Latest Spanair Madrid Fatality August 23

All of the badly burned victims bodies have been identified by DNA analysis, fingerprints and dental information and are now being returned to the surviving families. At least one body was delivered accidentally to the wrong recipient. Only 18 of 172 passengers and crew survived.

María Luisa Estévez, was a 31-year-old lawyer in the municipality of Gáldar (Gran Canaria) had been hospitalized in La Paz ever since the Barajas air crash. Estévez died at 19:30 pm August 23, 2008, the most recent of the crash victims to succumb.


Prior to the crash, the pilot reported technical difficulties during taxiing and returned to the gate for repairs. Spanair told airport authorities that the plane might be replaced; but then Spanair advised the pilot to continue on his way. The Spanair flight from Madrid to the Canary Islands veered into a dry riverbed on its second attempt at take-off on 20 August, broke apart and burst into flame.

Second Ryanair Emergency this week; Emergency Landing

What: Ryanair passenger plane en route from the northern Italian city of Bergamo and due to land at Rome's Ciampino airport. Flight FR9462
Where: Emergency landing (safely) at Fiumicino
When: Friday, 29 August 2008
Who: 160 people on board
Why: An indicator warning light lit up which suggested that the aircraft's undercarriage might not have been fully extended. However they were extended, and the plane landed normally. Tthe alert was due to a faulty indicator light. After landing in Fiumicino, passengers were bused to Rome.

Routine Emergency Landing in Lake City

What: six-seater Eclipse 500 LX jet flown by a test pilot
Where: Lake City Municipal Airport
When: 9 a.m. Thursday
Who: test pilot
Why: Only one of its two engines was operating at touchdown. The Eclipse company in New Mexico says this was “a maintenance flight.” On Aug. 11, Jerry Mack began leading an FAA 30-day review of the Eclipse 500. It is not known if this test flight was part of the evaluation, or an incident.

Devon Helicopter Crash kills none

What: Enstrom 280 helicopter flying from Plymouth to Bedford UK
Where: Haytor on Dartmoor
When: 1225 BST
Who: 78-year-old man, from Bedfordshire was not injured in the crash, but was injured on exiting to check damage.
Why: Weather conditions and low cloud were considered to contribute to the crash. Air Accidents Investigation Branch will be leading inquiries into the incident. Please note that if an aircraft ends up "ended up on its side, leaking fuel," it is most likely to be considered a crash, even if the descent was "forced."

Helicopter Crash near Arkansas border; Two Killed.

What: new Robinson R-44. Helicopter Crash
Where: Missouri, Taney County near the Arkansas state line in a remote, wooded area near the Long Creek arm of the lake where the Arkansas, Stone County and Taney County borders meet. Searchers had great difficulty finding the crash site and were assisted by the bird's eye view from a helicopter.
When: Friday 4:20 p.m.
Who: 26-year-old Pilot Adam Long of Fredericktown Mo, and passenger 24-year-old Wayne Holtmeier of St. Louis
Why: A man fishing on Table Rock Lake witnessed heard a change in the engine sound and saw the helicopter go down. Currently under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board, the investigation reports significant post collision fire.

Conviasa Crash in Ecuador

What: Conviasa Boeing 737-291 advanced (reg. YV-102T) en route from (Simón Bolívar International Airport,) Maiquetia, Venezuela to Latacunga, Ecuador
Where: Illiniza Volcano elevation approx. 17000 feet) Toacaso, Ecuador
When: August 30, 2008
Who: 3 crew members, no survivors
Why: The plane was being delivered to a new owner after being in storage. The flight crew lost lost radio and radar contact with Ecuadorian air control at 02:56Z on beginning descent to Latacunga. The wreckage location (near the LOTOA waypoint (LOTOA at 0° 46' 23S 78° 52' 20W) at an altitude of approximately 4000 meters )suggests the airplane flew into the side of the Iliniza Volcano and was completely destroyed on impact. The wreckage was spread 400 meters.

Hondorus states attorney in Honduras opened an investigation against "Atlantic Airlines de Honduras." It has yet to be established, whether the airplane was operating under a Honduran license and if all requirements were met.

Atlantic Airlines had operated the airplane until March 31st 2007.

As of Sept 3rd, both flight recorders (flight data and cockpit voice recorder) have been recovered and will be sent to the USA for analysis

Official Spanair Press Releases:

See the links below for Official Press Releases regarding tbe Spanair/Madrid Crash
The accident occurred at 14:45 local time during take off, aircraft type MD-82 with registration EC-HEP. The aircraft was carrying a total of 172 people of which 162 were passengers, 4 passive crew members and 6 flight crew.

• Condolences
  
• Passenger List
  
• Official Press Release and Contact Numbers
  
• Spanish Language Press Release
  

Madrid Barajas-Airport Spanair MD82 early video

Initial British news coverage of the Madrid Crash, before the number of casualties were known. Helicopters dumping water on the wreckage. The only survivors were the 26 survivors taken to the hospital, some of whom died.

Early Video Coverage of Spanair Crash

The Madrid crash happened as Spanair Flight 5022 was taking off from the main runway=taking off at about 2:45 p.m. (8:45 a.m. ET). The plane was headed to Las Palmas in the Canary Islands.

Repost: Breaking News of Spanair Crash

English Language clip of initial breaking news of Spanair Crash

Spanair Madrid Crash Video

EL VUELO JK 5022 con 173 a bordo, 150 FALLECIDOS, El accidente se produjo a las 14:45 hora local en el momento de despegue del avión, un modelo MD-82. UNA TRAGEDIA HORROROSA.

Sao Paulo, Brasil

Accidente aereo en Sao Paulo
Un avión de pasajeros de la aerolínea brasileña TAM con 186 personas a bordo se ha estrellado contra una gasolinera en el aeropuerto Congonhas de Sao Paulo.

TAM Airlines Flight 3054

TAM Airlines Flight 3054 (JJ 3054) July 17, 2007. All passengers and crew were killed in the crash, as well as a dozen people on the ground

Spanair Casualties

The faulty valve that prevented the first attempt at takeoff was disconnected rather than repaired. Planes are allowed to fly for up to 10 days with the system involved disconnected.

Newlywed Brazilian Ronaldo Gomes Silva, 25, and his Spanish wife Yanina Celisdibowsky had been living in the UK for three years. a month ago in Sao Paolo, Brazil, they got married; They had just gotten on a plane to visit the Canary Islands, where Yanina was going to meet her in laws for the first time.

They got on the wrong plane. They were two of the victims of Spanair Flight JK5022.

Juliao Alves da Silva, the groom's father said: "I have lost my son and a daughter-in-law. I am destroyed."

I don't even know these people and I am nearly inconsolable.

• What: Spanair Flight JK5022, a 15-year-old MD-82 jet bound bound for Las Palmas in the Canary Islands.


• Where: Madrid airport Terminal Four


• When: Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2008 2:45pm


• Who: Carrying 166 passengers and nine crew, at the time of this writing, the number of fatalities had mounted to 154 people.


• Why: The jet swerved off the runway and caught fire during takeoff. Spanish Comisión de Investigación de Accidentes e Incidentes de Aviación Civil (CIAIAC) is investigating

Ultralight Crashes into Idaho School-Scant details

What: Ultralight crashed into school
Where: Kootenai County, Atlas Elementary School, located at 3000 W. Honeysuckle.
When: Aug 29, 2008
Who: No students were involved; school is not in session.
Why: Damage resulted in a gas leak at the school.

Australian Plane Collision, One Fatality

What: Light aircraft collision between a Piper Warrior and a Cessna 150
Where: Moorabbin Airport in Melbourne
When: Aug 27, 2008
Who: Twenty-four-year-old trainee pilot Akash Ananth, an Indian national colliding with another light plane over Cheltenham. The other pilot and trainee made it back to the airport to land safely.
Why: Under investigation

Cessna 182 Crashes After Dropping off Skydivers

What: Fun Skydiving Cessna 182 single engine aircraft
Where: Alumni Field, about 100 feet from Maple Street
When: Wednesday evening7 p.m.
Who: Pilot Edward Hamilton was the only one aboard at the time. He survived with minor injuries.
Why: Plane lost power on approach to Danielson Airport, made an emergency landing, coasted to the edge of the runway before losing power and flipping over. The pilot had just dropped off a group of skydivers and was headed back

Cessna Crashes in Albuquerque

What: Cessna 172 airplane en route from Tucson to Illinois
Where: Double Eagle Airport Albuquerque
When: 9:30 Thursday morning
Who: Two 56-year-old men suffered injuries: one a head injury was transported by helicopter to University of New Mexico Hospital; the second man went by ambulance to the hospital. Identified as Marty Nedza and Lawrence Muldon. Both are in stable condition. (The plane is not in that good a condition.)
Why: On landing to refuel, the plane hit one of the lead-in lights and came to rest on its nose with its tail in the air.

