AIRCRAFT INCIDENTS

[mf_dolphin]

The swine flu is going to have a lot more devastating results in third world countries that here in the US. While I agree it could have been far worse here the story is far from over.

[Stephanie]

The AP isn't known for being sensational.

Sure they are. Remember the swine flu scare last month? Today the disease has reached pandemic status, but it's not exactly the most frightening disease on earth, is it?

It still could be. There's an elementary school in the suburbs of Philadelphia that had 70 students out with "flu like symptoms" on Monday. They are being tested. There was also a 26 year old woman that died this week also from Philadelphia. This sucker is still spreading and Mexico isn't ground zero anymore. Like Marshall said, this is far from over. We need to get through the next flu season to see what happens.

I guess the only way that we will find out if those bodies are of people that belonged to that terrorist organization is by waiting to see what the outcome of the search is. It's still news, like it or not.

[tropicana]

Thu Jun 11 2009

JETSTAR AIRBUS, COCKPIT FIRE...GUAM

A Jetstar Airbus A330-200, registration VH-EBF performing flight JQ-20 (departing June 10th) from Osaka Kansai (Japan) to Bilinga Gold Coast,QL (Australia) with 190 passengers and 13 crew, was about 4 hours into the flight at 01:38am local (15:38Z Jun 10th), when the flight crew noticed smoke coming from the right hand side of the cockpit and donned their oxygen masks. Moments later the heating of the right hand cockpit window caught fire. The captain managed to put out the flames using a fire extinguisher. The crew declared emergency and decided to divert to Guam (Guam), where the airplane landed safely at 02:13am local (16:13Z Jun 10th) and taxied to a gate. No injuries occured.

Attending fire services confirmed the presence of smoke in the cockpit, but were able to terminate the emergency a few minutes after all passengers and crew had disembarked normally.
A replacement A330-200 has been dispatched to Guam and is expected to arrive by 6:20pm local (08:20Z).
The Australian Transportation Safety Board (ATSB) takes the incident very seriously and has dispatched 4 investigators to Guam.

SYDNEY – An Airbus 330 carrying 203 people made an emergency landing in Guam on Thursday after an electrical problem sparked a small fire in the cockpit, airline officials said. It's the same type of plane that crashed last week in the Atlantic.
There were no injuries Thursday.
The incidents last week and Thursday appear unrelated, and an airline official said the electrical problem didn't raise any new safety concerns about the aircraft.
The Jetstar plane was about four hours into its flight from Osaka, Japan, to Australia's Gold Coast when the pilots noticed a small flame and smoke in the cockpit near the window, spokesman Simon Westaway said. A pilot used a fire extinguisher to put out the fire, which did not spread to the cabin, he said.
The plane, which was carrying 190 passengers and 13 crew members, landed without incident at Guam International Airport. The passengers were expected to board another plane and finish their journey to Australia later Thursday.

David Epstein, general manager for government and corporate affairs of Jetstar's parent Qantas Airways, said the electrical connector for the heating element in the cockpit had malfunctioned, causing sparks and smoke, but the situation was quickly brought under control.
The heating element is used to ensure that the cockpit windows don't fog up as the plane flies in cold air at high altitudes, he said.
Epstein said the incident does not raise any new safety concerns about the A330-220.
Passengers Adam Power and Michelle Foord said the smell of smoke wafted through the cabin, although they did not suspect a fire.
The Jetstar plane in question began flying in 2007, Epstein said.
Qantas was sending engineers to Guam on Thursday to inspect the plane, and the Australian Transport Safety Bureau will lead an investigation into the cause of the fire, he said.

[tropicana]

Thu Jun 11 2009

A Pinnacle Airlines Canadair CRJ-200 on behalf of Northwest Airlines, flight 9E-2919/NW-2919 from Detroit,MI to Huntsville,AL (USA) with 36 passengers and 3 crew, was enroute at FL320 about one hour into the flight, when the airplane hit severe turbulence and subsequently experienced some unspecified mechanical problems. The crew declared emergency and diverted to Memphis,TN, where the airplane landed safely about 50 minutes after the turbulence encounter. No injuries were reported.

