Italy

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    5 Crew Members Fell Sick; US Airways Flight Made Emergency Landing in Ireland

    US AirwaysUS Airways Flight 715 en route from Venice, Italy to Philadelphia had to be diverted to Dublin Airport, Ireland for making an emergency landing on May 19 because five of its crew members and one passenger fell sick midair.

    The Airbus A330-200 had 238 passengers and 12 crew members on board at the time of the incident.

    This was the second incident in two weeks when a US Airways flight has been forced to make an emergency landing after its crew members fell sick. Earlier, another US Airways flight on the same route had to be diverted to the same airport in Ireland nine days ago on May 10.

    The causes of sickness is not yet known. The sickness symptoms included nausea, watery eyes and dizziness, as per health officials in Ireland.

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    Crack in Outer Window Prompts SAS Flight to Land in Emergency

    Cracked windowA Scandinavian Airlines flight had to make ab emergency landing after a passenger noticed that the aircraft had a cracked window.

    The incident happened on May 16, when the flight SK-4718 was on its way from Milan, Italy to Oslo, Norway. The pilot then requested emergency protocol for landing in Frankfurt, Germany.

    The plane touched down at 09:03 UTC. All passengers and crew members were safely evacuated. A ferry later transported the Boeing 737-600 aircraft to Oslo for examination.

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    Convictions Stand in Milan Airport Crash

    Convictions Stand in Milan Airport Crash
    4 hours ago

    ROME (AP) — Italy’s top criminal court on Wednesday upheld prison sentences for five aviation officials convicted in a 2001 runway collision of two aircraft that killed 118 people, Italian news agencies reported.
    The Court of Cassation upheld the convictions of manslaughter and negligence and confirmed sentences ranging from three to 6 1/2 years in jail, the ANSA and Apcom news agencies reported.

    The longest prison term belongs to Sandro Gualano, who stepped down as chief executive of Italy’s air traffic agency ENAV after the Oct. 8, 2001, crash between an Scandinavian Airlines System airliner and a corporate jet at Milan’s Linate airport, the agencies said.

    The crash happened on a foggy morning when the SAS MD-87, bound for Copenhagen, rolled down the tarmac for takeoff. The jetliner collided with a business plane with four people on board then careened into a baggage hangar, killing four ground workers and 110 people on the jetliner.

    Investigators have described the accident as avoidable, caused by a combination of human error and poorly followed safety procedures. The ground radar was out of operation.

    Investigators cited confusing runway signs, and the control tower failed to ask the smaller plane’s pilot to read back his instructions, authorities said.

    Wednesday’s ruling upheld the sentence of former ENAV director general Fabio Marzocca to four years and four months in jail. Three-year terms were also confirmed for Paolo Zacchetti — the controller on duty during the crash — and two other airport officials, ANSA reported.
    Copyright © 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.