Cessna Crashes in Macedonia

What: Skopje Air Cessna 172
Where: outside the lake resort city of Ohrid, Macedonia within 100 meters of a church (near the village of Leskoec)
When: Thursday
Who: The pilot and three passengers were killed
Why: The cause is not known. The plane struck several cars. Thousands of worshippers were in the church celebrating a religious holiday Dormition of Virgin Mary.

British Flight Grounded after Microwave Scare

What: flight to Gatwick, operated by Thomsonfly
Where: Pula airport in western Croatia.
When: Tuesday afternoon
Who: 190 passengers
Why:Black smoke filled the cabin when an onboard microwave oven caught fire. The jet was grounded for repairs. Technicians found an 'installation error' in the on board microwave. Some passengers returned to London via train; the passengers who weren't terrified out of their wits waited in the terminal for eight hours to fly back to London on a different plane.

Emergency Landing in Portugal

What: Boeing 757 owned by Britain's Thomas Cook Airlines, en route to the Canary Islands
Where: Faro, Southern Portugal
When: 12:45 (1145 GMT) Wednesday
Who: 210 mostly-British passengers
Why:engine trouble ( plane landed under a yellow alert -- the lowest level)

Emergency Landing at Yellowknife

What: Canadian North flight 444 (Boeing 737 ) originated from Edmonton and stopping in Yellowknife en route to Norman Wells then Inuvik
Where: SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
When: August 26, 2008
Who: 76 passengers and 4 crew. Passengers included reporters on their way to Inuvik, NDP incumbent Dennis Bevington and Conservative candidate Brendan Bell.
Why:15 minutes after takeoff the pilot announced they were returning to the airport for personnel to take a look at the plane. The incident was a probable bird strike.

Alaska Airlines Better Safe Emergency Landing than Sorry

What: Alaska Airlines 737
Where: Sky Harbor Airport
When: Wednesday night
Who: 141 passengers, no injuries
Why: When the indicator light showed a possible fire in the Auxillary Power Unit--a small jet engine at the back of the plane--the pilot returned to the airport. An infrared detector indicated that there was no fire.

Maryland Urologist Pancakes in Ocean CIty

What: Six-seat Beech Craft Baron D55, a 39-year-old twin-engine plane
Where: Ocean City Municipal Airport
When: Saturday afternoon
Who: Dr Robert Crouch, pilot. No injuries.
Why: Mechanical failure. The plane landed without landing gear and slid on its fuselage till it stopped. The FAA is investigating.

Update
At 6 p.m. Sunday, police pulled Crouch over in his car and found a bag containing 5 grams marijuana.

Hijackers Free Passengers, Keep Crew

Denied, Denied, Denied

The Sun Air Boeing 737 was supposed to be en route to Khartoum, the capital of Sudan. Hijackers were denied permission to land in Egypt. The two hijackers--supposedly Darfur rebels--have released all 95 passengers (including 3 members of a SLA faction by Minni Minawi ) in Libya, but they still have seven crew members. The hijackers are requesting fuel to fly to France, which has so far been denied.

Although the hijackers said they were from the rebel Sudanese Liberation Army of Abdel Wahid Mohammed Nur, rebel leader Abdel Wahid Mohammed Nur denied responsibility for the hijacking. Sudan is requesting extradition of the hijackers; but in the meantime, negotiations are in progress.

Five years of conflict has left about 200,000 dead and over two million homeless in Darfur.

Date: 26 AUG 2008
Type: Boeing 737-200
Phase: En route (ENR)
Operator: Sun Air
Crew: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 0
Passengers: 95
Location: Tripoli (Libya)
Nature: Domestic Scheduled Passenger
Departure : Nyala Airport (UYL/HSNL), Sudan
Destination : Khartoum-Civil Airport (KRT/HSSS), Sudan

Chicago Emergency Landing

What: Private plane
Where: Maple Park, Chicago IL
When: 4:40 p.m. Sunday
Who: Not released
Why: The plane experienced engine trouble resulting in an emergency landing. Apparently the FAA is not investigating as there were no FAA violations involved.

Cessna Crashes in Guatemala Killing Humanitarians

Update
Dan Liljenquist, one of the survivors, just made it thru surgery in Guatamala, getting a rod in one leg and bone fragments removed from his other. The number of fatalities has risen to 11.

The crash killed five CHOICE Humanitarian workers, including Expedition Director Liz Johnson, Cody Odekirk and John Carter of Utah; Roger Jensen and his son Zachary of Wisconsin; and Guatemalan CHOICE representatives Javier Rabanales and Walfred de Rabanales. The pilot and co-pilot, Fernando Estrada and Monica Bonilla, both of Guatemala, also died, according to The Associated Press.
Odekirk and Carter were Focus Services employees, as were Jeff Reppe and Lydia Silva of Illinois, who also were killed.

What: Cessna Caravan 208 charter flight operated by Aero Ruta Maya en route from Aurora to El Estor
Where: Crash in Zacapa, 71 miles east of Guatemala City
When: Sunday about 9:45 a.m.
Who: 14 passengers, 10 fatalities.including pilot Monica Bonilla, co-pilot Luis Fernando and the Americans on board. The passengers were U.S. humanitarian workers. Three Americans survived, including Sarah Jensen. The destination was a village in El Estor County to build homes for CHOICE Humanitarian. Jensen's brother and father were killed in the crash, and her mother was seriously injured.
Why: 45 minutes into the flight the pilot radiod there was engine failure. 4 passengers were taken to a hospital. The pilot tried landing in a field, but on impact, the aircraft split into pieces.

Piper Kills 3 in Yuma

What: 1959 Piper PA-24-250 en route from Pueblo to Yuma.
Where: Yuma, about 70 miles east of Denver, near Yuma Municipal Airport
When: 8:30 a.m. Sunday
Who: Two passengers and pilot (all fatalities) The victims as Robert Charles Moran, Dorothy Harlene Moran and Paul Nunn. Nunn was the pilot (and Dorothy Moran's brother)
Why: Plane crashed in foggy conditions. The crash is under investigation.

Emergency Landing in Jackson Mississippi

What: Continental 50-seat regional jet 3021 en route from Birmingham to Houston
Where: Emergency landing in Jackson Evers International Airport, Jackson Mississippi
When: 4:00 pm Monday
Who: Forty-nine passengers and three crew members
Why: Engine trouble. Passengers were deplaned into the terminal while engineers worked on the plane.

Ryanair Emergency Landing

What: Ryanair Boeing 737 FR9336 en route from Bristol, England, to Gerona, Spain
Where: Emergency landing at Limoges International Airport in western France
When: Evening of August 25 11.30pm Monday (0730 AEST Tuesday)
Who: French officials announced that 26 people have been hospitalized--168 passengers and 7 crew were on board. The airline said that 16 passengers together with five accompanying family members went to the hospital for ear problems.
Why: Inflight depressurisation incident (The flight lost 16,400 feet in five minutes. ) Passengers said "there was a loud sound as the cabin pressure dropped and a sudden drop in temperature and a rush of cold air” as the plane plummeted. Passengers complained that oxygen masks failed.

Virgin Atlantic B744 Emergency Landing

What: Virgin Atlantic B744 registration G-VLIP flight VS29 from London Gatwick,EN (UK) to Bridgetown (Barbados)
Where: Gatwick,EN
When: Aug 23rd 2008 -40 minutes after departure
Who: 320 passengers and 15 crew
Why: After experiencing unspecified technical problems, the plane dumped fuel and return to Gatwick. Witnesses report that the outer left engine (1) flamed out and was shut down; and/or there was a bird strike. Additionally, the landing gear appeared to be stuck in the down position. Virgin Airlines denies the incident is an emergency.

Spanair Death Toll Rises

Most recent update:

Family given wrong remains after the crash. Apparently this was not a DNA error, just a delivery error.

The Facts

• What: Spanair Flight JK5022, a 15-year-old MD-82 jet bound bound for Las Palmas in the Canary Islands.


• Where: Madrid airport Terminal Four


• When: Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2008 2:45pm


• Who: Carrying 166 passengers and nine crew, at the time of this writing, the number of fatalities had mounted to 154 people.