An Atlantic Southeast Airlines Canadair CRJ-200 on behalf of Delta Airlines, flight EV-5414/DL-5414 from Columbus,GA to Atlanta,GA (USA) with 19 passengers and 3 crew, could not extend the left main gear while on approach to Atlanta. The landing was aborted. Troubleshooting attempts in the following 45 minutes failed, so that the crew needed to perform a partial gear down landing to runway 27R. During the landing the airplane veered left off the runway and came to a standstill almost perpendicular to the runway in the grass several meters off the runway. No injuries occured.
The runway was closed for about 4 hours until the airplane could be removed.

[tropicana]

Fri Jun 12 2009

NORTHWEST AIRLINES..SMOKE IN CABIN..IRELAND

The crew of a Northwest Airlines Airbus A330-300, registration N811NW performing flight NW-821/DL-821 from Rome Fiumicino (Italy) to Atlanta,GA (USA) with 285 people on board, reported smoke in the cabin about 10 minutes after passing south of the southwest corner of Ireland at FL360, declared emergency and diverted to Shannon, where the airplane landed safely on runway 06 30 minutes later. Attending fire services sprayed the right hand main gear after landing.
Shannon Airport reported, that there was a smokey odour in the forward galley prompting the diversion. The passengers disembarked normally at the gate.

The airplane was examined and declared airworthy, so that the aircraft resumed the journey after 6.5 hours on the ground in Shannon. While approaching Atlanta still at FL350 about 120nm before Atlanta around 20:58L (0:58Z), the flight was sent into a holding due to weather related traffic congestion at Atlanta prompting the crew to divert to Cincinnati Northern Kentucky,KY about 250nm from their present position, where the crew performed a safe automatic landing onto runway 36R.

No landings had occured at Atlanta between 19:57L (23:57Z) and 20:49L (00:49Z) and no departures from 19:56L (23:56Z) to 20:20 (00:20Z) due to weather.

[tropicana]

SOUTHWEST AIRLINES..COLUMBUS GA Pressurization Problems

Sun Jun 14 2009

A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-500, registration N522SW performing flight WN-1050 from Chicago Midway,IL to Ft. Myers,FL (USA) with 122 passengers, was nearly overhead Columbus,GA at FL350, when the crew declared emergency due to a pressurization problem and performed an emergency descent. The crew decided to divert to Columbus,GA, entered a holding at 3000 feet to set up for a normal landing and landed safely on runway 06 about 28 minutes after departing FL350.
A replacement Boeing 737-300 registration N675AA reached Ft. Myers with a delay of 5 hours. The incident airplane was ferried to Houston,TX as flight WN-8501.



US AIRWAYS...CHARLOTTE NC... Turbulence

A US Airways Airbus A330-300, registration N270AY performing flight US-705 from Frankfurt/Main (Germany) to Charlotte,NC (USA), was on descent to Charlotte at about FL240, when the airplane encountered turbulence. One flight attendant suffered minor injuries to the head. The flight crew continued for a safe landing at Charlotte.

[cycloneye]

LE BOURGET, France – Search teams have recovered more than 400 pieces of debris from Air France Flight 447 but investigators still do not know why the plane crashed into the Atlantic, the French accident chief said Wednesday.

Paul-Louis Arslanian, head of the French air accident investigation agency BEA, expressed "a little more optimism" about the investigation as the discovery of so much debris has narrowed the vast search zone off the northeast coast of Brazil.

"We are in a situation that is a bit more favorable than the first days," Arslanian told a news conference at BEA headquarters by the Le Bourget air field outside Paris. "We can say there is a little less uncertainty, so there is a little more optimism."

More than 400 pieces of debris found

[cycloneye]

Pilot dies in mid-flight

NEWARK, N.J. – A Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman has confirmed that a Continental Airlines pilot has died in mid-flight.

Spokeswoman Arlene Salac says the airline alerted the FAA around 10:30 Thursday morning that Flight 61 from Brussels to Newark was being flown by two co-pilots.

Salac says the plane, a Boeing 777, will receive priority handling when it lands around noon.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090618/ap_ ... pilot_dies

[cycloneye]

An update of the incident described above.

NEWARK, N.J. – The Federal Aviation Administration says a plane carrying a pilot who died in mid-flight has landed safely at the airport in Newark, N.J.

Spokeswoman Arlene Salac says Continental Airlines Flight 61 landed at 11:49 a.m.

Airline spokeswoman Kelly Cripe says the pilot died of natural causes Thursday on the flight from Brussels, Belgium, to Newark.

