Minutes before the Turkish Airlines Boeing crashed at at 10:26 am, a Northwest Airlines Boeing 757 landed, leaving behind a trail of “wake turbulence.” Just as a speedboat moving in water leaves a dramatic ripple of water, a jet leaves a deadly invisible “wake” behind. If this is indeed what happened to the Turkish Airlines jet, then the control tower is at fault for scheduling the flights too close together. (The Turkish Airlines jet was following only four miles behind.) Records show that the Northwest flight landed at 10:24 a.m.


Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Joop Stroes – Global Aviation Photography
What: Turkish Airlines Boeing 737-800 (TC-JGE) Flight 1951 en route from Istanbul to Amsterdam.
Where: Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport
When: 10:40 a.m. Wednesday Feb 25
Who: 135 passengers on board; eight crew members. (numbers vary)
Why: The plane crashed as it approached the runway to land. Witnesses say the approach was too low and the pilot tried to go higher to avoid crashing into the A-19 (hwy.) The wreckage is in three pieces lying in a field next to the runway; emergency crews are tending injured passengers on site. The cockpit was intact, adn the fuselage broke at the wings.There was an immediate report of one fatality which was later denied. There were at least 20 injured and at least 50 survivors. Another report estimated the majority of the passengers are injured. (Sorry the numbers don’t mesh, but this is the news as it came in–) There was no fire. Fights to and from Schiphol were suspended temporarily after the crash.

The number of deceased has been increased to 9.

More than 80 suffered injury.

25 suffered “serious” injury.
6 are hospitalized in critical condition.

Numbers corrected (again): 127 passengers 7 crew.

According to various passenger accounts, prior to the crash, twelve minutes to the scheduled landing, the plane was flying low, and an announcement was made that the plane was landing. (No announcement was made that the plane was in an emergency.) Immediately on landing, those who were able left the plane, and when there was no fire, they went back in and pulled the others out, especially in the front of the plane, where there was screaming. Outside help arrived within 20-25 minutes.

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Contact photographer Terence Li

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Airbus Emergency Light Error in Macao


Pictured: Air Asia Airbus A320
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact Photographer T.Laurent

What: Air Asia Airbus A320 en route from Kuala Lumpur to Macao
Where: Macao International Airport
When: 2009 08 24
Who: 148 passengers
Why: While en route, a warning light signaled that the emergency door was open

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George’s Point of View

The issue here is not simply a warning light. It is the fact that warning lights on aircraft are crucial, life-saving equipment and cannot afford to fail. A warning that goes off for no reason may cause the “boy who cried wolf” syndrome (i.e. let’s ignore it because that warning always goes off;) or it can indicate some mechanical underpining that is faulty (loose wire, blown gasket); or a miniscule software error that could range in significance from mundane to catastrophic.

So let’s hope that maintenance looks at that door until they determine exactly what did happen to cause the warning to go off. Because the only way to prevent problems in the future is to pin down every issue now, before it escalates into another Airbus disaster.

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Contact photographer Serdar Yorulmaz
What: Delta Airlines Boeing 767-300 en route from Chicago to Paris
Delta Airlines Boeing 767-300 en route from Paris to New York over Prestwick
Delta Airlines Boeing 767-300 en route from New York to Germany over Canada
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