• Why: The jet swerved off the runway and caught fire during takeoff. Spanish Comisión de Investigación de Accidentes e Incidentes de Aviación Civil (CIAIAC) is investigating

Update
Two of the eighteen survivors are in critical condition. A 44 year old woman is in an irreversible coma.
The death toll from the crash just rose to 154. A woman suffering burns to 72 per cent of her body died in a hospital. Eighteen survivors remain hospitalized. In spite of DNA testing, only 86 of the 154 victims have been identified.

Individuals who lost family members in this disaster should consider retaining a proven aviation law firm or get their case evaluated.

Have you wondered about the MD-82? See the database of MD-82 Accidents and Incidents for Yourself

Barenaked Lady Crashes without a Scratch

What: Cessna 206 floatplane
Where: Taking off from Baptiste Lake, Ontario
When: 08/24/2008 Sunday afternoon
Who: Ed Robertson ( lead singer of the band Barenaked Ladies ),Robertson's wife, Natalie, and their friends Julie and Jeff Jones.
Why: The plane stalled on take off. Robertson managed an emergency landing in the trees with the plane's nose resting on the ground but no one was hurt.

Vegas Crash Update:

Update
The names of the residents of the house that was struck by the Velocity 173RG, have been released; they are Jack and Lucy Costa, a retired couple.


What: Rear propeller speed-173 RG experimental aircraft came down in a residential area near the airport. The Velocity 173RG is a kit plane.
Where: Vegas, Cambridge Heights Neighborhood near Lake Mead, about a mile from the southern end of the Las Vegas Airport.
When: Friday Morning, 6 a.m.
Who: Two individuals living in the house, and the pilot of the plane were all killed. One resident of the house survived to make it to the hospital but later died.
Why: The plane came down in the neighborhood. Eye witnesses heard the engine "in trouble. Cutting off" Because the plane had just fueled with 75 gallons which resulted in an intense fire. There have been 63 runway incursions at this location since 2001.

Yak-40 Downed by Emergency

What: Yakovlev Yak-40 airplane owned by Saratov Airlines en route from Saratov toward Moscow
Where: Emergency Landing at Saratov Airport
When: Sunday, 8.48 p.m.
Who: 29 passengers on board,
Why: "The plane was grounded for technical reasons." No details were given.

The Yakovlev Yak-40 is small, three-engined airliner flown mostly in the former Soviet Union. Yakovlev Is a Russian aircraft designer

Generous Crash Victim Pays Medics

Helicopter crash survivor Eric Henrikson gives $250,000 to the Mercy San Juan Medical Center. On July 13, 2005, the helicopter Henrikson was in slammed into a hillside and rolled down a ravine near Lake Natoma, He was taken to Mercy San Juan for Emergency treatment. The money was part of a settlement against Turbomeca, a French manufacturer knowingly responsible for an incorrectly installed part.

Kyrgyzstan Crash, at least 68 die

What: Boeing 737
Note: contradictory information:
Government officials said the plane belonged to Itek Air, a Kyrgyz company, but was operated by Iran Aseman Airlines.
Mamytov, the presidential adviser, said the plane was both owned and operated by Itek Air.
Where: Crashed near Bishkek's Manas International Airport, Kyrgyzstan
When: Sunday
Who: 90 people on board ( 24 Kyrgyz citizens, 52 Iranians, three Kazakhs, two Canadians, one citizen of Turkey and one Chinese.) including a Kyrgyz high school sports team. Twenty-two people, including two crew members survived. (7 out the 17 members of the basketball survived)
Why:The crew reported a technical problem about 10 minutes into the flight. The crash occurred returning to the airport. The crash followed the sudden decompression of the jet.

Note: Initially it was announced that there were at least 71 dead and 25 survivors
Itek Air has been banned from operating in the airspace of the European Union because of failure to meet safety and aviation standards

Easyjet Emergency Landing in Nice France

What: Easyjet Boeing 737 en route from London to Cagliari in Sardinia
Where: Landed at Nice in southeastern France
When: Saturday, three days after the Spanair disaster
Who: 130 passengers
Why: An electrical problem caused smoke in the cockpit. A stewardess was taken to hospital for tests after suffering breathing problems and another crew member was ill.

Emergency Landing in Geneva

What: Swiss International Airlines airbus A321 flying from Zurich to Malaga.
Where: The plane was flying over France when the pilot was informed about the threat. Redirected to Switzerland where it landed safely at the Geneva airport
When: Saturday
Who: 142 passengers and six crew
Why: emergency landing Saturday after a bomb threat. No explosives were found

San Francisco Emergency Landing

What: Chicago-bound United Airlines flight 158
Where: San Francisco International Airport
When: August 23, 2008 thirty minutes after takeoff
Who: 240 Passengers and nine crew members. No injuries.
Why: After one of its engine compressors stalled, the pilot turned the plane around and returned to the airport, flying on the aircraft's second engine. Smoke came into the cabin after the plane landed and the engines were shut down. Good job, Pilot.

Beechcraft Crashes in Utah, 9 dead.

What: Twin-engine, turbo prop, Beechcraft King Air A-100 returning Friday evening from Moab, carrying a medical team. Leavitt Group owned the plane.
Where: 2 miles from the Canyonlands Field airport.
When: 6 p.m. Friday
Who: Killing all 10 people on board, including pilot David White, the director of Red Canyon Aesthetics & Medical Spa, Dr. Lansing Ellsworth; David Goddard; Mandy Johnson; Marcie Tillery, 29; Valerie Imlay, 52; Keith Shumway, 29; Dallon Ellsworth, 24; Camie Vigil, 25, and Cecilee Goddard, 25.
Why: The plane "pancaked" and skidded along the ground. NTSB Aviation Accident Investigator is Josh Cawthra

Spanair Quotes

Ligia Palomino Riveros: The plane "was moving very slowly" but eventually it became airborne. "But then it made a turn, as if the wing dropped abruptly, We were still very low, very close to the ground. As the plane got higher, it began to wobble from side to side." She lost consciousness, then woke disoriented and thinking a nearby dead man was her husband, yelling "Wake up, wake up, wake up!" at him. "And then the wind shifted and I felt how the smoke was burning me."

Amalia Filloy told the firefighter Francisco Martinez to "save my daughter Maria" instead of her.

Francisco Martinez:“Her mother handed her to us... and the woman stayed behind. There were too few firefighters at the beginning, The girl was totally disoriented, she did not complain or talk despite the great number of serious injuries which she had,” and a six year old “kept asking me if it was true what was happening. He thought it was a film and he kept asking where was his father and when the film would end.”

Manuel Bautista, the Civil Aviation Director General:“A fault in a motor does not cause an accident. Together with other causes it could be what brought down the plane. We have to determine the combination of causes that contributed to it."

There are 19 survivors of the Spanair MD-82 jet crash at the Madrid-Barajas airport. At least 80 of the bodies would have to be identified through DNA testing.

The Facts As We Know Them

• What: Spanair Flight JK5022, a 15-year-old MD-82 jet bound bound for Las Palmas in the Canary Islands.


• Where: Madrid airport Terminal Four


• When: Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2008 2:45pm


• Who: Carrying 166 passengers and nine crew, at the time of this writing, the number of fatalities had mounted to 145 people.


• Why: The jet swerved off the runway and caught fire during takeoff. Spanish Comisión de Investigación de Accidentes e Incidentes de Aviación Civil (CIAIAC) is investigating

Have you wondered about the MD-82? See the database of MD-82 Accidents and Incidents for Yourself

Vegas Crash results in Two Deaths

To play the news video, click on the screen.




What: Rear propeller speed-173 RG experimental aircraft came down in a residential area near the airport.
Where: Vegas, Cambridge Heights Neighborhood near Lake Mead, about a mile from the southern end of the Las Vegas Airport.
When: Friday Morning, 6 a.m.
Who: Two individuals living in the house, and the pilot of the plane were all killed. One resident of the house survived.
Why: The plane came down in the neighborhood. Eye witnesses heard the engine "in trouble. Cutting off" Because the plane had just fueled with 75 gallons which resulted in an intense fire. There have been 63 runway incursions at this location since 2001.

Delta Emergency Landing

What: Delta Air Lines flight traveling from Cleveland to New York City
Where: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport.
When: emergency landing Friday about 5 p.m
Who: About 50 passengers and an unlisted number of crew members were involved.
Why: One of the plane's two engines shut down while the plane was in flight, according to passengers. The cause of the engine failure was not immediately known. There were no injuries, A charter bus arrived at the airport at about 6 p.m. to take the passengers to the John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York.