[tropicana]

Fri Jun 19 2009

CRACKED WINDSHIELD.. near North Bay, Ontario, Canada

The crew of an Air Canada Airbus A319-100, registration C-GBHZ performing flight AC-113 from Ottawa,ON to Calgary,AB (Canada), was enroute at FL300 near North Bay, when the crew declared PAN reporting a cracked windshield and diverted to Toronto Pearson,ON, where the airplane landed without further incident 40 minutes later.

SEVERE TURBULENCE and UNRELIABLE AIRSPEED...NEAR Toronto, Ontario, Canada

A LOT Polish Airlines Boeing 767-300, registration SP-LPA performing flight LO-2 from Chicago O'Hare,IL (USA) to Warsaw (Poland) with 206 passengers and 10 crew, was enroute at FL330 about 9nm eastsoutheast of North Bay about 70 minutes into the flight, when the airplane encountered "severe turbulence at high speed" and started to deviate signficantly from assigned altitude. The crew reported later, that their airspeed had become unreliable and requested to divert to Toronto. During descent towards Toronto the crew reported, that airspeed had returned to be normal and requested to hold to reduce weight. No ambulances were needed. While in the hold and descending, the crew was ordered to stop descent at 16000 feet, the crew was however unable to comply and reported, the airspeed problems had reoccured. The airplane proceeded directly for a safe landing on runway 23 73 minutes after the onset of problems and taxied to a gate.
At the time of the incident air traffic control reported continuous light chop (light turbulence) on all altitudes above FL300, later changed to severe turbulence at FL330 reported by a 763.


Sunday Jun 20 2009

VIBRATIONS/ REJECTED TAKEOFF at Philadelphia PA

A US Airways Airbus A319-100, registration N763US performing flight US-1937 from Philadelphia,PA to West Palm Beach,FL (USA), rejected takeoff from Philadelphia at high speed due to severe vibrations during the takeoff roll. The airplane stopped safely before the runway end.


Mon Jun 22 2009

SEVERE TURBULENCE/ QANTAS AIRLINES over Borneo/ 13 INJURIES

12 passengers and one crew have been injured on a Qantas flight bound for Perth.

The A330-300 aircraft, registration VH-QPI, performing flight QF-68 was en route to Perth from Hong Kong, China to Perth WA (Australia) this morning when it struck “severe turbulence” over the Indonesian island of Borneo. It apparently hit an air pocket and one passenger described the brief but terrifying plunge as "like falling out of a 30-storey building".

A spokesman said a “medical person” on board had advised the pilot to proceed after examining the injured.
It understood pilot Brett Flack, an airman with more than 14,500 flying hours, reported damage to overhead panels and two oxygen masks.
The flight, with 206 passengers and 13 crew on board, has landed safely at Perth International Airport. A number of ambulances are waiting on the tarmac, along with Qantas support team.

Monday's incident was said to be similar to one that occurred on a Perth-bound flight from Singapore on Oct 7, 2008, when almost 50 of the 313 people on board a Qantas A330-330 were injured as the plane plunged at least 100 metres.
There have been several other incidents involving A330s in recent months, including a cockpit fire aboard a Qantas Jetstar A330-200 flying from Japan to Australia on June 11 which forced the pilot to land in Guam.
On Jan 21, 2009, an A330200 carrying 80 Australian defence persoannel and supplies to the Middle East was forced to make an emergency landing in Darwin after fumes filled the cabin. 3 people were hospitalized in that incident.

[HURAKAN]

Bodies identified.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8112081.stm

[cycloneye]

Thu Jun 25 2009

Bodies of Captain and a Steward found from the Air France crash.


(CNN) -- Search crews have recovered the bodies of the flight captain and a steward from the Air France flight that crashed off the coast of Brazil.


A Brazilian diver floats on wreckage of Flight 447 earlier this month. The search for more debris continues.

The two flight members are among the victims that have been identified, Air France said in a statement Thursday.

About a dozen victims have been identified among roughly 50 bodies recovered from the crash of Flight 447, which killed 228 people on June 1, authorities in Brazil said this week.

Crews continue to search for bodies, wreckage and flight-data recorders that apparently rest deep on the ocean floor. Data from the recorders may be crucial in helping investigators determine what caused the plane to crash. Watch more wreckage recovered from crash »

Autopsies conducted on some of the 50 bodies found so far show they suffered broken bones, including arms, legs and hips, Brazilian authorities have told French investigators, according to Paul-Louis Arslanian, head of the French accident investigation board.

