A small plane made an emergency landing in a cornfield in North Topeka, Kansas, on July 1st.
The single engine plane was heading from Kansas City, Missouri, to Denver, Colorado, when it lost oil pressure, prompting the pilot to land in emergency.
There were two people aboard at the time; none of them were injured.
A Hawaii-bound American Airlines plane was escorted by two fighter jets on May 19th.
American Airlines flight 31 was heading from Los Angeles, California, to Honolulu, Hawaii, when a passenger tried to break into the cockpit. The crew reported the disturbance, which prompted the Pacific Command to dispatch a pair of fighter jets for escort.
The passenger, identified as Turkish national Anil Uskanil, 25, was restrained and subdued before the plane landed in Honolulu.
“The aircraft is currently on the ground, and the individual who disrupted the flight has been detained,” the Department of Homeland Security said.
A New York Army National Guard helicopter made an emergency landing at the Chili Country Club in Scottsville, New York, on May 1st.
The UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter was on a routine training flight when its windshield cracked, prompting the pilot to declare an emergency.
The helicopter landed safely on the ninth hole fairway. All 5 crew members aboard remained safe.
Emirates Airlines flight EK-97 had to return and make an emergency landing at Dubai International Airport, Dubai, UAE, on December 25th.
The Airbus A380-800, en-route to Rome, Italy, was mid-air above Iran when the crew reported problems with the right hand engine, prompting it to return.
The plane landed uneventfully. All people onboard remained unharmed.
The passengers were accommodated in a replacement plane.
Avianca flight AV-8576 had to return and make a safe emergency landing at El Dorado International Airport, Bogota, Colombia, on December 23rd.
The Airbus A320-200 had taken off for Valledupar, Colombia, when the crew detected flaps issue mid-air, prompting it to return.
The plane landed safely.
All people onboard remained unharmed.
Norwegian Air Shuttle flight DY-136 had to return and make an emergency landing in Stavanger, Norway, on November 12th.
The Boeing 737-800 plane that took off for Las Palmas, Spain, blew a tire during take off, prompting the crew to turn back.
The plane landed uneventfully. There were 185 people aboard at the time; all of them remained safe.
A plane carrying American Idol winner Taylor Hicks made an emergency landing in Jasper, Alabama, on October 26th.
The plane was heading from Tennessee to Alabama when one of the engines exploded, prompting the pilot to make an emergency landing.
The plane landed safely. All four people aboard, including Hicks, his pilot, and two passengers, remained safe.
“I felt like my life, and kind of all our lives, flashed before our eyes a little bit…We were very thankful and very blessed that we had a wonderful, graceful, amazing pilot who was able to handle this situation,” Hicks said.
GoJet flight DL-6285 rejected take off from Greensboro, North Carolina, on October 20th.
The Canadair CRJ-700 plane was accelerating to take off for LaGuardia Airport, New York, when a tire burst, prompting the crew to reject take off.
The plane safely returned to the apron. All 73 people aboard remained unharmed.
Transavia Airlines flight HV-5021 had to divert and make an unscheduled landing in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on September 21st.
The plane was heading from Rotterdam, Netherlands, to Malaga, Spain, when a bird hit it, causing engine vibrations that prompted the crew to divert to Amsterdam.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unhurt.
EasyJet flight U2-7925 made an emergency landing in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on August 7th.
The plane took off for Nice, France, but had to turn back after loss of oil pressure prompted the crew to shut down one of the engines.
The plane landed uneventfully. All passengers and crew members remained safe.
The airline arranged a replacement plane for the passengers.
Allegiant Air Flight 500 had to make an emergency landing at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas, Nevada, on June 22nd.
The plane took off for Indianapolis, Indiana, however, one of its tires deflated during takeoff, prompting the crew to turn back.
The plane landed safely. All 202 passengers and 7 crew members remained unhurt.
Xiamen Airlines flight MF-8106 had to divert and make an emergency landing in Nanchang, China, on February 17.
The Boeing 787-800 was heading from Beijing to Xiamen, China, when an oil indication prompted the crew to to shut down the right hand engine and divert for an emergency landing.
The plane landed safely. No injuries were reported.
Safair flight 103 made an emergency landing at Johannesburg Airport in South Africa, on January 24.
The plane was heading to Cape Town when it lost cabin pressure, prompting the pilot to return for an emergency landing.
The plane landed uneventfully. No injuries were reported.