A Turkish Airlines passenger jet, operating flight # TK726, skidded off the runway at Tribhuwan International Airport in Kathmandu, Nepal, on March 4.
The accident happened in dense foggy conditions, when the Airbus A330, carrying 224 people, was coming from Istanbul, Turkey.
The plane ended up on its nose and the passengers had to use emergency slides to exit.
None of the passengers and crew members sustained serious injuries.
What: Angola National Police Aérospatiale/Eurocopter AS-350B3 Ecureuil
Where: Dundo City Angola
When: Sept 1, 2012, 06.30 pm
Who: 4 aboard, 4 fatalities
Why: An Angolan National Police helicopter crashed killing captain chief-inspector Tiago Casimiro, his assistant, João Adelino João Brandão, and Provincial Electoral Commission employees Lourenço Mussenoho and Maria Augusta João. Investigators have been sent to Lunda Norte Province.
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Dominik Zimmermann
What: Lufthansa Airbus A330-300 en route from Philadelphia to Frankfurt/Main
Where: Boston
When: Mar 13th 2010
Who: 196 aboard
Why: While en route, the crew noticed smoke in the cockpit and diverted to Boston where they made a safe landing. After several hours in Boston, the flight resumed.
This will be the first July 28 in history when these 152 people will not be living on this earth. We want to remember these people who lost their lives in such a tragic and unnecessary way. They deserve to be remembered.
Some remember those who are no longer with us by using symbols. Memorials like the one promised. There are other symbols, like the bird in flight that symbolizes a soul, or a chain with a broken link.
There is a tradition dating back to ancient times of placing rosemary by the graves of loved ones. “There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance; pray, love, remember;” Hamlet, (V.iv.124)
I was going to talk about more ways that people remember, but I must pause here. In ancient times they put rosemary by the graves of loved ones. Some people still do. But we cannot lay sprigs of rosemary for remembrance at the feet of our loved ones, because there are families still waiting for a memorial promised before the first anniversary of the crash. Waiting a year to lay their flowers and their grief.
Instead of a bouquet of flowers, we have a bouquet of broken promises. Shall we count them?
A broken promise to share the final investigative report.
A broken promise over the Monument at the crash site (they want it elsewhere); and a broken promise over the 72 unmarked graves.
A broken promise over Airblue being grounded for negligence, malpractice, manslaughter.
A broken promise to assist the families.
Or maybe we can call this a pending promise, as we wait for an independent inquiry board and a pending promise of greater safety in the skies over Pakistan.
We have our Rosemary for remembrance, but it is bittersweet.
Qatar Airways flight QR-708 had to make an emergency landing at Lajes Field, Portugal, after encountering severe turbulence on December 4th.
The plane was heading from Washington Dulles International Airport, Virginia, to Doha, Qatar, when it ran into severe turbulence that injured 3 people.
The plane landed safely. The injured were taken to hospital.
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Bjorn Van Brussel
What: Air Canada Airbus A330-300 en route from Frankfurt Germany to Calgary Canada
Where: Germany
When: Sept 30 2010
Why: The pilot rejected takeoff because of an indicator malfunction.
The flight resumed after the faulty equipment was replaced.
Pictured: a Lan Peru Airbus A320-233 on approach to Cuzco
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Sam Chui
What: LAN Peru Airlines Airbus A320-200 en route from Puerto Maldonado to Cuzco
Where: Cuzco
When: Oct 26th 2009
Who: 90 passengers
Why: On approach to Cuzco, flight instrumentation detected an unsafe gear. After flying in a holding pattern, ultimately, the Airbus landed safely.
