Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Justin Idle
What: Delta Airlines Boeing 737-800 en route from Santo Domingo to New York
Where: Santo Domingo
When: Nov 20th 2009
Who: 142 passengers
Why: About to take-off, the plane had two flat tires, and had to be towed. Passengers debarked, the flight was cancelled; and the airline provided hotel accommodations for the passengers.
Pictured: A Turkish Airlines Airbus A340
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Contact photographer Johan Knijn
What: Turkish Airlines Airbus A340-300 en route from Istanbul Turkey to Beijing China
Where: Istanbul
When: Dec 11
Who: not available
Why: After takeoff, the airbus was unable retract the gear, and had to turn around and return to the airport to make an emergency landing. The flight’s initial takeoff had been delayed for a day, and after landing, it was another eight and a half hours before it was able to take off again.
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Contact photographer Max Bryansky
What: Air India Boeing 747-437 to Copenhagen
Where: Indira Gandhi International Airport
When: Dec 17, 2009 2:30 pm
Who: Prime Minister
Why: While on the tarmac, the Boeing 747 “Agra” was struck by a food delivery vehicle.
The plane involved in the incident was the Indian Prime Minister’s plane. Subsequent to the incident, the Prime Minister departed from Delhi on an alternate plane.
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Contact photographer Thomas Posch
What: Azza Transport Boeing 707-300 freighter on behalf of the Sudan Airways en route from Sharjah, United Arab Emirates to Khartoum, Sudan
Where: Sharjah
When: Oct 21st 2009
Who: 6 crew
Why: It is speculated that the plane had flaps problems that contributed to the flight crashing not long after takeoff. Witnesses say the plane first lost parts first, then it lost height, then veered to the right and into the ground.
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Mehdi Nazarinia
What: Qantas Airbus A330-200 en route from Sydney to Melbourne
Where: Sydney
When: Mar 6th 2012
Why: The flight was taking off when the plane suffered a bird strike. Passengers inside the plane heard a “bang” and an engine began vibrating.
Pilots the plane safely in Sydney, where passengers disembarked and waited less than three hours for a replacement plane.
Passengers commended the Qantas crew for handling the situation efficiently.
One gets the impression that a Qantas flight crew emergency response is the direct opposite of the chaotic endangerment response of the Costa Concordia (cruise) crew. Not at all the same situation, and yet, in many ways, similar. In both situations, the lives of the passengers are dependent on the efficiency and emergency response of the captain and crew.
Royal Brunei Airlines flight BI-3 made an emergency landing in Vienna, Austria, on November 7th.
The Boeing 787-800 plane heading from Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei, to Heathrow Airport, England, was diverted after the crew needed to shut down one of the engines due to an oil leak.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Delta Airlines flight 17 had to make an emergency landing at Seattle–Tacoma International Airport, Washington, on October 26th.
The plane took off for Hong Kong, China, but had to turn back after an indicator light went off.
The plane landed safely at Sea-Tac Airport where the fire trucks hosed down the brakes with water.
Everyone aboard remained safe.
