Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Patric Borg
What: Ryanair Boeing 737-800 en route from Dublin (Ireland) to Nice
Where: Dublin
When: Sep 4 2010
Why: On takeoff, the flight blew a tire.
The flight diverted to Stansted where they made a safe landing. A replacement jet was provided for passengers.
Gol Airlines flight G3-5472 made an emergency landing at Sao Paulo–Guarulhos International Airport in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on October 23rd.
The plane en-route from Belo Horizonte to Sao Paulo–Congonhas Airport, Brazil, was diverted after the crew reported issues with the slats.
The plane landed uneventfully. There were 125 people aboard at the time; all of them remained safe.
The passengers were taken to Sao Paulo–Congonhas Airport via buses.
Air France flight AF-457 made an emergency landing in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on October 13th.
The Boeing 777-200 plane heading from Sao Paulo–Guarulhos International Airport, Brazil, to Charles de Gaulle Airport, France, was diverted after it encountered hail.
The plane landed uneventfully. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact Photographer Vlad Moskvin
What: Transaero Airlines Boeing 737-300 en route from Moscow Domodedovo to St. Petersburg (Russia)
Where: Moscow
When: Jul 20th 2009
Who: 41 passengers and 6 crew
Why: On takeoff, the right wing lost a 60 by 80 centimeter “leading edge fairing”. The flight continued as usual and fortunately landed safely in St. Petersburg.
The part was found on the Domodedova airport runway.
George’s Point of View
I’m sure that all of us have heard of the old saying (paraphrased from De Minimis Maxima ) the mighty oak from tiny acorns grow.
When one considers the question of pieces falling off of a plane, it seems simultaneously a tiny pointless thing and a huge issue. Consider a miniscule hole in the roof of our house is hardly worth considering; perhaps it is even invisible to the naked eye. But look what damage it causes when it rains. Somehow I don’t think “the leading edge” is like a car’s hubcap, mostly for decoration. It’s there to do something, and when that part is gone, that something is undone and will have consequences. Maybe letting in some moisture. Maybe causing corrosion down the road.
As a frequent passenger, I tend to be somewhat fatalistic about plane parts. Look, some engineer put that part there for a reason. I don’t know what that reason is, but if it’s good enough for the plane’s engineer, it is good enough for me, and I’d just as soon not fly without it. So many carriers get bad reputations based on careless maintenance of old planes, and this is just the kind of incident that gets people talking. (Old planes need MORE maintenance as they get older, just like old furniture, old machines, old cars, old people, old EVERYTHING.) Certainly Russia knows that maintenance deferred–especially on an airplane–is a recipe for disaster.
I just hope they replace the part before the little acorn of a problem grows into a great big oak tree of a pending disaster. This may be the first incident in a chain of events that unravels the whole plane.
On Oct 23, an American Airlines Boeing 757-200 en route from Port of Spain (Trinidad and Tobago) to Miami reported a fire in the cockpit, a smoking engine and a loss of fuel. With smoke in the cockpit, and a hot engine, pilots made a safe landing when they diverted to Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands.
None of the 169 passengers and 6 crew reported injury.
Some sources reported “There was no fire anywhere” but other sources say there was an engine fire. American Airlines sent a replacement flight which made it to Miami Tuesday.
What: Globus Boeing 737 en route from Chita to Moscow
Where: Perm, Russia
When: Oct 17, 2012 10:52
Who: 7 crew, 100 passengers
Why: After the right engine shut down, pilots decided to divert to Perm.
The Globus flight was made on behalf of S7.
Pilots made a safe landing in Perm with emergency services standing by. 107 were aboard. No injuries were reported.
Passengers were provided an alternative flight to Moscow.
Southwest flight 100 had to make an emergency landing at Denver International Airport, Colorado, on April 24.
The flight was en-route from Las Vegas to Milwaukee when the pilot reported a pressurization issue in the aircraft and requested an emergency landing.
The plane landed safely.
Authorities said one passenger slipped while exiting the plane and was shifted to hospital.
