What: Northwest Airlines Flight 423 en route from Orlando to Detroit Metro Airport
Where: Hartsfield International Airport in Atlanta
When: Monday Sept 22
Who: 181 passengers aboard–no injuries.
Why: a warning light indicated a mechanical problem. Emergency landing
What: Northwest (Delta) Airlines Airbus A320-200 en route from Raleigh Durham NC to Minneapolis,MN
Where: Raleigh Durham
When: Aug 9th 2009
Who: 148 passengers, 5 crew members
Why: After takeoff, the pilots heard a noise (bird strike) before they lost an engine. They dumped fuel and returned to the airport where they landed safely with no injuries.
We say the flight “lost an engine,” but it was significantly more dramatic than that, with the engine catching fire. Fortunately they landed safely.
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact Photographer Martin Woudstra
What: Northwest Airlines Airbus A330-300 en route from Rome Fiumicino Italy to Atlanta,GA
Where: Shannon, Ireland/Cincinnati/ Northern Kentucky
When: Jun 12th 2009
Who: 285 people on board
Why: En route, smoke developed in the cabin supposedly from the galley. On landing, Shannon fire services sprayed the right hand main gear. Passengers debarked and re-embarked. The flight reached Atlanta but after circling, weather-caused traffic congestion in Atlanta forced the flight to land in Cincinnati.
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Andreas Fietz
What: Northwest Airlines Airbus A330-300 en route from Atlanta, GA to Honolulu
Where: Oklahoma
When: Nov 14th 2009
Who: 305 on board
Why: While en route, the plane developed cabin pressurization problems, descended to 10000 feet diverting to Minneapolis,MN.
What: Northwest Airlines( Pinnacle) Canadair CRJ-200 en route from Knoxville,TN to Detroit
Where: Louisville
When: Aug 4th 2009 6 p.m
Who: 24 passengers
Why: Half an hour into the flight, the plane encountered turbulence which injured a flight attendant and a passenger. About twenty-five minutes later, the flight landed in Louisville KY where the flight attendant was hospitalized with minor injuries. The passenger received cuts and bruises which were categorized as not serious. The turbulence the flight encountered was attributed to the same storm system that was behind thunderstorms and flooding in the Kentucky area.
The rest of the passengers were placed on another flight out of Louisville.
Is it possible that pilots and airlines should actually avoid flying during severe weather conditions? I know it is an audacious thing to suggest. Human beings would much prefer to assert dominion over all things natural than to do something that would require a little common sense, especially if it would mean we actually had to wait an hour before taking off.
Appealing the Federal Aviation Administration’s revocation of their pilots’ licenses, Northwest Airlines pilots Capt. Timothy Cheney, 54, of Gig Harbor, Wash., and First Officer Richard Cole, 54, of Salem, Ore., say air traffic controllers didn’t follow FAA rules and practices and didn’t coordinate effectively with Northwest dispatchers.
On Oct. 21, their out-of-contact plane carried 144 passengers more than 100 miles past their Minneapolis destination. Over Wisconsin, contact was reestablished between the pilots and ATC. Both pilots have extensive flying experience and told investigators they had had no previous incidents or violations. Cheney was hired by Northwest in 1985 and had about 20,000 hours of flying time, about half of it in the A320. Cole had about 11,000 hours of flight time, including 5,000 hours in the A320.
In the interim, several shift changes occurred with off duty controllers failing to inform incoming controller that the plane was out of radio contact.
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Dan Hornseth
What: Northwest Airlines Boeing 757-200 en route from Guam to Tokyo Narita Japan
Where: Saipan
When: Wednesday April 15 between 4 and 5
Who: 170 + passengers
Why: When a “minor” crack was discovered on the plane’s windshield. A delay of between 16 and 17 hours is anticipated.
George’s Point of View
Irony of the day: The plane’s emergency arrival just missed Disaster Drill day at Saipan International Airport.
