San Bernardino County
When: July 5, 2011, 7:30 pm
Who: pilot and passenger
Why: The plane lost power while en route and made an emergency landing aiming for a dirt road but ended up hitting a car, and butting up to an empty house. Neither the pilot nor the passenger was admitted to the hospital. the brush fire caused by the crash was brought under control.
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Alexey Litvinov
What: Rusline/Rusair Tupolev TU-134A en route from Moscow to Petrozavodsk
Where: outskirts of the Besovets village, Petrozavodsk, Russia
When: Jun 20 2011 at 11:40 pm
Who: 43 passengers and 9 crew
Why: Family members of the 44 deceased victims of the RusAir crash attempted to identify the bodies of their loved ones in Petrozavodsk, although visual identification in some cases was impossible. For those victims, DNA identification will be employed.
The RusAir crash occurred in heavy fog, carrying passengers from the Ukraine, Sweden, Holland, plus four people with dual Russian-U.S. Nationalities. The video below was released on 2011-06-23
Read More
On board RusAir Flight 9605, there were 9 crew members, and a total of 52 people, 44 of whom died on the scene. At this time of the year, in Petrozavodsk, this is the time of White Nights so the accident occurred in subdued daylight. One died on 22 June 2011.
Nationalities have been released:
one Swede
one from Netherlands
two Ukranians
4 with US/Russian citizenship (dual)
Fatalities include chief designer of Gidropress Sergei Ryzhov, and the deputy CEO and chief designer, Gennady Banyuk, and football ref Vladimir Pettay.
While on final approach to Petrozavodsk Airport in poor weather and heavy fog, Flight 9605 crashed on the A133 highway, 3900 feet shy of the runway. The weather during the arrival of the flight was deteriorating from OVC005 to OVC003 to fog with zero visibility. The black boxes were recovered. The fire at the crash was extinguished 45 minutes after midnight. The Tu-134 was 31 years old.
Russia is considering removing the Tu-134 from service.
Click title to access Karelia plane crash video
There are two accounts of the Pilot Alexander Glusicia’s situation prior to the Mangalore-Dubai-Mangalore flight. We wonder which of these versions is true.
1. Alexander (Zlatko) Glusica was initially not rostered by Air India to fly on the day of the crash— not scheduled to fly till May 23.. His schedule had last minute changes, when Glusica was asked to fly though he was fatigued, having just returned from a Serbian vacation.
2. Capt Glusica had landed in Mangalore two days in advance, and was plenty rested prior to flying.
Officials claim the family had opportunity to appear before the Court of Inquiry but they never came.
PILOT NOT ORIGINALLY SCHEDULED TO FLY
What: Air India Express Boeing 737-800 en route from Dubai to Mangalore
Where: Mangalore airport
When: 6:00 a.m May 22 2010
Who: Passengers include 23 children, 6 crew, 158 fatalities and 8 survivors
Capture from video posted below
What: American Airlines MD-80 en route from Dallas/Fort Worth to Norfolk Virginia
Where: DFW airport
When: June 13 2011, 6:15 pm
Who: 122 passengers and 5 crew
Why: On takeoff from Dallas/ Fort Worth , Monday’s American Airlines flight struck a flock of (20+) pigeons, damaging the cone and right wing and requiring an emergency landing. The plane had to be taken out of service for repairs, and bird part extractions. Dead birds littered the runway.
Birds can be a problem at the 29 square mile airport. Attached you can view a wildlife management news clip demonstrating a wildlife expert’s noise system used to disrupt the birds.
View more videos at: http://nbcdfw.com.
According to Dave Carson of Boeing it just takes a stray cell phone signal “in the right place at the right time” to create serious technological havoc in the cockpit, and older planes are more susceptible to interference.
What: Home built “rag bags” kit plane
Where: Nanaimo Airport, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.
When: June 4, 2011
Who: pilot Dr. Bill Phipps, 71, of Campbell River
Why: Six minutes into a planned eight minute exhibition before 1000 spectators at the Wings and Wheels air show, while supposed to be doing a four point roll, Dr. Phipps home built plane was “tail-on to the crowd and upright” and flew into the ground. A witness describes that “The right wing clipped the ground and he did a cartwheel.” Another witness said it was likely he stalled and that his wings lost lift.
Rag Bags was Phipps name for his home-built wood and fabric plane.
B.C. Ambulance and Cranberry Fire and Rescue recovered Phips, who was airlifted to Victoria General Hospital. He was in serious condition, with severe injuries but was stable Monday.
See Video here: https://airflightdisaster.com/?p=17289
On CBS, Sully Sullenberger said that we may be making air planes “too complicated” for pilots to react quickly when “things go awry.”
Sully admitted that in his famous landing on the hudson, all his speed sensors still worked. The pilots of the Air France flight were operating under massive disadvantages, flying at night, at the top of a storm,very turbulent, losing all speed reference (one of the most critical parameters of flying an airplane), leaving the pilots only the pitch and thrust settings to maintain flight.
What: Air Charter Services Pvt. Ltd Pilatus PC-12/45 en route from Jagdish Memorial Hospital to Apollo Hospital.
Where: Faridabad
When: May 25, 2011 10:45 pm
Who: 7 aboard, 3 on the ground, 10 fatalities
Why: After the pilot reported flying into bad weather, the plane transporting a patient from a Patna hospital to Apollo Hospital (Delhi) and carrying two doctors, two attendants, the pilot and the co-pilot crashed onto the rooftop of two houses in Parvatiya Colony. The plane’s nose broke off and fell to the street below. It appears that local residents may have taken the propellor and other parts of the plane. It did not carry a cockpit voice recorder or a data recorder.