Helicopter Crash at Pennsylvania Charity Event

What: The event was a "charity golf ball drop" at an Eastern Pennsylvania Golf Course about 80 miles west of Philadelphia.
Where: Schuylkill County, Mountain Valley Golf Course in Ryan Township on Brockton Mountain Drive near Locust Lake State Park
When: 7:00 Friday
Who: Pilot and co-pilot were injured.
Why: NTSB will be investigating

note: The injured were flown to Reading Hospital and Medical Center and Geisinger Medical Center, Danville, Montour County.

Tam Air Crash-More than a Year ago

We have not forgotten. We will never forget.

Aeropuerto Barajas Accidente

English and Spanish
Inglés y Español

Aeropuerto Barajas accidente T2 vuelo Spanair JKK 5022 a Canarias AL MENOS 153 MUERTOS 8:33

Nos disculpamos por el anuncio

GOL Crash Investigation Continues

Ever since the GOL crash on September 29, 2006, there has been a question why the private Legacy 600 corporate jet was flying north at 37,000 feet. Brazil's aviation regulations require planes flying from Brasilia to Manaus to travel at even-numbered altitudes -- 36,000 or 38,000 feet. The pilots had flown to Brasilia at 37,000 feet, and were supposed to descend to 36,000 feet as they continued to Manaus. The pilots claim they were at the correct altitude. Their attempts to talk to the tower failed.

There is argument back and forth whether or not there are radio blind spots in the dense jungle. There is also question about the communication systems. The Boeing 737-800 (PR-GTD) operated by Gol Airlines of Brazil was destroyed by in flight breakup and impact forces; all 154 occupants were fatally injured in remote jungle terrain with difficult access.

it appears that the left winglet of the Legacy contacted theBoeing 737's left wing's leading edge, separating the outer portion of the wing and a rendering the 737 uncontrollable.

Spanair Update

Updates

• Spain is holding three days of mourning; silent vigils; flags at half mast.


• Only 25 bodies have been identified. The others were burned beyond recognition. DNA id will have to be used.


• Of the 22 children on board, only three survived.


• The condition of four of the survivors was very serious, six were in bad condition and eight were being monitored.


• Alvarez said that the plane was 15 years old and had passed an annual inspection in the end of 2007. Spainair claims that the last inspection of the plane took place on January 24 2008,


• The flight recorder of the plane's black box has been recovered.


• The only passengers to survive were those who fell into a stream and avoided severe burns.


• On SER radio, survivor Ligia Palomino said "They supposedly fixed the problem which the pilot later said was with the air conditioning and then we took off. The plane was wobbling from one side to another. Then I began to suspect we would crash. I don't know what happened next. I was in a sort of river and saw people, smoke, explosions -- which I think woke me up."


• Spanish sailors Fernando Echavarri and Anton Paz wore black armbands when receiving gold medals in the Olympic Games on Thursday, after officials turned down a request to allow the Spanish flag to fly at half-mast.


• A rescued child thought he was in a film. According to a rescue fireman the child said "When will this film end?Where is my Dad?" Is it real?" but he wanted the film to end.


• Spanair MD-82 1st attempt at takeoff abandoned because a gauge indicated overheating. On the 2nd attempt, an engine caught fire. Perhaps the gauge was correct?

Tragically, only 19 people of the 166 passengers and six crew aboard survived; the victim count of the Spanair crash has risen to 153, the flight that had been delayed by a problem with the heating system of the air intake. The airline listed 157 passengers and 10 unnamed crew.

Spanair Press Releases available here

Private Crashes in Santa Clara killing One

What: Single-engine SOCATA Rallye airplane crash taking off from South County Airport
Where: crashed into a California Highway Patrol truck scale building in Santa Clara County near Gilroy
When: 6 pm, Wednesday Aug. 20
Who: Pilot Martin Shapiro of Palo Alto
Why: Cause is under investigation

Spanair Crash follows Strike Threat. 145 Dead.

A Spanair jet attempted an emergency landing just after taking off from the Madrid-Barajas airport but it crashed off the side of a runway at Barajas. Witnesses described that the engines caught fire as the MD-82 took to the air momentarily before veering to the right and crashing between two runways, breaking into two parts.

After the wreck, only the tail of the MD-82 was recognizable. The plane broke in two and there was an explosion. Wreckage and bodies, even children's bodies were strewn across the area. Despite smaller numbers initially, the count is down to only 28 survivors. Most of the passengers were German, Swedish or Dutch.

There is already controversy concerning the crash. In the official announcement, Development Minister Magdalena Alvarez said the cause was "an error in takeoff". Other sources said that the plane's left engine, made by Pratt & Whitney had caught fire.

Four days ago THIS SAME Spanair McDonnell Douglas MD-82, registration EC-HFS performing flight JK5113 from Lanzarote,CI to Madrid,SP (Spain), was diverted to Las Palmas,CI (Spain) due to a GENERATOR FAILURE about 30 minutes into the flight.

Did troubled Spanair Airlines know the aircraft needed maintenance? The flight was late taking off.

Scandinavian Airlines Systems Spanair is laying off 1,062 staff after losing $81 million this year. Prior to the crash, Spanair's pilots threatened a strike. US regulations forced American Airlines to ground their MD-80 series planes to check their wiring.

Psychologists and social workers join the rescue workers in picking up the pieces.

The Facts As We Know Them

• What: Spanair Flight JK5022, a 15-year-old MD-82 jet bound bound for Las Palmas in the Canary Islands.


• Where: Madrid airport Terminal Four


• When: Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2008 2:45pm


• Who: Carrying 166 passengers and nine crew, at the time of this writing, the number of fatalities had mounted to 145 people.


• Why: The jet swerved off the runway and caught fire during takeoff. Spanish Comisión de Investigación de Accidentes e Incidentes de Aviación Civil (CIAIAC) is investigating

Individuals who lost family members in this disaster should consider retaining a proven aviation law firm or get their case evaluated.

Have you wondered about the MD-82? See the database of MD-82 Accidents and Incidents for Yourself

Chopper Crash Update

While on it's third run from Helispot 44, at an elevation 5,935 feet, to Helispot 36, at an elevation of 2,516 feet, ferrying firefighters from a remote mountain site in the Shasta-Trinity forest, the Sikorsky S-61N helicopter crashed killing 9.


Fortunately, the voice-data recorder was determined to be intact despite fire damage. The investigation so far has found that the chopper's main rotor lost power during takeoff. After the rotor malfunction, witnesses say the helicopter struck trees and slammed into the hillside. Four of the thirteen passengers--three fire fighters and the co-pilot--survived. The co-pilot remains hospitalized.

Read profiles of the victims here

Emergency Landing in Glendale Field

What: single-engine plane flying from the Glendale Municipal Airport a little after 10 a.m
Where: emergency landing on a dirt field in the West Valley near 99th and Olive avenues, about two miles north of the Glendale Municipal Airport
When: Tuesday
Who: Pilot and passengers names not disclosed
Why: Pilot experienced a “rough-running” engine shortly after takeoff, attempted to return to the airport and ended up landing in a vacant lot and striking a fence. It was a hard landing but no fatalities.

Cessna Lands without Landing Gear

What: Cessna 210 registered to Southport Aviation in Belton, Missouri
Where: Midway, Arkansas; plane landed without landing gear on the runway at Midway.
When: Tuesday, Aug 19
Who: Pilot, Steve Qualizza was not seriously injured.
Why: Pilot had alerted authorities on the ground he was unable to lower the landing gear

Ultralight Crashes on Golf Course

What: Single Seat Ultra-light glider
Where: crashed near the club house at Willow Brook Golf Course in Rostraver Township
When: 7:45 pm Tuesday night.
Who: Not released.
Why: No word on the victim's condition or the cause of the crash.

Scott County Crash

What: Propeller-driven aircraft crop-dusting in Scott County
Where: Found in a rural swath of private land in Leesburg after an hours-long search.
When: First reported missing about 3 p.m. Sunday.
Who: Mike Cochran owner of Cochran Flying Service in Canton. Found 7:45 p.m. Sunday.
Why: Unknown. The Federal Aviation Administration was investigating the crash scene Monday.

