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Contact photographer Danny Fritsche
What: Continental Airlines/Colgan Air Saab 340B en route from Houston to Shreveport
Where: Lufkin Texas
When: May 17th 2010
Why: While en route, the flight encountered turbulence. One injured passenger remained aboard until a safe landing at Shreveport.
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Contact photographer Gilbert Hechema
What: First Air Boeing 737-210C en route from Yellow Knife to Resolute
Where: near Resolute Airport, Nunavut, Canada
When: August 20, 2011
Who: 4 crew, 11 passengers, 12 fatalities
Why: On approach to Resolute Bay Airport, the plane impacted the hillside. The wreckage was found five miles from the airport.
Three survivors were recovered. There were twelve fatalities, including the entire crew. Two survivors (a seven year old and a 48 year old) were taken to Ottawa hospital, and the third (a 23 year old woman) is reported to be stable at Qikiqtani General Hospital in Iqaluit where all of the survivors were originally taken. Two forensic teams are on the scene (one to identify the bodies, and one for accident investigation), and the black boxes have been recovered.
The weather at the time of the crash was he weather was rainy with a low cloud ceiling, and reported to be patchy fog. A mock rescue military exercise was going on with 700 military personnel when the crash was reported. They responded to the crash with helicopters and medical personnel. Eleven RCMP personnel were also part of the rescue unit. The senior administrative officer, Ralph Alexander, said it wasn’t foggy enough in Resolute at the time of the crash to have caused the accident, and that planes landed there in worse visibility. However there have been reports of locals hearing the impact but not seeing anything because of dense fog. The charred wreckage is in three parts with smaller plane parts and remains scattered.
The crash site is less than two kilometres west of Resolute, a small tight-knit community with many individuals directly affected by the twelve fatalities.
The passenger manifest has not yet been made public but the owner of South Camp Inn, Aziz (Ozzie) Kheraj, reportedly lost a granddaughter on the crash, and one survived.
First Air held a news conference at in Kanata, Ontario on Sunday at 11 a.m. ET.
Transport Canada issued the following release:
At approximately 12:30 EST, First Air Flight 6560 from Yellowknife to Resolute Bay crashed on approach to Resolute Bay. There were 15 passengers on board. At this time, 12 people are thought to be dead and three injured. Our thoughts go out to those affected by this tragic accident.
Transport Canada has appointed a Minister’s Observer, who will keep TC informed of the investigation’s progress. We will cooperate fully with the Transportation Safety Board who is currently on site investigating this accident.
The Canadian Armed Forces are in Resolute Bay for Exercise Operation Nanook 2011 and are responding in support of emergency operations to the situation.
Contacts:
Media Relations
Transport Canada, Ottawa
613-993-0055
First Air published this:
On Sunday August 21, 2011, First Air Vice President of Marketing and Sales, Chris Ferris, made the following statement to the media from the First Air Head Office in Kanata:
As you are aware, yesterday at 12:40pm First Air experienced a tragic loss of
charter flight 6560. We are deeply saddened by this tragedy and offer our sincere condolences to the families.
The details we have at this time are as follows: a First Air Boeing 737-200 combi travelling from Yellowknife to Resolute Bay, went down 5 miles from the airport. The flight was carrying 11 passengers and four crew. There were 12 fatalities including all four crew members.
Our first priority has been contacting and looking after the families of passengers and crew. Out of respect for the passengers, our crew, and their families, we are not releasing any names or passenger details.
The three injured passengers were Medivac’d to Iqaluit for further treatment last evening. Two of the three passengers have since been moved to Ottawa, while the third remains in Iqaluit in stable condition.
At this time the cause of the accident is unknown. The Transportation Safety Board is conducting their investigation and First Air is cooperating fully.
Our thoughts and focus are with the families and friends of the passengers and crew; and the community of Resolute Bay. Field teams including counsellors, have been deployed to provide support in Resolute Bay, Yellowknife and other main stations in our network.
We would like to thank the Canadian Military whose on-site presence and immediate response was instrumental in the rescue efforts.
We will be providing further updates as they become available.
Afriqiyah Flight 771 crash release
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Contact photographer Mika B Virolainen
May 12, 2010 in Crisis Update
( We are very sorry to announce the tragic loss of Afriqiyah airways flight 8U 771 from Johannesburg in an accident during landing at Tripoli international airport at 04:00 UTC. (06:00 am Tripoli time) today Wednesday, May 12. We extend our deepest sympathy to the families and friends of the victims. The search and rescue mission has now been completed and casualties have been moved to various hospitals. The secretariat of health will issue a statement on the condition of those casualties.
At this moment we cannot speculate further and will relay to you all factual information as we receive them.
Parties seeking information on passengers should contact:
From Libya: 0213341181
International: +44 203 3552737
We would like to inform the passenger’s relatives of the ill-fated Afriqiyah flight 8U 771 on May 12, 2010 that all assistance will be offered to them if they wish to travel to Tripoli – tickets, accommodation, and visa will be granted upon arrival in Tripoli.
There will be no need for the Arabic translation of passport usually required.
From Libya: 0213341181
International: +44 203 3552737
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Contact photographer John Richard Thomson
What: Jetstar Airbus A330 en route from Denpasar Bali to Melbourne
Where: Adelaide
When: Dec 19 2010,
Who: 226 passengers, 11 crew
Why: While en route, the right engine developed problems. Pilots announced to the passengers that they were experiencing engine problems.
The flight diverted to Adelaide and made a safe landing. Four hours after landing, passengers were provided alternative flights. However yesterday, weather in Australia also caused problems in Melbourne, including travel delays and at least one lightning strike.
Qantas has owned the jet since 2008, although it is new to the Jetsar fleet.
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Contact photographer Fred Seggie
What: Thomson Boeing 767-300, en route from Manchester to to Punta Cana Dominican Republic
Where: Bermuda
When: Occurred:Nov 5th 2010
Sentenced: Aug 19th 2011
Who: 45 year old British Citizen
Why: While Charity worker Carol Close’s flight had been delayed for 30 hours in Manchester with technical problems, the depressed woman passed the time by drinking beer and two mixed drinks. Probably not a good idea.
Six hours into the November 5, 2010 flight, the woman attacked her husband and other individuals aboard the flight. Her husband moved to another seat to get away from her, and Close then bit and kicked a flight attendant (or two) who attempted to restrain her. Then she started yelling.
The captain diverted to Bermuda where Carol Close was arrested.
On Aug 19th 2011, Close pleaded guilty to “two charges of assault and one of affray.”
British Court sentenced her to a suspended 6-months jail term, £2700 British Pounds. (£200 compensation to cabin crew, plus £2,476 to Bermuda Police)
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Contact photographer Tomasz Zylowski
What: BMI Airbus A330-200 en route from Jeddah to Riyadh
Where: Riyadh
When: Sep 13th 201
Who: 84 passengers
Why: On approach to Riyadh, the plane suffered a bird strike which damaged the nose of the plane. The pilot managed a safe landing, but subsequently, the vehicle was consigned to maintenance for repairs.
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Contact photographer Alastair T. Gardiner
The report from Lebanon on the January 2010 crash of ET409 has been rejected by Ethiopia Airlines. It is not surprising that they would reject it as the report blames Ethiopian airlines; specifically they cite the probable cause of the crash as being “the flight crew’s mismanagement” and “a failure in basic piloting skills,” and that the pilot flew 188 hours in 51 days with minimum rest.
The crew ate during their Beirut stop, and complained they could not sleep afterwards.
Ethiopian Airlines claims the government withheld information, and claim the plane exploded.
No sign of fire or explosion were detected in the wreckage