After the crash, the plane and scattered medical equipment remained on the roof. The 22-year-old patient, was Rahul Raj and the plane’s crew was Dr Rajesh, Dr Arshad, Captain Harpreet, co-pilot Manpreet Kataria, Ratnesh Kumar and male nurse Cyril. Rahul and Ratnesh were cousins, and both residents of Bettiah in West Champaran. Raj, who was in a coma and on a ventilator was being transported to treat jaundice and complications of hepatitis.
In the Sehrawats house, fifty five-year-old Vedvati, her daughter Sarita (19) and daughter-in-law Rani (20) died in their house in Gali, 3 Mukesh Kunj at 10.35 pm. Because of the heat, they were on the roof at the time of the crash.
Sobharam Sehrawats, his son Deepak, and nephew Yash were injured.
The other house that was damaged (but no fatalities) was owned by 37-year-old Chittaranjan Singh.
Both the 3 residents of the house(s) and the 7 aboard the plane were burned beyond recognition.
An Indian Airlines flight to Delhi which was due to leave at the same time stayed on the tarmac at Patna instead of flying into the strong winds.
The plane disappeared from radar at 10:45 pm. It was reported that at the time of crash, strong winds were affecting planes landing at IGI airport. The DCGA is not carrying out the investigation, but it will be carried out independently.
Glider view capture news report
What: Kauai Aero Sport P&M Pegasus Quick 912S en route from Port Allen Airport, Hawaii
Where: North Shore of Kauai, 100 yards offshore near Honopu beach
When: May 17, 2011 10:53 a.m
Who: 2 aboard
Why: The ultralight belonging to Kauai Aero Sport landed in the water 100 yards off shore.
Witnesses saw the ultralight in trouble and tried to come to the aid of the two men in the crash. (see video below)
Captain Bob Butler describes hearing a (possible) aluminum strut break, and the aircraft hit the water at a 70 degree angle. They pulled the craft to the surface but not soon enough to save those aboard.
The bodies of both men were recovered as well as the wreckage. The pilot/owner of Kauai Aero Sport is Steve Sprague.
The NTSB is investigating.
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Fred Seggie
What: Vision Airlines Dornier Do-328-100 en route from Atlanta to Louisville
Where: Louisville
When: May 11th 2011, 8 pm
Who: 21 aboard
Why: After takeoff from Atlanta, the pilots experienced hydraulic problems, which they attempted to amend while en route. They announced the issue to passengers who were somewhat anxious on the way, but apparently did not panic. On approach to Louisville, a flyby revealed the landing gear was down. They continued to make a safe landing, leaving skidmarks on the runway, although without nose gear steering, they veered off the runway. After the landing, one passenger was hospitalized due to a medical condition. The runway is closed pending the investigation.
So far, there have been no answers in the question of the Chinese built Xian MA-60 Merpati Nusantara Airlines plane which killed 27 people on board when it crashed in Kaimana, West Papua. The plane was moments from landing when it crashed.
There are questions concerning state-owned Merpati Airlines, the state financing, and the planes air-worthiness. There is a local call for the Finance Ministry to publish details of the plane’s purchase.
On Thursday, the black box data of the Chinese made plane was sent to China for decoding.
The Indonesian Aviation Industry suffers from a reputation of questionable safety.
What: Continental Airlines Boeing 737-800 en route from Houston to Chicago
Where: Saint Louis
When: May 8th 2011
Who: disruptive passenger
Why: While en route, a passenger attempted to open a plane door, saying he had to get out of the plane. He was subdued and restrained, as the flight diverted to Lambert International Airport, where the passenger in question was released into police custody. Charges may be pending.
The families of Mike and Anne Harris have settled their lawsuit against Air France. Michael was 60, from Greenville, South Carolina, a graduate of Clemson University, an expert in geology and oil field operations with Devon Energy in Rio and West Africa Group. (Devon Energy is based in Oklahoma.) Ann was 54, from Lafayette. She suffered from Fibromyalgia, was Fibromyalgia Association of Houston volunteer and a physical therapist. They had been married sixteen years, by the time they booked the fatal flight; and the trip was business and pleasure, because they were going to a training seminar in Paris, and for vacation. They left behind them friends in Lafayette, Houston and Brazil where they had lived.
Mike and Anne Harris were the only Americans on the flight. According to their lawyer, the case has settled.
Crash History
The 4 year old Air France Airbus A330-200 en route from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to Paris when it went missing over the Atlantic Ocean on June 1, 2009. Two hundred sixteen passengers (including seven children and one baby, 82 women and 126 men) and 12 crew were aboard. There were two Americans and 60 French citizens were on the plane. Italy said at least three passengers were Italian.The pilot had 11,000 hours of flying experience, and 1,700 hours flying this aircraft.
The last known radio contact was an automatic message made at 0133 GMT when the plane was near the Island of Fernando de Noronha; since then, the airplane has made no radio communication. Fifteen minutes after flying through a storm and strong turbulence, there was an electrical short-circuit. Search planes left Fernando de Noronha Island looking for signs of the plane concentrating in an area 230 miles off the northeast Brazil coast. The flight left Rio at 7 p.m. and was expected in Paris on Monday at 11:15 a.m. The wreckage broke apart, the pieces scattered at sea, and the black boxes were not recovered until May 2011.
It is an interesting time to settle the case–right when the world is on the cusp of discovery of what caused the crash.