Washington Copter Crash

What: two-seat Robinson R22 departed from the Bremerton National Airport
Where: attempting to land at his own property to pick up a passenger. Near the 12000 block of Banner Road, Kitsap County
When: Sunday
Who: Pilot Myron Aadland
Why: "experienced an in-flight emergency" The FAA is classifying the incident as: "crashed under unknown circumstances,"

Replica Crashes killing Pilot

What: Replica of a 1917 Nieuport 24 biplane
Where: Plane crashed during an air show at the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome
When: August 17, 2008 Sunday afternoon. The plane crashed during the final minutes of an air show.
Who: The pilot was a certified commercial flight instructor. Name withheld pending notification of relatives.
Why: Not posted.

Louisiana Crash with Minor injuries UPDATE

What: Single-engine Piper PA-28 taking off from Abbeville Regional Airport
Where: Crashing in Vermilion Parish, in a sugarcane field off Chiasson Road, just south of La. 14.
When: 8:30 p.m. Thursday
Who: pilot and two passengers received minor to moderate injuries and were transported by Acadian Ambulance to a local hospital for treatment.
Why: Unknown reasons. Under investigation.

Update
Officials say the official cause was engine failure , however it will take approximately six months before the NTSB releases the probable cause of the accident.

Lost Plane found Wrecked near Ghost Town

What: Green Valley Pecan Company-owned single-engine plane took off from a company airstrip in San Simon, a few miles west of the New Mexico border bound for another company strip near Green Valley
Where: Wreckage was located against a cliff near the mining ghost town of Helvetia, 30 miles southeast of Tucson
When: Went missing Thursday; The wreckage of the plane was spotted Friday afternoon
Who: Pilot and sole occupant Layne Brandt, vice president of farm operations for the Farmers Investment Co.
Why: It is believed the pilot suffered a "health issue."

Texas Family Killed in Colorado Cessna Tragedy

What: Four-seater Cessna 182 flying from Steamboat Springs en route to Sugar Land, Texas, a suburb of Houston.
Where: The crash site was discovered by a hiker on the southeast side of Mount Guyot
When: The plane departed fully fueled about 8:30 a.m. Friday and went missing later that day after encountering Heavier rainfall, light snow in high elevations and scattered thunderstorms. Before dropping off radar, Jacomini was flying at 11,000 feet roughly 70 miles north Mount Guyout, Crash site and bodies were found by a hiker Sunday.
Who: Pilot Thomas Paul Jacomini Jr. his wife Susie, and their two children, Vivi, 6, and Thomas, 8.
Why: Flying in inclement weather in the Colorado highlands, and without a flight plan. Six inches of snow was on the ground in the area.


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Pilot Injured in Kansas ultra-light Crash

What: Homemade Kolb UltraStar ultra-light plane crash
Where: The plane went down near Booth Creek, a half-mile south of K-16 highway in Pottawatomie County north of Manhattan
When: Saturday evening
Who: Pilot Bill Johnson, sustained injuries and was taken to Stormont-Vail Regional Health Center in Topeka
Why: The engine stalled

Beaverlodge Crash, One Fatality

What: small plane crash
Where: near Beaverlodge
When: Sunday afternoon
Who: Two passengers. One dead at the scene, one airlifted to Grande Prarie.
Why: RCMP received a call just after 5 p.m. of a plane that had lost contact with its control tower. At 7:30 Sunday night the search found the plane partially submerged in a remote marshy area south of Beaverlodge.

Private Plane Crash on Grand Mira North

What: light single-engine, two-seater plane owned by a resident of Grand Mira North
Where: Grand Mira North Road, rural area south of Sydney, N.S.
When: between 12 and 12:15 p.m.
Who: Pilot Barry Hussey injured
Why: The plane crashed nose first across the road from his landing strip. The pilot was taken first to Cape Breton Regional Hospital in Sydney and was subsequently airlifted to The Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre.

Piedmont Triad International Airport Emergency Landing

What: 21-seat corporate plane owned by New York-based GC Asset Management llc.
Where: emergency landing at Piedmont Triad International Airport
When: Sunday night 7:15
Who: 13 passengers
Why: the plane suffered a hydraulic problem and landed safely

Glendale Pilot Avoids Loop 101

What: Small plane on the way to Mesa from the Glendale airport
Where: emergency landing in the West Valley.
When: Saturday just before 7 pm
Who: The pilot was uninjured. No one else was on board.
Why: . The plane had a mechanical malfunction and started losing power. The plane landed in an empty field about a 100 yards from the Loop 101 near the University of Phoenix Stadium and broke through a fence near Glendale Airport and ended up in a gully.

British Mid Air Collision-5 Deaths

What: The Microlight crashed into a field close to Coombe Abbey, Brinklow near Coventry Airport
The Cessna 402 owned by Reconnaissance Ventures Ltd, which is based at Coventry Airport was carrying four people.
Where: The first plane came down near Coombe Abbey, in Warwickshire, five miles from Coventry Airport, just before midday, while the Cessna crashed in nearby Brandon Woods.
When: at around 1130BST.
Who: One passenger in the first plane was killed and four people died in the second aircraft.
Why: Cause unknown. Witnesses said "We noticed the twin-engined aircraft coming over the top of us. It was about 300 metres away from us, flying away from us as we watched it, and it struck another aircraft that had been coming across. As it hit it, the smaller aircraft just completely disintegrated."

Ambulance audio:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7566738.stm

Corn Crop Dusting Crash

What: 1964 Hiller helicopter owned by Triple H Aviation in Big Lake
Where: in a corn field near the 7400 block of Wright County Road 3 SW
When: 7 a.m. Friday.
Who: Pilot Robert Hook was crop dusting when the incident occurred. He was treated for minor injuries.
Why: The helicopter hit a power line and crashed. The incident is under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration

Mount Baldy Crash and Fatality: update

What: Four-seat, single-engine Cessna 172 originating in Palo Alto. The plane was registered to Advantage Aviation Inc. of Palo Alto.
Where: In the mountains about two miles northwest of Incline Village near Lake Tahoe
When: Late Thursday night/early Friday morning. The body was found August 8.
Who: The pilot was Doyle John Borchers II who died of multiple injuries due to blunt force trauma,
Why: Crashed near the Mount Baldy peak. Visibility was obscured at the scene of the accident, hampering the initial investigation. The NTSB investigation is ongoing.

Muskogee Crash Update

What: small single-engine RV-6A kit plane. The pilot was commuting from Tennessee to his job as a project engineer for Conoco-Phillips in Borger, Texas, He flew out of Fayette County Airport, 38 miles east of Memphis.
Where: southeast Muskogee neighborhood, Oklahoma
When: Monday
Who: Pilot Ronald Dickey was killed
Why: Avoided a nursing home and senior apartment village before crashing in a large vacant lot between two houses. The plane hit the ground at a steep angle and that "the engine and forward fuselage were buried in an impact crater approximately 4 feet deep" The preliminary report indicated that the plane's engine was running and sputtering at the time of impact.



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Pilot's intended route to Amarillo.

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Louisiana Crash with Minor injuries

What: Single-engine Piper taking off from Abbeville Regional Airport
Where: Crashing in Vermilion Parish, in a sugarcane field off Chiasson Road, just south of La. 14.
When: 8:30 p.m. Thursday
Who: pilot and two passengers received minor to moderate injuries and were transported by Acadian Ambulance to a local hospital for treatment.
Why: unknown reasons. Under investigation.

American Airlines 757 Lands in Port-of Spain

What: AA Miami-bound Boeing 757 Flight 1818 makes emergency after taking off in Trinidad
Where: plane landed safely in Port-of Spain
When: Friday
Who: 188 passengers or seven-member crew. No injuries.
Why: hydraulic problem caused the jet's brakes to lock

Washington Speed racer Dies in Plane Crash

What: experimental aircraft takeoff from the Richland, Wash.
Where: crashed on the runway
When: Thursday afternoon
Who: Pilot 72-year-old Charles Bigelow
Why: At 250 feet, the engine began to sputter and the aircraft crashed to the runway, killing the pilot

Firefighting plane lands at Redding

What: twin-engine Aero Commander owned by Utah-based Kolob Canyons Air Service.
Where: Redding airport
When: Wednesday afternoon
Who: The pilot's name was not disclosed
Why: pilot discovered the nose landing gear had not retracted after takeoff Wednesday afternoon. The plane's nose struck the tarmac as it landed.