Such injuries suggest that the plane broke apart in midair, experts have said.

[HURAKAN]

Search ends for Air France dead

The Brazilian military says it has ended its search for bodies from the Air France jet that crashed into the Atlantic almost a month ago.

Fifty-one bodies have been recovered since the plane went down on 1 June. A total of 228 people were on board.

A Brazilian spokesman said the recovery of any more of the bodies was "impossible".

But a French-led search for the plane's black boxes - which will emit signals until at least 2 July - will continue.

The cause of the accident has not yet been established. The Airbus 330 was flying from Rio de Janeiro to Paris when it plunged into the sea.

"It has been nine days since we have located bodies," Brazilian air force spokesman Lt Col Henry Munhoz told journalists.

Searchers had concluded that "it is impossible to recover more dead bodies or remains in the search area", he said.

Several French vessels, including a nuclear submarine, will continue to listen out for signals from the plane's flight recorders. They emit signals for at least 30 days after a crash.

The crash was the worst in Air France's history.

There has been speculation that faulty data on the old-style speed sensors may have been the cause, but French investigators have warned against drawing early conclusions.

An initial report by France's Investigation and Analysis Bureau (BEA) is to be released on 2 July.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/e ... 122064.stm

[tropicana]

FRI JUN 26 2009

BIRD STRIKE
A Pinnacle Airlines Canadair CRJ-200 on behalf of Northwest Airlines, flight 9E-2294/NW-2294 from Chattanooga Lovell,TN to Memphis,TN (USA), struck a number of birds during initial climb from runway 20. The crew levelled off at 4000 feet and decided to return for a safe landing on runway 20 about 20 minutes after departure.

The airplane could take off again after about 100 minutes on the ground following an inspection and reached Memphis with a total delay of 2:12 hours.


Sat Jun 27 2009
AIR PRESSURIZATION PROBLEMS
A British Airways Airbus A319-100, registration G-EUPT performing flight BA-768 from London Heathrow,EN (UK) to Oslo Gardermoen (Norway) with 70 passengers and 6 crew, was at FL390 overhead the North Sea before the Dutch Coast north of Amsterdam, when the airplane performed an emergency descent to FL100 due to slow loss of cabin pressure and turned back towards London Heathrow, where the airplane landed safely on runway 09L about 40 minutes later.

British Airways reported, that the oxygen masks did not deploy. The passengers have been put into hotels and have been rebooked onto flights on Sunday (28th).


Sat Jun 27 2009
NOSE GEAR LANDS DOWN ON LANDING ROLLOUT
A US Airways Boeing 737-400, registration N443US performing flight US-1241 from Philadelphia,PA to Tampa,FL (USA) with 138 passengers and 5 crew, had just touch down on runway 18R, just after 3pm, when both nose gear tyres blew out and both nose wheels got damaged. The crew managed to keep the airplane on the runway, while the nose gear wheels and strut were ground down until the airplane came to a stop in a pronounced nose down attitude, resting on the remaining stump of the nose gear. No injuries occured.

The passengers could disembark through the rear exits about 30 minutes later, when stairs had arrived at the aircraft.
The runway was closed for more than 8 hours to remove the aircraft from the runway and clear the debris left on the runway.
US Airways suspect a technical problem with the landing gear as cause of the mishap.
Famed infomercial professional Billy Mays was a passenger aboard this plane on Saturday afternoon

[tropicana]

SUN JUN 28 2009

AIR CANADA JAZZ AIRLINE... 2 TYRES BLOWN
An Air Canada Jazz Canadair CRJ-200, registration C-FEJA performing flight QK-8028 from Kansas City,MO (USA) to Toronto Pearson,ON (Canada) with 34 passengers, landed on Toronto's runway 05 seemingly without incident and taxied off the runway onto runway 15L. The crew of an aircraft landing next on runway 05 however reported debris of two tyres on the runway near the H2 intersection. QK8028 stopped taxiing at the intersection of runway 15L and taxiway B4, shut down and was subsequently towed to the apron.

NAV Canada reported, that runway 05 was closed for 12 minutes for an inspection and removal of debris.


