Delta Airlines flight DL-589 had to return and make an emergency landing in Seattle, Washington, on February 19th.
The Boeing 767-300 plane took off for Shanghai, China, but had to turn back due to a lavatory maintenance problem.
The plane landed back safely. All one hundred and ninety-passengers aboard remained unharmed.
A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter made an emergency landing in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, California, on February 22nd.
According to a spokesperson, the crew decided to land in the park after a maintenance light come on. They were returning from a search-and-rescue operation at the time.
No injuries were reported.
Peruvian Airlines flight P9-213 had to reject takeoff from Cuzco, Peru, on June 4th.
The Boeing 737-500 plane was accelerating to takeoff for Lima, Peru, when the crew rejected takeoff due to a configuration warning.
The plane safely returned to the apron. Everyone aboard remained unharmed.
According to Peru’s Ministry of Transport, the crew rejected takeoff due to a maintenance indication.
American Airlines flight AA-211 had to return and make an emergency landing in Manchester, England, on April 28th.
The Boeing 767-300 plane took off for John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York, but had to turn back due to a ‘maintenance issue’.
The plane landed back safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
United Airlines flight UA-888 had to return and make an emergency landing in San Francisco, California, on April 25th.
The Boeing 747-400 plane took off for Beijing, China, but had to turn back after it lost the reduced vertical separation minima (RVSM) maintenance capability.
The plane landed back safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
United Airlines flight UA-1516 had to return and make an emergency landing in Liberia, Costa Rica, on April 24th.
The Boeing 737-800 plane took off for Houston, Texas, but had to return shortly afterwards due to a ‘maintenance issue’.
The plane landed back safely. Everyone aboard remained unharmed.
An American Airlines flight had to divert and make an emergency landing at Jacksonville International Airport, Florida, on March 14th.
The Boeing 737 plane heading from Miami, Florida, to Chicago, Illinois, was diverted after a passenger spilled soda on an electronic device.
The plane landed safely. All 149 passengers and 6 crew members aboard remained unharmed.
American Airlines flight AA-57 had to return and make an emergency landing at Heathrow Airport in London, United Kingdom, on May 3rd.
The plane took off for Miami, Florida, but had to return shortly afterwards due to a maintenance issue related to water pressure.
The plane landed safely. Everyone aboard remained unhurt.
An Indonesian air force plane crashed into a house near near Abdul Rahman Saleh air force base in Malang, East Java, Indonesia, on February 10.
Authorities said the plane went down during a routine testing flight after undergoing maintenance.
There were two people aboard the plane, including the pilot Major Ivy Safatillah, and a technician; both of them were killed in the crash.
Authorities confirmed that two people, including a 47-year-old woman and 27-year-old man, who were present in the house at the time of crash were also killed.
The cause of crash is being investigated.
A small plane made an emergency landing in a grassy area near U.S. 380 in Denton, Texas, on January 22.
The Piper Navajo plane took off from Denton Enterprise Airport for a routine maintenance flight but was forced to land in emergency due to engine issues.
The aircraft came to rest on its belly near some electrical transmission towers.
The pilot, identified as David Kinney of Aubrey, suffered minor injuries in the incident.
Southwest Airlines flight 2547 had to return and make an emergency landing at Oakland International Airport, California, on December 23.
According to the airline, “After takeoff, the captain in command made the decision to return to Oakland to check a maintenance item on the aircraft.” It is believed that the plane, that was heading to Chicago at the time, experienced a landing gear issue.
The plane circled over Oakland to burn off excess fuel before landing safely. All 139 passengers aboard remained unharmed.
The plane was taken out of service.
Avianca airlines flight AV-929 returned and made an emergency landing in San Salvador, El Salvador, on November 19.
The Airbus A330-200 plane, heading to Lima, Peru, was diverted after the crew noticed a hydraulic problem.
The plane landed uneventfully and everyone aboard remains safe.
Authorities said the aircraft was cleared to take off again after maintenance.
Delta Airlines flight DL-42 rejected takeoff at John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York, on November 2.
The Boeing 767-300, en-route to Brussels, Belgium, had to abort taking off due to maintenance issue with its engine.
The plane returned to the terminal uneventfully.
No injuries were reported.
Allegiant Air flight 487 had to make an emergency landing in St. George, Utah, on September 7.
According to the airline, the plane, heading from Bismarck, North Dakota, to Las Vegas, Nevada, had to be diverted due to a “possible maintenance issue”.
The plane landed uneventfully.
All 141 passengers and 6 crew members remained safe.
Air Canada flight 8993 returned and made an emergency landing at St. John’s International Airport, Canada, on the morning of September 8.
The Jazz Aviation operated flight, heading towards Halifax, had to return in emergency due to a maintenance issue.