1946 ER Coupe Crashes on Florida Ranch

What: 1946 ER Coupe fixed wing single-engine plane registered to Robert E. Hudson of Venice had taken off from a private ranch
Where: DeSoto County. near Sarasota.
When: Wednesday
Who: 72-year-old Robert Hudson pilot dead in the crash.
Why: Hudson was headed home to Venice, about 40 miles away, when he apparently hit a tree and crashed on the nearby ranch property.

Angel Flight Update

After four years and about two dozen "Angel flights to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Robert Gregory's leukemia had finally gone into remission. Then, he and his wife Donna died when their Angel Flight crashed outside Boston.

On counselor's advice, relatives taking care of their four year old twins Amanda and Bobby have not yet told them their parents are dead.




What: single-engine 956 Beechcraft Bonanza G35 on a flight from Westhampton Beach, N.Y., to Logan International Airport for Angel Flight New England nosedived into the parking lot of an Easton strip mall and exploded in flames. The plane is owned by Janet Keene.
Where: Easton, blacktop parking lot of a Hannaford's supermarket on Robert Drive near Route 106
When: 10:15 a.m.
Who: Killed were pilot Joseph Baker and Robert Gregory and his wife Donna. The flight was taking the husband to a Boston hospital for cancer
The sad tale of this Angel Flight is made eve

Why: the plane disappeared from radar about 20 miles southwest of Logan. Witnesses said "The plane was flying low under the clouds when it appeared to "stall or spin" "
"Investigators are trying to determine what may have transpired. We don’t know at this time."

*Angel Flight New England is a 12-year-old volunteer “air charity network” out of Lawrence Municipal Airport in North Andover that provides free transportation to hospitals for financially challenged patients

Repost: Cessna Crash Update

What: 1968 182 Skylane Cessna
Where: Westerly, flipping upside down in the Pawcatuck River, Rhode Island
When: August 2nd
Who: Pilot Danny Hall blacked out, but before he did... "When the engine first died I thought this cant be happening. I pushed the yoke down, made the turn, came in above the water, and pitched the plane out, slowed it as much as I can, and hit the water at 45 to 55 mph"
Why: Engine stopped mid flight, sending the plane and pilot into the water. . Apparently mice were "in an airbox, and when I pulled the carb heat, it was pulled into the carburetor, which restired air from getting into the carburetor which killed the motor."

Note: According to an FAA investigation, a mice nest in the plane’s engine was sucked into the carburetor, causing the motor to fail.

Crash Kills Pilot

What: Multiple-engine, fixed wing plane registered to a Dublin, Ohio, company
Where: Field on Weaver Road near the Union County Airport
When: Thursday morning
Who: Shannon Stage, 33, was the pilot killed in the crash.
Why: Witnesses said the plane swooped, took a funny turn and started smoking before it crashed.

Jet Blue Emergency Landing flawless

What: Embraer 190 aircraft JetBlue flight No. 1148
Where: Burlington International Airport from Orlando
When: Tuesday Night 11 pm
Who: 100 passengers
Why: Captain declared an emergency after one of the wing flaps failed to come down. In spite of the pilot's announcement, "One of the passengers said the worst part of the flight was waiting for his bags."

Footage of landing/passenger interview

Successful Emergency Landing results in Pilot's Death

What: Titan Tornado ultralight aircraft—a single-seat, homebuilt hot-rod capable of hitting 90 mph with a Tornado’s Rotax two-stroke engine
Where: Over San Bernardino County’s Mojave Valley leading to an emergency landing on the westbound lanes of the Interstate 40 connector road to Interstate 95. Ten miles west of Needles.
When: Tuesday morning just after 8 a.m.
Who: Pilot Gene Allen Sheets was instantly ejected from the cockpit and died at the scene
Why: Pilot landed and tried to take off again and the ultralight slammed into an oncoming car.

Helicopter Crash in northern British Columbia

What: Single-engine Bell Long Ranger, operated by Quantum Helicopters of Terrace flying drilling equipment to a mineral exploration site northeast of Terrace
Where: 40 kilometres northeast of Terrace , northern British Columbia
When: Wednesday
Who: Pilot 53-year-old update-Mike Haworth had serious injuries-was taken to the hospital where he died.
Why: Investigation has begun on the cause of the crash

Alaskan Crash

What:
Where: 20 miles north of Sitka
When: Sunday night
Who: Pilot Harold Joseph Gaines and passenger Sy Mymudes
Why: Preliminary investigation points to a fuel shortage as a potential cause. Sadly, the plane landed in Gustavus earlier Sunday, but no fuel was available.

Mid Air Collision (Update)

Update
Dr. Ralph Otto, 67, who worked locally as a cardiothoraic surgeon, was identified Monday as one of three killed in the collision. His passenger was C. Michael Downey, 67. Both were members of the Flying Physicians Association. The third victim was student pilot Dave Knezovich, 54, of Wyoming, who was flying a Cessna 172





What: Collision between two single-engine planes : Cessna from the Rock Springs-Sweetwater County Airport and an incoming Cirrus SR22, originated from Polson, Mont
Where: Rock Springs area.
When: Sunday after 12:00 pm.
Who: Student pilot (Cessna) and a pilot and passenger in the incoming Cirrus. All involved were killed.
Why: student pilot was taking off with a plane coming in for a landing.

Three Killed in Angelfight Disaster

What: single-engine 956 Beechcraft Bonanza G35 on a flight from Westhampton Beach, N.Y., to Logan International Airport for Angel Flight New England nosedived into the parking lot of an Easton strip mall and exploded in flames. The plane is owned by Janet Keene.
Where: Easton, blacktop parking lot of a Hannaford's supermarket on Robert Drive near Route 106
When: 10:15 a.m.
Who: Killed were pilot Joseph Baker and Robert Gregory and his wife Donna. The flight was taking the husband to a Boston hospital for cancer
Why: the plane disappeared from radar about 20 miles southwest of Logan. Witnesses said "The plane was flying low under the clouds when it appeared to "stall or spin" "
"Investigators are trying to determine what may have transpired. We don’t know at this time."

*Angel Flight New England is a 12-year-old volunteer “air charity network” out of Lawrence Municipal Airport in North Andover that provides free transportation to hospitals for financially challenged patients

Cessna flips over in Auburn, Washington

What: single-engine Cessna 210.
Where: in a field east of Auburn, Washington near Black Diamond about a mile north of the Auburn Adventist Academy, lat 5000 Auburn Way S.
When: 6 p.m. Monday.
Who: Pilot and all three passengers were OK after the crash
Why: The plane lost oil pressure, and may have lost an engine, forcing an emergency landing. It flipped over and came to rest on its top as it made an emergency landing in the field. Details are not available. The crash is still under investigation.

Oxygen Mask Failure

What: American Airlines Boeing 757 Flight 31 Honolulu-bound airliner
Where: emergency landing at Los Angeles International Airport
When: The flight took off at 8:48 a.m but returned 57 minutes later
Who: The flight was carrying 188 passengers and six crew members. Six passengers were examined for possible minor injuries.
Why: There was some type of smoke odor in the cabin,

Note Fire trucks were supposed to spray streams of water to welcome an Airbus A380 — the world's largest jetliner — flown by Emirates Airlines, but the emergency delayed the Emirates flight.


Update
Oxygen mask failures aboard Boeing 757s and 737s have been the target of an FAA air-worthiness directive, so its not a completely unexpected fact that almost half the masks on American Flight 31 either did not deploy or failed to provide oxygen once passengers pulled the pin to activate the flow of air. Oil spilled on a compressor of one of the jet's engines caused an odor in the cabin, and precipitated an emergency landing--in which the oxygen masks failed.

Emergency Landing at Bush Intercontinental Airport.

What: Canadair Regional Jet 900 Flight No. 3462 operated by Northwest Airlines subsidiary Mesaba Airlines
Where: Bush Intercontinental Airport
When: The plane circled the airport for an hour before landing safely.
Who: Approximately 80 passengers were aboard.
Why: The plane hit a bump and blew a tire on takeoff

Ultra Light Plane Crashes in Western Palm Beach County

What: Ultra Light plane
Where: Western Palm Beach County
When: 8:30 am
Who: 66 year old Pilot Ted Tanfield
Why: The crash is under investigation. No one was injurged.

Cessna Crash Kills Pilot in Mark Twain National Forest

What: Single-engine Cessna 182
Where: Near the Mark Twain National Forest in southwestern Missouri.
When: Sunday near
Who: 77-year-old Theodore Anderson of Blue Springs
Why: Took a nose dive and hit a tree as it burst into flames after taking off from the airport in Shell Knob.

