Qantas Airways flight QF-9 had to divert and make an emergency landing in Muscat, Oman, on March 25th.
The Airbus A380-800 plane en-route from Melbourne, Australia, to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, was diverted due to bad weather conditions in Dubai.
As the plane was on approach to Muscat, it was hit by a bird. The crew continued for a safe landing.
Everyone aboard remained unharmed.
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact Photographer Sergio Domingos
What: jet2.com Boeing 757-200 en route from Tel Aviv Israel to Manchester
Where: Budapest (Hungary)
When: Aug 6th 2009
Who: 238 passengers
Why: Four hours into the flight, the flight developed pressurization problems. The pilot dropped altitude suddenly, described as experiencing turbulence and “plummeting thousands of feet.” Oxygen was deployed. The pilot made assurances, but of course the passengers were terrified.
The flight landed safely when it diverted to Budapest, and passengers were put up in a local hotel until a replacement flight was provided for them.
George’s Point of View
We need a better system to see turbulence in time to avoid it. Until we have it, airline operators are just going to need to accept the cost factor.
Going around turbulence is a fact of aviation, and avoiding turbulence is going to cost extra fuel. Sometimes you have to wonder if our present systems are working when flights are routed through known turbulence in order to avoid the expense of going around it. Those are the kind of foolish economical decisions made by those kinds of marginal airlines that are banned in the EU, and one of the reasons they are known to fall out of the sky.
At least our Jet 2 pilot here, had the skill to handle the situation, and a plane sturdy enough to withstand the pressures long enough to safeguard the lives of those aboard.
United Airlines flight 1074 had to return for an emergency landing at Washington Dulles International Airport, Virginia, on March 16.
The flight, en-route from Washington Dulles International Airport to Denver International Airport, had to make a U-turn, after a passenger approached the cockpit yelling “jihad, jihad”. One of the pilots then contacted the airport authorities saying, “He ran forward towards the cockpit, and he is being restrained by passengers… Cockpit is secure, and we would like to return to the airport and have the authorities meet him.”
The plane, carrying 33 passengers and 6 crew members, landed uneventfully. No one was harmed.
According to a Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority spokesperson, “A passenger was removed from the plane and transported to a local hospital for evaluation.”
The airline said the passengers were transported to their destination on March 17.
A Blue Air flight made an emergency landing in Constanta, Romania, on January 20th.
The plane heading from Larnaca, Cyprus, to Bucharest, Romania, was diverted due to an issue with the wing flaps.
The plane landed safely. All one hundred and nine people aboard remained unharmed.
Air Arabia flight G9-522 had to divert and make an emergency landing in Kolkata, India, on April 6th.
The Airbus A320-200 plane heading from Chittagong, Bangladesh, to Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, was diverted after smoke was noticed in the cockpit.
The plane landed safely. There were 164 passengers and 17 crew members aboard at the time; all of them remained unharmed.
What: Delta Airlines Boeing 767-300ER en route from Atlanta to
Where: Atlanta
When: August 25, 2012
Who: 180 aboard
Why: After take-off, the plane developed problems with the leading-edge slats, which could not be retracted. Pilots returned to Atlanta where the flight maintained for 3.5 hours at 10,000ft, dumped and burn-off fuel.
At 23:10, the flight made a slats-but-no-flaps landing, after which passengers disembarked. There were no injuries. Passengers were provided an alternative flight.
Air New Zealand flight NZ-605 made an emergency landing in Christchurch, New Zealand, on May 20th.
The Airbus A320-200 plane heading from Wellington to Queenstown, New Zealand, was diverted due to a lightning strike.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
