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.
Cham Wings Airlines flight 6Q-651 veered off runway after landing at Khartoum International Airport, Sudan, on August 19th.
The incident happened when the Airbus A320-200 plane was coming from Damascus, Syria.
No injuries were reported.
A Piper PA-28 plane crashed near the Diavolezza mountain in Switzerland, on August 4th.
The incident happened when the plane was transporting three teenagers who were participating in a week-long youth camp organized by Swiss Aero Club.
Three people, including the pilot and two 14-year old boys were killed in the crash. A 17-year-old girl was injured and was flown to a hospital in serious condition.
The cause of crash is being investigated.
A Norwegian Air Shuttle plane overran the end of the runway after landing in Helsinki, Finland, on July 11th.
The incident happened when the Boeing 737-800 plane was performing flight DY-4287 from Stockholm, Sweden.
There were one hundred and sixty-six people aboard at the time; all of them remained unharmed.
A small plane crashed on Piney Hill Road in Chatsworth, Georgia, on July 1st.
The incident happened when the twin-engine Piper PA-23 plane was carrying four people.
Authorities said all four occupants of the plane were killed in the crash.
The incident is being investigated.
Jet2 flight LS-917 burst two tires on landing at Tenerife South Airport, Spain, on June 27th.
The incident happened when the Airbus A330-200 plane was coming from Manchester, England.
There were three hundred and twenty passengers and eleven crew members aboard at the time; all of them remained unharmed.
Turkish Airlines flight TK-1045 overran runway while landing at Henri Coanda International Airport, Romania, on June 22nd.
The incident happened when the Airbus A321-200 plane was coming from Istanbul, Turkey.
There were one hundred and seventy-six people aboard at the time; none of them were injured.
Ural Airlines flight U6-261 overran runway while landing at Koltsovo Airport, Russia, on June 15th.
The incident happened when the Airbus A320-200 plane flying from Domodedovo International Airport, Russia, was attempting to land during heavy rain.
The plane was carrying eighty-one people at the time; all of them remained uninjured.
A Malaysia Airlines Boeing 737-800 plane burst a tire on landing in Jakarta, Indonesia, on June 13th.
The incident happened when flight MH-725 was coming from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The plane became disabled on the runway and was towed to the apron.
All passengers and crew members remained uninjured.
Air India flight AI-821 overran the runway during landing at Jammu Airport, India, on June 9th.
The incident happened when the Airbus A320-200 plane was coming from Delhi, India.
There were one hundred and thirty-four people aboard at the time; all of them remained uninjured.
The airline said the plane burst a tire on landing.
TAROM flight RO-207 veered off the runway while landing at Chisinau International Airport, Moldova, on June 4th.
The incident happened when the plane was coming from Henri Coanda International Airport, Romania.
There were 39 people aboard at the time; all of them remained uninjured.
A Summit Air freight flight crashed on the runway of Tenzing–Hillary Airport, Lukla, Chaurikharka, Nepal, on May 27th.
The Let L-410 flying from Kathmandu, Nepal, was about to land when it hit a tree near the runway and hit the land. The incident happened due to fog.
The aircraft sustained technical problems.
Captain and the first officer were killed in the crash. All three crew members sustained injuries.
The incident remains under investigation.
An Aeromexico plane collided with a service truck after landing in Los Angeles, California, on May 20th.
The incident happened when flight AM-642 from Mexico City, Mexico, was taxiing toward the terminal at Los Angeles airport.
The truck overturned due to impact. There were eight people aboard, including six men and two women; all of them were injured.
The Boeing 737-800 plane, carrying 149 people, sustained minor damage.
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.
A Skippers Aviation plane made an emergency landing in Meekatharra, Australia, on April 18th.
The plane took off for Leinster, Australia, but had to turn back after the crew needed to shut down one of the engines.
The plane landed back safely. Everyone aboard remained safe.
Australia’s TSB is investigating the incident.
Daily Air flight DA-7511 veered off runway after landing in Orchid Island, Taiwan, on April 13th.
The incident happened when the plane was coming from Taitung, Taiwan.
There were 17 passengers and 2 crew members aboard at the time; none of them were injured.
The plane sustained considerable damage.
The incident is being investigated.
A small plane crashed near Franklin Municipal–John Beverly Rose Airport in Virginia, on December 10th.
The plane had just taken off from the airport when the pilot reported engine issues and decided to return.
However, the aircraft could not make it back to the airport and went down around 100 yards off Route 258.
There were two people aboard at the time, including the pilot Linda Mathias, 75, and passenger Paul L. Ruehrmund, 69. Both of them sustained minor injuries in the incident and were taken to Southampton Memorial Hospital.
Egypt Air flight MS-875 was evacuated while it was boarding at Cairo International Airport, Egypt, on October 2nd.
The plane bound for Lagos, Nigeria, was boarding when a fire alarm went off for a cargo hold.
The passengers were asked to deplane quickly which triggered a stampede.
Three passengers were injured in the incident and were taken to hospital.
Just like it happens with cars, obscure plane parts wear out. Take for example an incident that happened in 2008, when a 747 cable burned out after the protective covering was worn off due to friction against a bolt.
Take a look at this final report on this 747 smoke event on Eva Airways Flight BR67 at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi International Airport.
Prior to this event, Boeing had sent out a service Letter to inform operators of the potential fire hazard from the arcing of a wire bundle which might result in a fire on Corrosion Inhibiting Compound (CIC) contaminated insulation blankets. They predicted it. It happened.
So as we think about Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. There is always the possibility that some small component like the one below failed, and led to something catastrophic. What if the pilots were overcome by smoke in the cabin? I am not saying that this DID happen, I am only saying there are myriad small parts that can lead to catastrophic events. It makes sense to look at any and all Boeing 777 safety advisories, in case they might predict some small event that cascaded into disaster.
Thanks to input from John King.