Mount Baldy Crash and Fatality

What: Four-seat, single-engine Cessna originating in Palo Alto.
Where: In the mountains about two miles northwest of Incline Village
When: Late Thursday night/early Friday morning
Who: The pilot was a 50 year old man whose Identity undisclosed pending notification of relatives.
Why: Crashed near the Mount Baldy peak. Visibility was obscured at the scene of the accident, hampering the initial investigation.

Mid Air collision

What: Collision between two single-engine planes : Cessna from the Rock Springs-Sweetwater County Airport and an incoming Cirrus SR22, originated from Polson, Mont
Where: Rock Springs area.
When: Sunday after 12:00 pm.
Who: Student pilot (Cessna) and a pilot and passenger in the incoming Cirrus. All involved were killed.
Why: student pilot was taking off with a plane coming in for a landing.

Spirit Lake Crash

What: 1960 Beechcraft Bonanza
Where: Spirit Lake Airport
When: Sunday Evening
Who: Pilot Bill McGinn was not seriously injured
Why: When the plane touched down, the landing gear buckled and the propellor hit the ground.

Two dead in Bear Lake Beach Crash

What: Small single engine plane
Where: Western shore of Bear Lake in north Utah near Azure Cove in Garden City.
When: 9 a.m.Saturday
Who: Charles W. McCall and his passenger, Deborah J. Lucero,
Why: Plane stalled and cut off (apparently).

Midland Flight Lands on Fire

What: Cessna
Where: Midland
When: 9:30 Saturday
Who: pilot and passenger (s) not named
Why: fire broke out while the plane was in the air.

Airbus Emergency Landing at Faro airport

What: British airline BMI Airbus A321 en route from the East Midlands to Tenerif
Where: emergency landing at Faro airport
When: 11h00 Saturday morning
Who: 197 passengers. No injuries
Why: BMI said "a light was detected in the cockpit that could indicate a problem with one of the engines. It wasn’t anything serious but it was decided to land at the nearest airport to see what was happening."

Continental Emergency Landing in CA

What: Continental Airlines jet left for Newark, N.J., at 4:18 p.m. and returned to the airport 20 minutes later.
Where: John Wayne Airport
When: shortly after departure Thursday afternoon
Who: 113 passengers and five crew members
Why: a pilot smelled smoke. Fire crews found no flames or smoke on the plane.

Canadian Emergency Landing on Hwy

What: Northway Aviation Cessna 207 Skywagon flying from St. Andrews Airport heading north to Bloodvein Manatoba
Where: Highway 8 just north of Winnipeg
When: Friday 2 p.m.
Who: the pilot, two females and an infant on board,
Why: Engine problems after takeoff forced the pilot to land on the highway.

Are Cost-Cutting Measures Cutting Airline Safety?

A Washington-to-Los Angeles flight by an Airbus 320 with 150 passengers burns about 29,500 pounds, or 4,300 gallons, of fuel at about $14,600. An additional 1,500 pounds, about 219 gallons, would cost about $750 more. It is costly.

Airlines are forcing pilots to fly low on fuel. Pilots and crews feel their safety is being compromised. Flying low on fuel results in emergency landings. (Is that what is behind all of these emergency landings we are seeing now?) This is because airlines have new policies designed to reduce fuel consumption. Airline labor unions are protesting safety measures by the airlines to fly lean.

FAA regulations require airliners to take off with enough fuel to reach their destination plus 45 minutes of flight.

The US Airways pilots' union took out an ad in USA Today 16 publicizing that that eight senior captains had been singled out by the company for requesting extra fuel and had been required to attend training sessions.

The number of pilots reporting low fuel on approach to Newark Liberty International Airport tripled from 2005 to 2007. More than half were Continental Airlines flights, the dominant carrier at Newark. Is the airline pressuring pilots "to either not stop for fuel when needed or to carry insufficient amounts of fuel?" Bulletins from Continental's management urge pilots and flight crews to cut back on fuel, pointing out that "adding fuel indiscriminately reduces profit sharing and possibly pension funding."

I guess a pension isn't particularly useful if your death in an emergency landing eliminates the pension question entirely.

In this wrestling match between airlines and pilots, the question is if government regulators are going to support the pilot's need for safety or the Airline's need to cut costs?

Santa Barbara Voice Recorder Transcript.

Transcription of the Recording of Voice, Flight 518

Transcription of the recording of voice of flight 518 published by Wendy Morelos in the “Change of Century”, 28/07/08.

Please bear in mind this was a mechanical translantion, but you can get the drift.

COPILOT: Merida tower good afternoon. Santa Barbara 518 I ask for ignition and proposed flight to Maiquetía tower 518.
IT GOADS: 518, to the closing of doors. Approved ignition. 1018 altimeter. I have been informing V-190 to him into the Avior company CONTROL for 2 minutes control. For 2 minutes. Vertical the Lagunillas station
COPILOT: in account with the companions of Avior. He comes via lagunillas QNH 1018. Approved ignition. Closing of doors and me to roll to 24 track Santa Barbara 518.
CAPTAIN TO COPILOT: if it is possible, to maintain incline of concrete!
COPILOT: Barbarian Merida 518 asks for 180 turning to maintenance by the incline.
CAPTAIN TO COPILOT: if it is possible, to maintain incline of concrete
COPILOT TO TOWER: if it is possible incline of concrete
TOWER: in order to give him to running stand immediately by and with the position of Avior.
TOWER TO AVIOR: Avior 1116 Merida position
AVIOR: We have 8 miles outside, I confirm 8 miles of lagunillas. Through 110 for 9 thousand feet deletion mark exit to the Barbarian. There is no problem. It will call In Bound
TOWER: Then. We are going to give exit to him while you call. Coming In Bound
TOWER: Barbarian 518 hurries her running to 24 and calls ready for the takeoff.
COPILOT: Hurrying the running to 24 and he will call ready to the takeoff Santa Barbara 518.
CAPTAIN: it watches cagada
COPILOT TO TOWER: the authorization Santa Barbara 518
T: Even requiring the authorization
CA: this case is going to be a peo. We are going to resetear it in flight. Already pa that case
COPILOT: we will go visual
PILOT: We are going to leave in the dark. Cone of the mother is worth! we did not see that case! I, touch nor it
PILOT: those gyroscopes were jodieron again all. The other time also yuqueamos we had to us to leave thus.
TOWER: Barbarian 518 Maiquetía I authorize 190. Direct airport 1655
COPILOT: control Maiquetía Autoriza to the Barbarian 518 Maiquetía W8 1 9 0 code transponder 1655 180 Santa Barbara 518 ready when coming out.
TOWER: received. Wind 220 with 08. Authorized to take off.
CO: authorized takeoff crushes 24 Santa Barbara 518.
CA: we do not see a cone if they are fixed we can go by line of vision, was fixed in flight
Now if we are ready.
CA: if you want dale in excess
CA: Power sit
CA: Positive
COPILOT: Get up. Takeoff.
T: Avior 1116. Traffic at the moment in air
Avior: in account 1116 this coming IN BON on lagunillas
CA: in account with information. And as information of the Barbarian we are going away to stick just a little bit more to the North mountain range companion for darte chance.
Avior: in compañerito, then account we will stay fit to the South mountain range.
CA: it goes, dale then
CO: we are going to stay WHITE BUGS + 10
PILOT: same peo the other day
COPILOT: a package the one of the units
PILOT: the other day was thus, we had to hope that they happen…
Level on 400 feet
PILOT: we are visual
PILOT: level
PILOT: if you want we turned Denis already.
PiILOTO: IT VETOES THAT WAY, THIS BEST ONE
PILOT: I HAPPEN THIS WAY
JIJIJIJI (laughter
PILOT: we are going to maintain that rumbito there…. ? Ok we are going to try to maintain to 141 Denis.
Pilot Co: dale
CO PILOT: AND TO MANOPLA….
CA: ábrete pelín to see more if this compass works. And you take punteaíto there to It. There same.
CA: there same. Déjalo There
CA: a hair more to the Denis right.
CO: To the right?
CAPTAIN: If! There
There ZERO SIX SEVEN walk looking for (067)
CO PILOT: ZERO SEVEN THREE (073)
Alarm of land approach sounds
CAPTAIN: Denis, Denis (moment that the captain clears the airplane control to the copilot and takes the control)
COPILOT: We are in 074 truth?
COPILOT: 360?
TOWER: 518 in air 2 9 call to observatory passes the authorization to him?
Continuous alarm of land approach
COPILOT: THAT IS CORRECT GENTLEMAN (of fast form because the alarm activates again)
TERREIN TERREIN PULL UP PULL UP (ALARMA OF APROXIMACION A TIERRA)
COPILOT: Aldino, Aldino. It sees, sees. It vetoes for there that we are in… ?
COPILOT: Aldino, Aldino, we are in 318, not 17. Oiste Aldino? Aldino
Alarm of low level “Terrain Terrain Pull Up Pull Up”
COPILOT: Aldino we are in 318 marico
CAPTAIN: That you want marico? To the right?
Continuous alarm of land proximity
COPILOT: Aldino for there
CAPTAIN Denis cone, by God
COPILOT: Aldino we are going to give 360 him for back. We go pa under (distressed)
COPILOT: dale
CAPTAIN: Denis, by God…
Shock of the commandos
COPILOT: Aldino (desperate)
CAPTAIN: either it goes, or it goes
CAPTAIN: Calm Denis, calm
AIM OF THE RECORDING

California Helicopter Crash-updated

Tuesday's helicopter is one of the deadliest incidents in the U.S. for firefighters in the past 30 years.

