What: British Airways Boeing 747-400 en route from Mumbai to London Where: Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport When: Thursday Oct 1 2009 Who: 207 passengers Why: Half an hour after takeoff, the fire alarm went off in the cockpit. The plane immediately returned to the airport, landing an hour after takeoff. Passengers debarked safely.
The only heat maintenance found was hot brakes.
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What: KLM Boeing 737-300 en route from Amsterdam to Warsaw Where: Amsterdam When: Feb 10 2010 Why: After being cleared to take off on one runway, the flight actually took off from the taxiway. No incident ensued, and the flight continued to its destination.
Amsterdam Schiphol airport is reportedly supposed to be a confusing airport which recently changed its runway markings; and at the time of incident, it was sunset, and had supposedly snowed, which may have obscured the yellow taxiway/white runway distinctions, although there was good visibility. Hopefully the investigation will be used to make negotiating the runways safer.
What: Alrosa Mirny Air Tupolev TU-154M en route from Yakutia/Polyarny to Moscow Where: Komi republic, at the Izhma airport When: Sep 7th 2010 Who: 72 passengers, three children, nine crew members Why: Four hours into the flight, the plane suffered an on board power system failure. The plane suffered a complete failure of electrical power resulting in loss of navigation devices, fuel pumps and leaving the pilots with no knowledge of available fuel.
The pilot had to make an emergency immediate landing in the Komi republic, at the Izhma airport. The Izhma airport is normally used for helicopters in military operations, but it is a former 1200 meter airport runway. The plane overran the runway into a wooded area and was substantially damaged.
No passengers were hurt. They disembarked via slide in the forested area. The slide has seen better days. It is either third-hand, or has been used frequently.
The Komi Republic is arranging for transportation of passengers from Izhma to Ukhta (which is the nearest airport) by helicopter. On arrival in Ukhta, passengers will board a replacement flight and continue to Moscow
It appears that the carrier will leave the damaged plane where it sits, as it can not take off.
George’s Point of View
What an extraordinary feat to that plane safely. Imagine having no knowledge of how much fuel was left, or even if it would be accessible, with nowhere to land but on a helicopter landing strip, without power, with no way to brake. A harrowing ride, and some brilliant snap decisions on the part of the crew.
China Southern Airlines flight CZ6316, had to make an emergency landing at Beijing Capital International Airport in China, on April 14.
The flight was heading from Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province to Shenyang, Liaoning Province, when a passenger, Li, started convulsing and vomiting. The pilot informed the authorities and requested an emergency landing in Beijing.
The plane landed safely after which, Li was immediately shifted to hospital.
The flight resumed shortly afterwards.
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What: Merpati Nusantara Airlines Boeing 737-400 en route from Biak to Ujung Pandang, Indonesia Where: Biak When: Jul 6th 2009 Who: 110 passengers and 6 crew Why: On take off, the left main wheel (rolled or fell? entire wheel or tire?) was lost. After takeoff, the plane burned off fuel and landed safely (even without the wheel), apparently without substantial damage, as the plane reportedly resumed the flight 24 hours later.
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Emirates flight EK-432 had to divert and make an emergency landing in Adelaide, Australia, on September 7th.
Cathay Pacific flight CX-301 made an emergency landing in Dublin, Ireland, on July 28th.
