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Contact photographer Mark Kryst
What: Flair Airlines Boeing 737-400 en route from Stephenville to St. John’s
Where: St. Johns
When: Dec 15th 2009
Who: not available
Why: While on approach, the flight developed a flaps problem and performed a go around. The crew landed the plane safely a quarter of an hour later with no complications.
Thomson Airways flight TOM2334 made an emergency landing at Larnaca International Airport, Cyprus at 9:00 P.M. on July 8.
The Boeing 767-300, travelling from Manchester, UK, to Larnaca, Cyprus, had to declare an emergency after it experienced short-term air turbulence.
Among the 328 passengers and 10 crew members aboard, 4 crew members sustained injuries.
The injured were taken to hospital.
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Contact photographer David Roura – Iberian Spotters
What: Delta Airlines Boeing 767-300 en route from NY to Moscow
Where: New York
When: Nov 21, 2010
Who: 193 passengers, one of whom was Leonardo DiCaprio
Why: Immediately after takeoff, the plane “lost” the left engine. (I am assuming the pilot shut it down. In spite of alarmist NYT twitters, there was no fire.) A flash on takeoff, and a flame out and smoke were reported by separate crews. The plane had to dump fuel and returned less than an hour later to land in NY with a hundred rescue crew on hand for what appears to be a routine handling of a possible stall.
EVERETT, Wash., April 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Boeing (NYSE: BA) announced today that all test requirements were successfully met during the 787 Dreamliner’s ultimate load wing and fuselage bending test. This follows a thorough analysis of the results from a test on the 787 static test airframe.
“Successfully completing this test is a critical step in the certification of the 787. This is further validation that the 787 performs as expected, even in the most extreme circumstances,” said Scott Fancher, vice president and general manager of the 787 program for Boeing Commercial Airplanes.
On March 28, loads were applied to the test unit to replicate 150 percent of the most extreme forces the airplane is ever expected to experience while in service. The wings were flexed upward by approximately 25 feet (7.6 meters) during the test and the fuselage was pressurized to 150 percent of its maximum normal operating condition.
In evaluating the success criteria for the test, Boeing specialists have been poring over the thousands of data points collected during the test to ensure that all parts of the airplane performed as expected.
“The airframe performed as designed and retained the required structural integrity. These results continue to validate the design of the 787 as we move toward certification,” explained Fancher.
Video of the static test can be found below:
Pictured: UA Boeing 767-322
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Contact photographer Daniel Nicholson
What: United Airlines Boeing 767 en route from London to Washington D.C.
Where: Bangor International Airport
When: Wednesday April 1
Who: 178 passengers
Why: When the pilot reported smoke in the cockpit, the plane was granted permission to land at Bangor International, which it did, safely.
George’s Point of View
I worry about all emergency landings, I’ve experienced just one.
When I see a United doing an emergency landing for any reason, my skin creeps because I fly United all the time. No pun intended.
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Contact photographer Juan_BOG
What: Aires Boeing 737-700 en route from Bogota to San Andrés Island Colombia
Where: Gustavo Rojas Pinilla International Airport on the Colombian island of San Andres
When: August 15 2010, 2:15 a.m.
Who: 131 aboard, 6 crew, 4 minors, 121 adult passengers
Why: Prior to touchdown, the plane was struck by lightning (11 strikes recorded within 6 miles of the runway within a five-minute span of the crash)
According to Colombian media sources, Colombian aviation inspectors blame the pilot for not “adjusting” to flying in the high wind due to flying in too low an altitude.
The plane crashed and broke into three pieces. 115 were injured and one died; Maria Camila Angarita was a second casualty when she died in the hospital.
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Contact photographer Mark H
What: Qantas Boeing 747 en route from Johannesburg to Australia
Where: Johannesburg
When: Nov 16, 2010, 7:20 p.m.
Who: 171 passengers
Why: After takeoff around 6pm, the Qantas jet—reportedly the same plane which turned back from Sydney to Buenos Aires on Nov 15 2010_ingested a bird into the number 2 engine,which caused a drop in power. The pilot made an emergency landing (80 minutes after takeoff) in Johannesburg with emergency vehicles on standby.
Passengers will be provided hotel accommodations and are expected to have flight accommodations on one of three options within 24 hours.
The damage to the number 2 engine is said to be limited to a turbine blade.
While it is no doubt that the media is overreacting to the current series of Qantas incidents, the airline’s reputation of being the world’s safest airline should be untarnished. Consider how their fleet is being squeezed by having to pull six A380 superjumbos because of the engine problem that Rolls Royce admits is their problem.
The rest of Qantas fleet must be scrambling to make up for the temporary loss of the A380s. Such is the perfect scenario-pushing the remaining fleet to the max-that will inevitably stress the “weakest links,” should there be any.
But a bird strike is a routine event, routine in the sense of being an inevitable phenomenon. Bird strikes happen. And when they do, so far, the Qantas pilots have been able to handle every contingency.
