What: Northwest Airlines Airbus A320-200 en route from Minneapolis, MN to Denver, CO
Where: Denver
When: May 4th 2009
Why: Resulting in (or from) 3.3G acceleration, the Airbus tail struck the ground. Damage was substantial/
George’s Point of View
What?? Was the pilot in training??
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Contact Photographer Ole Simon
What: Iberia Airbus A340-600 en route from San Jose to Madrid
Where: Santo Domingo
When: Sep 14th 2009
Who: passenger identified as Maurer David Charles experienced a medical emergency
Why: In flight, the passenger became ill, necessitating an emergency landing, and immediate trip to the hospital where it was found by ex ray that he had swallowed bags of drugs.
The passenger is facing criminal charges.
George’s Point of View
What is it that they say…Crime doesn’t pay? They’re right.
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Contact photographer Dan Miclea
What: Virgin America Airbus en route from San Francisco to New York City
Where: Grand Junction Colorado
When: September 8, 2011, 2:00 a.m.
Who: 111 passengers and 6 crew
Why: While en route, the Virgin America flight experienced problems, described by one passenger as “the engine quit” and by another as “a giant flame from the engine.” While en route, passengers were awakened by a loud noise, and according to one passenger, flight attendants rushed to the cockpit.
Pilots shut the engine down and continued the flight. Individuals with military experience were asked to assist in case of emergency.
(We don’t usually get this much detail, but it is clear that the passengers were terrified. Pilots always say these huge jets with multiple engines are built to fly without one, in case of emergency; but personally I can relate more to the anxiety of the passengers than the confidence of pilots in their machines. Though one has to admit, knowing a pilot confident in his plane is flying is more comforting to a passenger than a pilot who is hysterical.)
Pilots explained the situation to the passengers. Forty minutes later landed safely in Grand Junction.
Passengers were provided hotel accommodation, $150 for another flight, and another flight was provided within ten hours. The incident is under investigation.
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Contact photographer Michael Brazier-Aviation-Images
What: Air France Airbus A340-300 en route from Paris to Bogota
Where: Guadeloupe
When: Mar 11th 2012
Who: 224
Why: While en route, a valve of the anti-ice system failed. Pilots diverted to Guadeloupe, where they stayed long enough to make repairs, before continuing on to Bogota less than four hours late.
Germania Flug flight GM-3023 had to return and make an emergency landing in Hurghada, Egypt, on March 4th.
The Airbus A319-100 plane took off for Zurich, Switzerland, but had to turn back due to issues with one of the engine computers.
The plane landed back safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Pictured: Air Asia Airbus A320
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Contact Photographer T.Laurent
What: Air Asia Airbus A320 en route from Kuala Lumpur to Macao
Where: Macao International Airport
When: 2009 08 24
Who: 148 passengers
Why: While en route, a warning light signaled that the emergency door was open
The plane made a safe landing. Apparently the warning message went off in error on a securely locked door.
George’s Point of View
The issue here is not simply a warning light. It is the fact that warning lights on aircraft are crucial, life-saving equipment and cannot afford to fail. A warning that goes off for no reason may cause the “boy who cried wolf” syndrome (i.e. let’s ignore it because that warning always goes off;) or it can indicate some mechanical underpining that is faulty (loose wire, blown gasket); or a miniscule software error that could range in significance from mundane to catastrophic.
So let’s hope that maintenance looks at that door until they determine exactly what did happen to cause the warning to go off. Because the only way to prevent problems in the future is to pin down every issue now, before it escalates into another Airbus disaster.
Korean Air flight KE-51 made an emergency landing in Seoul, South Korea, on November 29th.
The Airbus A330-300 plane took off for Honolulu, Hawaii, but had to turn back after the crew noticed a cabin pressure problem.
The plane landed uneventfully. All one hundred and twenty-eight passengers aboard remained safe.
