Cathay Pacific flight CX-171 had to return and make an emergency landing in Hong Kong, China, on August 1st.
The Airbus A350-900 plane took off for Perth, Australia, but had to turn back due to an engine issue.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Pictured: An Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 767-3BG/ER
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Pieter-Jan Van De Vijver
What: Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 767-300 en route from Addis Ababa to Lagos
Where: Lagos Nigeria
When: Dec 13th 2009
Who: 180 passengers
Why: On approach, ATC communication failed. With air traffic control’s radar and communication radio out of service, the flight circled, and after two hours in a holding pattern, landed after declaring a fuel emergency.
Other flights also had the same experience.
Nigeria’s Airspace Management Agency NAMA was unavailable for two hours.
Pictured: A Delta Air LinesMcDonnell Douglas MD-88
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Hartsfield Photography
What: Delta Airlines McDonnell Douglas MD-88 en route from New York to Fort Lauderdale
Where: West Palm Beach
When: Dec 26th
Who: 147 on board
Why: While en route, the flight’s generator developed problems. The plane lost electrical backup and diverted to West Palm Beach.
Air India flight AI 873 had to make an emergency landing at Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport in Lucknow, India, on May 19.
The plane was heading from Bhubaneshwar to New Delhi when a bird hit it, causing a cockpit glass pane to crack. The pilot immediately reported the situation to ATC and requested an emergency landing.
The plane landed uneventfully and all 169 passengers aboard remained unharmed.
The airline arranged a replacement plane for the passengers.
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Ronald J Stella
What: United Airlines Boeing 757-200 en route from Washington DC to San Francisco,CA
Where: CHANTILLY Virginia
When: Sep 14th 2011
Who: 179 passengers and 6 crew
Why: Before taking off, while still at the airport on ramp for departure, the plane developed immediate problems.
Smoke was reported coming from the right engine. Pilots stopped, the emergency slides were deployed, and passengers, three of whom were injured on the slides, evacuated from the plane.
Emergency services were on standby. On inspection, no fire was found.
Turkish Airlines flight TK-6491 had to return and make an emergency landing in Hong Kong, China, on April 30th.
The plane took off for Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, but had to turn back due to a gear problem.
The plane landed back safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
What: Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-300 en route from Baltimore,MD to Hartford,CT
Where: Baltimore
When: Mar 22nd 2012
Who: 108 aboard
Why: On takeoff from Baltimore, the flight encountered a bird.
The bird strike damaged the #1 engine which began vibrating.
Pilots returned to Baltimore and made a safe landing. Passengers disembarked on the runway, and were ported to the terminal.
