Luftfahrtgesellschaft Walter (LGW) flight AB-6478 blew a main tire upon landing in Saarbruecken, Germany, on August 29th.
The incident happened when the plane was coming from Berlin, Germany.
The plane safely taxied to the apron. Everyone aboard remained unharmed.
American Airlines flight AA-1090 had to divert and make an emergency landing at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Atlanta, Georgia, on April 29th.
The Boeing 757-200, flying from Miami, Florida, to Chicago, Illinois, was mid-air when the crew notice a crack in its windshield, prompting to divert in emergency.
The plane landed uneventfully.
All passengers and crew members onboard remained unharmed.
The passengers were accommodated in a replacement plane.
Allegiant Air Flight 872 made an emergency landing in Birmingham, Alabama, on February 12.
The plane took off from St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport, Florida, and was en-route to Eppley Airfield in Omaha, Nebraska, when the crew reported an electrical odor in the cabin and requested an emergency landing.
The plane landed uneventfully. All 153 passengers and 6 crew members remained safe.
The plane was taken for inspection.
American Airlines flight 199 had to make an emergency landing at Heathrow Airport, London, England, on November 28.
The Boeing 767-300, en-route from Milan–Malpensa Airport, Italy, to John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York, had to be diverted after its windshield shattered midair.
The plane landed safely. There were 183 passengers and 12 crew members aboard at the time; all of them remained unhurt.
The airline accommodated passengers in other flights.
The incident is being investigated.
Jeju Air flight 7C-3402 had to make an emergency landing at Iwo Jima Airbase in Iwo Jima, Japan, on March 4th.
The plane was en-route from Seoul, South Korea, to Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands, when the crew shut down right hand engine due to severe vibrations and requested an emergency landing.
The plane landed safely. There were 131 people aboard at the time; all of them remained unhurt.
Los Angeles – International approaching Sepulveda
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Sandro Mederle
What: Qantas Airbus A380-800 en route from Singapore to Sydney
Where: Sydney
When: Mar 31st 2010
Who: 244 passengers
Why: On landing, the plane blew its left tires; and there were sparks and and a brief fire from the brakes. The plane left a rubber trail. Damage assessment was made on the tarmac by engineers, with the plane sitting on its rims.
Qantas denies classifying this as an “emergency” landing.
I’m thinking how smart Boeing is to have held up release of their big jumbo, especially when I see A 380 incidents.
I am reminded of all the flaws that popped in the Airbus A310 (reputedly a rush copy of the Boeing 737); and I also remember reading about Airbus struggling to get the A-380 shipshape before Airbus rushed it to market. In development, Airbus wrestled with a plane that was severely overweight, withstructural, and production problems. Remember the trouble the A-380 had getting launched:
I can think of 3 other A380 incidents. Feb of this year, Air France A380-861 (F-HPJA) had fuel system issues that turned back a New York-Paris flight. A380 muss wegen Problemen mit Treibstoffsystem umkehren
On Dec 4 2009, QANTAS Airbus A380-842 (VH-OQA) Singapore to London- On the runway, the plane’s nose gear became unsteereable. The plane was towed to the gate and spare parts had to be flown in to deal with the problem.
On July 4 2009, Qantas Airbus A380-842 (VH-OQA) Singapore to London- the approach was aborted due to nosegear problems. On landing, steering failed.
In March of 2008, Qantas removed all 3 of its A-380s due to fuel system problems (two unserviceable with a ‘”fuel tank indication system problem”.)
The A380 is a part of the Air France, Emirates, Qantas and Singapore airlines fleets , and in which fuel gauge problems, nosegear problems and braking problems are becoming known issues. Problems also arise because the prohibitive size of the plane limits where it can land.
Some Worrisome Airbus History
In 2004, Joseph Mangan, an Airbus whistleblower told European aviation authorities of flaws on a computer chip on the Airbus A380. (These were microprocessor flaws that could cause the valves that maintain cabin pressure on the A380 to accidentally open during flight, allowing air to leak out so rapidly that everyone aboard could lose consciousness within seconds.)
Mangan was chief engineer for the Viennese company TTTech Computertechnik, which supplied the chips and software controlling the A380 cabin-pressurization system assembled at the French Airbus plant. TTTech fired Mangan, filed civil and criminal charges against him for revealing proprietary company documents. Austrian law has no whistleblower protection, and there is currently a gag order imposed on Mangan. They claim his allegations have been disproved.
What did he know? Have the problems behind his concerns been addressed? What else do we not know? Without transparency, how can we ever know?
Aero Contractors flight NG-316 had to make an emergency landing in Lagos, Nigeria, on April 18th.
The plane flying from Port Harcourt, Nigeria, declared an emergency after smoke was noticed in the cabin.
The plane continued for a safe landing. There were 52 people aboard at the time; all of them remained unharmed.
Nigeria’s Civil Aviation Authority is investigating the incident.