TUE JUN 30 2009
YEMENIA AIRBUS...153 ON BOARD..IMPACTED OCEAN

A Yemenia Airbus A310-300, registration 7O-ADJ performing flight IY-626 (dep Jun 29th) around 9:30pm local time from Sana'a (Yemen) to Moroni Hahaia (Comores) with 142 passengers and 11 crew, disappeared from radar while on approach to Moroni about 6 minutes prior to estimated arrival at around 1:50am local time on Jun 30/09 (Jun 29th 22:50Z).

Comores Officials reported, that the airplane was on the outbound leg of the instrument approach and during the turn back towards the runway 6 minutes prior to estimated arrival, when it disappeared.
Yemen's Civil Aviation Authority reported, there were 142 passengers and 11 crew on board. The airplane had approached runway 20 and had gone around for another attempt to runway 20, when it disappeared.

On Tuesday morning (Jun 30th around 05:00Z) a boat discovered debris of the missing airliner in the Indian Ocean, reports suggesting the debris was located about 10-15nm from the airport and 3-6nm from the coast line. Initially there were no signs of survivors, several bodies have been sighted. Later it was clarified, that the site is north of the airport before the city of Mitsamiouli.
Yemenia Officials confirmed at 09:00Z, that one survivor has been found and recovered. Later they described the survivor as a three year old child.

The airline reports 142 passengers and 11 crew. The Comores Foreign Ministry said however, that number was incorrect and 147 passengers (including lap children) were on board. The airplane had departed Sana'a with a delay of 90 minutes at 21:30L. The French Transport Minister reported, that 66 of the passengers were French.
Airbus Industries regret the loss of another Airbus A310-300 registration 7O-ADJ, which was involved in an accident while approaching Moroni at around 01:50L (22:50Z) with 142 passengers and 11 crew on board. The airplane (MSN 535, PW4152 engines) had accumulated 51900 flight hours in some 17300 cycles. Yemenia operated the aircraft since 1999. Airbus Industries will provide support to the investigating authority and the French BEA participating in the investigation.

Weather reports from the site indicate gusty south-westerlies (gusts to 35 knots) near the time of the crash.

Metars:
FMCH 300000Z 21025G35KT 9999 FEW020 25/17 Q1016 TEMPO 19014KT
FMCH 292300Z 21025G35KT 9999 FEW020 25/16 Q1017 TEMPO 18015G30KT
FMCH 292200Z 18022G33KT 9999 FEW020 24/17 Q1018 NOSIG
FMCH 292000Z 22024KT 9999 FEW020 25/18 Q1018 NOSIG
FMCH 291900Z 18020G30KT 9999 FEW022 24/17 Q1018 NOSIG
FMCH 291800Z 20019KT 9999 FEW025 25/16 Q1019 NOSIG
FMCH 291700Z 19022G35KT 9999 FEW025 25/17 Q1018 NOSIG


Tue Jun 30 2009
SPIRIT AIRLINES...SMOKE IN CABIN

A Spirit Airlines Airbus A319-100, registration N524NK performing flight NK-433 from Chicago O'Hare,IL to Fort Lauderdale,FL (USA) with 143 people on board, was enroute at FL380, when a flight attendant detected a burning acrid smell on board. The crew decided to divert to Daytona Beach. In the meantime passengers in the first 10 rows started to cough. The airplane landed safely in Daytona Beach 15 minutes later. The passengers disembarked normally.
Three passengers complaining about shortness of breath and burning eyes were taken to a hospital on stretchers.
The smoke dissipated once the engines were shut down.

[SaskatchewanScreamer]

Yemen flight's black box located http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8128690.stm A video showing the incredibly lucky 14 year old girl can be also seen at the above link. BTW She mentioned she heard other voices after the crash.

[vbhoutex]

Yemen flight's black box located http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8128690.stm A video showing the incredibly lucky 14 year old girl can be also seen at the above link. BTW She mentioned she heard other voices after the crash.

That article now says it was just a distress beacon and not the black box. I hope they find the black box so they have a clue as to the cause of the crash.

[Dionne]

I have to fly out to JFK on 8 July. JetWho. I tried to find the specific aircraft I would board. The info is not avail. Did I miss something?

[gtalum]

All JetBlue aircraft are Airbus A320's. I wouldn't worry, though.

[brunota2003]

I fly JetBlue quite a bit from Syracuse to Orlando and back...never had a problem, other than storms a month or so ago causing all those airport wide delays at MCO