A helicopter crashed and caught fire in Wikieup, Arizona, on June 25th.
The Robinson R66 helicopter took off from Prescott, Arizona, and was heading to Riverside, California, when it went down.
There were two people aboard at the time; both of them were killed in the crash.
The cause of crash is being investigated.
What: 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing AH-1W Super Cobra helicopter and Coast Guard C-130
Where: San Clemente Island
When: October 30 2009 7:10 p.m
Who: 7 on board the plane; 2 on the helicopter
Why: A Coast Guard plane and a Marine Corps helicopter have collided at San Clemente Island off the coast of California. A search has ensued with three Coast Guard cutters, an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter, four navy vessels and multiple helicopters.
Air Asia flight AK-9700 overran the end of the runway upon landing at Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport, Malaysia, on November 30th.
The incident happened when the Airbus A320-200 plane was coming from Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Malaysia.
There were four crew members aboard at the time; none of them were injured.
What: Lonn D. Greiner’s Cessna 180 en route from Birchwood to Seldovia
Where: Alaska
When: May 27, 2011
Who: 5 aboard
Why: Not long after a successful takeoff, the nose of the cessna pitched up, then it banked and fell. Witnesses say that the engine sounded fine.
The cessna crashed on train tracks, resulting in a fire. All 5 aboard were killed in the crash. The Alaska Railroad shut down the tracks until the wreckage was removed.
All aboard were members of the Greiner family from the Anchorage suburb of Eagle River. Lonn Greiner, 46, from Eagle River; three of his children, Glory, 13, Nathan, 11, and Grace, 10; and his 69-year-old mother, Carolyn Greiner. They were on a Memorial Day holiday.
Greiner performed jet maintenance at Ted Stevens Anchorage International.
Republic Airways flight YX-4378 had to return and make an emergency landing at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Virginia, on May 24th.
The plane took off for Memphis, Tennessee, but had to return shortly afterwards after its left engine emitted flames following a loud bang.
The plane landed safely. No injuries were reported.
It is believed that a bird strike caused the engine malfunction.
What: Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-3H4 en route from Phoenix to Sacramento
Where: Yuma International Airport, AZ
When: 01 APR 2011
Who: 118 aboard
Why: A hole burst through the top of this Boeing while en route. The plane suffered decompression, descended to a safe level (when an attendant was injured) and made an emergency landing in Yuma.
The hole has opened a witch hunt on aging Boeings in search of the kind of metal fatigue that would result in a hole during operations now that the aluminum skin has been known to separate at the lap joints, where panels are spliced together. Although the incident did not result in death, it is being taken as a “warning.” 175 Boeing 737 are slated for examination, and maintenance programs (Southwest, FAA, Boeing) are being re-evaluated to take this into account.
Discussion of lap joint and the 3 rows of rivets. The skin separated at the lower rivet line. Pre-existing fatigue existed on the fracture surface. (Multi site damage.) The decompression happened 18.5 minutes after take-off, and no pre-indications. The flight crew immediately declared emergency.
A helicopter lost its balance and crashed while taking-off from Himalayan shrine of Badrinath, Uttarakhand, India, on June 10th.
The accident happened due to insufficient air pressure.
A crew member lost his life while the two pilots sustained injuries in the crash. All five passengers remained safe.
The crash remains under investigation.