The plane landed uneventfully.
All 74 people aboard remained safe.
An Allegiant Air plane had to make an emergency landing at Orlando Sanford International Airport, Florida, on July 20.
The plane took off from Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport, Florida and was en-route to Memphis, Tennessee when a maintenance issue prompted the pilot to declare emergency.
The plane landed uneventfully. Everyone aboard remained unharmed.
The airline arranged a replacement plane for the passengers.
During a seminar on aeronautics and astronautics organised by the College of Engineering and Technology (CET), KWASU, aviation experts Leo Daniel and Christopher Odetunde said that Nigerian Aircraft are not maintained well.
Odetunde’s speech “World View of Aviation: A case for better Nigerian Aviation Policies”, Odetunde said that Nigeria has adequate laws in place to secure airspace, but the laws were barely enforced, that crashes will continue until the country starts following the protocol, making sure that everybody that is involved, all the laws are followed.
Leo, who must be a man after my own heart, spoke on “Technological Readiness Level of Aeronautics and Astronautics in Nigeria.” He said that “the cause of crashes is maintenance.”
How long have I been saying “Maintenance, Maintenance, Maintenance?” Long time. Glad to see the experts agree. A plane can be perfect when it arrives at an airline’s doorstep. But how well that plane fares, whether or not it is originally in good shape, depends entirely on how well it is maintained over time. Those of us with cars know, for example, how an engine can seize if one does not keep up with oil changes, or how it will burn up if one does not attend to the radiator. Think of how much more complex a plane’s systems are, and it is easy to see how important it is to maintain, maintain, maintain all the systems.
Hopefully the words of two professors of Aviation will be able help to move Nigerian Aviation into a safer place.
For Immediate Release
August 26, 2010
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has proposed a $24.2 million civil penalty against American Airlines Inc. for failing to correctly follow an Airworthiness Directive involving the maintenance of its McDonnell Douglas MD-80 aircraft. This civil penalty is the largest ever proposed by the FAA.
“We put rules and regulations in place to keep the flying public safe,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “We expect operators to perform inspections and conduct regular and required maintenance in order to prevent safety issues. There can be no compromises when it comes to safety.”
The FAA alleges American did not follow steps outlined in a 2006 Airworthiness Directive requiring operators to inspect wire bundles located in the wheel wells of MD-80 aircraft. The Airworthiness Directive, AD 2006-15-15, required a one-time general visual inspection by March 5, 2008 for chafing or signs of arcing of the wire bundle for the auxiliary hydraulic pump. It also required operators to perform corrective actions in accordance with the instructions of the applicable manufacturer’s Service Bulletin.
The purpose of the Airworthiness Directive was to prevent the shorting of wires or arcing at the auxiliary hydraulic pump, which could result in loss of auxiliary hydraulic power or a fire in the wheel well of the aircraft. The Airworthiness Directive also sought to reduce the potential of an ignition source adjacent to the fuel tanks, which, in combination with the flammable vapors, could result in a fuel tank explosion.
The FAA first detected the violations on March 25, 2008, during an inspection of two aircraft. The FAA informed American’s management that the aircraft did not comply with the AD, prompting a series of re-inspections and additional maintenance work that occurred during the following two weeks. On March 26, after American performed additional maintenance on its MD-80 fleet, the FAA inspected eight aircraft at American’s Tulsa maintenance base and found that seven did not comply with the Airworthiness Directive. On April 7, the FAA inspected another nine MD-80 aircraft at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and found that eight of them still did not comply with the AD. A tenth aircraft inspected by American mechanics also did not comply. On April 8, American began grounding its MD-80 fleet to conduct new inspections and redo work as necessary.
The FAA subsequently determined that 286 of the airline’s MD-80s were operated on a combined 14,278 passenger flights while the aircraft were not in compliance with Federal Regulations. American ultimately completed the work required by the 2006 Airworthiness Directive.
Over the last year and a half, FAA safety officials have reported progress in working with American Airlines to help improve the airline’s maintenance culture. The FAA is committed to continuing that work.
American has 30 days from the receipt of the FAA’s civil penalty letter to respond to the agency.
The Maryland State Police Aviation Command that runs the fleet of 12 helicopters is long past due for drastic reforms in management and pay structures. The recent crash is being investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board, U.S. Department of Transportation and the Maryland State Police.
In 2008, the Maryland State Police Aviation Command had a budget of $22.8 million, 80 % from an $11 annual surcharge on vehicle registrations, 20% from the state’s general fund. There is no charge for Medevac use. Medevac helicopters have flown more than 120,000 patients since 1970.
A recent audit criticized high turnover, vacancies and delayed maintenance, as well as inaccurate tracking of maintenance