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Contact photographer Thomas Ernst
What: Virgin Atlantic Airbus A340-300 en route from London to Miami
Where: London
When: Mar 12th 2010
Who: 231 passengers, 14 crew
Why: After takeoff, the plane was struck by lightning. Experiencing a technical problem after the lightning strike, they dumped fuel (over the coast of N. Wales) and returned to London where they made a safe landing.
Finnair flight AY-73 had to return and make an emergency landing in Helsinki, Finland, on September 22nd.
The Airbus A330-300 plane took off for Tokyo Narita Airport, Japan, but had to turn back due to an engine control problem.
The plane landed back safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
JetBlue flight B6-385 had to return and make an emergency landing in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on August 10th.
The Airbus A320-200 plane took off for Bridgetown, Barbados, but had to turn back after at least three crew members fell ill mid-air.
The plane landed back safely. All one hundred and one passengers aboard remained unharmed.
American Airlines flight AA-718 made an emergency landing in Gander, Canada, on June 30th.
The Airbus A330-300 plane flying from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Rome Fiumicino Airport, Italy, was diverted after it hit turbulence that injured a flight attendant.
The plane landed safely.
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Ryan Hothersall
What: Qantas Boeing 737-400 en route from Brisbane,QL to Melbourne,VI
Where: Brisbane
When: Nov 10th 2009
Who: 123 passengers
Why: After takeoff, the crew detected abnormal engine vibrations, and returned to Brisbane 30 minutes after departure. Passengers reported hearing a bang and seeing a flash. A replacement flight was provided.
Pictured: a Gazprom Avia Mi-8 helicopter
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact Photographer Senior
What: Gazprom Avia chartered by Lukoil Oil company Russian-built Mi-8 helicopter
Where: Volgograd
When: July 22, 2009
Who: 8 aboard: five engineers and one crew member killed. Two crewmembers survived
Why: The helicopter crashed into the ground and burst into flames. The crash is attributed to engine failure.
George’s Point of View
Maintenance, Maintenance, maintenance
A Vueling flight had to return and make an emergency landing at El Prat airport in Barcelona, Spain, on March 26.
The Airbus A320 took off for Munich, Germany, at around 6 a.m. However, just minutes later, the captain reported a burning smell on board and requested an emergency landing.
The plane landed back uneventfully. All 137 passengers aboard remained safe.
The airline accommodated the passengers in an alternate flight.