What: 30-year-old Sikorsky S-61N helicopter built in Connecticut and upgraded three years ago--chartered by the US Forest Service fighting a fire in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest. The helicopter was operated by Carson Helicopters, which has offices in Grants Pass, Oregon. The crash occurred on taking the third group of firefighters from the front lines to camp. “They went forward a slight bit. Then the aircraft rapidly descended and hit the hillside.”
Where: around 55km northwest of Redding in northern California. Shasta-Trinity National Forest
When: 7:45 pm (12.30am AEST).
Who: 13 people - 11 contracted firefighters with Greyback Forestry and two pilots; four suffered serious injuries; nine are unaccounted for and presumed to be fatally injured. The pilot is at the University of California Davis Regional Burn Centre and 4 others are at area hospitals in serious condition. The nine missing have been confirmed dead.
Why: Apparently the aircraft came down and impacted the terrain and then rolled down the mountain. The accident is under Investigation. NTSB Senior Air Safety Investigator Jim Struhsaker has been designated as Investigator-in-Charge. NTSB Board Member Kitty Higgins will serve as principal spokesman during the on-scene investigation. The Safety Board?s team includes two representatives from the Office of Transportation Disaster Assistance. Bridget Serchak will accompany the team as press officer. A search is on for the flight data recorder.

Update
30 firefighters witnessing the crash and waiting for transport rushed to the crash; two survivors emerged in flames, and one without burns pulled the fourth survivor from the wreckage.

Fatalities
Firefighters who died in the crash were identified by Grayback as Shawn Blazer, 30; Scott Charleson, 25; Matthew Hammer, 23; Edrik Gomez, 19; Bryan Rich, 29; and David Steele, 19. The seventh victim's family notification is pending.The pilot who was killed was Roark Schwanenberg. U.S. Forest Service flight inspector was not identified.

Survivors Michael Brown, Jonathan Frohreich, and pilot Bill Coultas, were treated at the UC Davis hospital. Brown suffered a broken face bones, a broken leg, a bruised liver and leg burns. Coultas is critical but stable condition after surgery for burns covering about 1/3 of his body. Brown and Frohreich were upgraded to good condition and moved from the intensive care unit. Richard Schroeder suffered serious injuries to his neck, shoulder and back but no burns, and was upgraded from serious to fair condition at Mercy Medical Center.

In April, the FAA issued an "airworthiness directive" regarding Sikorsky S-helicopters regarding fatigue failures in the main rotor shaft; and the FAA outlined actions to "prevent structural failure, loss of power to the main rotor, and subsequent loss of control of the helicopter." Carson filed in May that had been six months since the company had ordered parts from Sikorsky which were expected to arrive this month.

Emergency Landing at Blue Ash

What: small plane registered to the Victory Aviation Club at the Hamilton/Fairfield Airport.
Where: Blue Ash airport
When: Thursday afternoon
Who: The pilot's identity was not released
Why:The cowling which covers the engine at the front of the plane had unlatched and opened on one side, exposing the engine and partially blocking pilot's field of vision.

Skydive Plane Crash in Canada

What: Twin-engined King Air plane
Where: Pitt Meadows Airport, east of Vancouver
When: Sunday afternoon
Who: pilot, Ian Flanagan, who is also the owner of Pacific Skydivers and three students, who are believed to be from NUI Maynooth. Skydivers and pilot were taken to the Vancouver General Hospital for treatment. One Irish woman suffered a broken pelvis; the other two, a man and a woman, were treated for minor injuries and flew back to Ireland.
Why: Under investigation. Witnesses saw an aircraft engine fail before the pilot made a wheels-up landing in a blueberry field. The pilot is quoted as saying "There was a problem with the engine. We ended up having to do a forced 'belly-type' landing on a field near Pitt Meadows Airport."

Vancouver Helicopter Crash Kills 4 in Wilderness

What: Hughes MD 500 aircraft belonging to Prism Helicopters of Pitt Meadows flying out of a camp at Alice Arm
Where: at the top of a fiord bordered by steep mountains, in the Kitsault River.
When: 7 am
Who: 4 fatalities including the pilot, two drillers and a logistics employee from Coast Mountain Geological Ltd.
Why: Under investigation

Update
During the dangerous search and rescue, the rescue team parachuted to the crash site, the mangled aircraft upside down in the Kitsault River. The fatalities were mining workers at Homestake Ridge.

In Vancouver and Alaska, Prism operates a fleet of 26 helicopters from the small, teardrop-shaped MD500 to larger transport and cargo choppers. Bravo has been engaged in extensive exploration drilling in the area.

Yucatan Crash

What: 21-seat Gulfstream II plane
Where: Crashed in Mexico in the southern state of Yucatan, 160 miles west of the beach resort of Cancun
When: Monday
Who: The plane's pilot, identified as Edik Munoz Sanchez was arrested for drug trafficking. Munoz, a Mexican citizen, was treated for dehydration and a broken knee
Why: Crash is under investigation

Kuskokwim River Crash

What: Commercial Frontier Flying Service Piper Navaho lifted off from the village of Aniak in Western Alaska
Where: Kuskokwim River Alaska, on a gravel bar
When: Monday August 4 2008
Who: Eight people on board. Minor injuries were treated at the Aniak clinic.
Why: The left engine of the eight-seat plane sent out smoke and died forcing the pilot to land right after liftoff. The nose gear and a wing suffered “substantial damage

Pilot barely survives Cheyenne River Crash

What: A Piper PA18 single-engine aircraft registered to the pilot landed in Pierre to refuel, then intended to head to the Sturgis motorcycle rally. After takeoff, the plane took a hard right and fell into the Cheyenne River.
Where: Cheyenne River, 40 miles north of Wall.
When: Sunday
Who: Pilot 43-year-old Michael Mitchell and passenger 53-year-old Timothy Pylman, both injured.
Why: The cause of the crash has not yet been determined.

Moontown crash

What: Three-seater Piper Super Cruiser
Where: Moontown Airport
When: Tuesday, August 05, 2008 at 2:42 p.m.,
Who: Two fatalities: Pilot Ricky Weldon, operator of Rinet Air Service and passenger Stan Summerlin, co-owner and designer of The MAiZE, a cornfield that's been turned into a popular maze every Halloween since 2003. The pilot was a mechanic, an inspector and a pilot.
Why: crashed on take-off. Witnesses say the Piper appeared to have a difficult time getting off the ground. The runway is 2,200 feet long, more than enough for the Piper to take off but the plane landed in a soybean field just off the runway.

Vancouver Victims remembered

The memorial service for those killed in the Vancouver Island plane crash included a four-plane fly over by four Grumman Goose amphibious aircraft--the same type the victims died in. The memorial was held Tuesday night in a Pacific Coast Airlines hangar in Port Hardy. Pilot Simon Lawrence and 4 Seaspan International Ltd employees died Sunday morning.

What: Pacific Coastal Airlines Grumman Goose G21A amphibious plane on a 30-minute flight between Port Hardy and Chamiss Bay
Where: Northern Vancouver Island. The plane went down on a hillside dense with foliage outside Port Hardy
When: August 03, 2008 ten minutes after take-off. Rescue crews finally spotted the wreckage around 4:30 p.m.
Who: Five died; There were two survivors, one injured, one not.
Why: The cause of the crash is under investigation. It is suggested that engine stall caused the crash.


Both surviving men were among a crew of six workers with Seaspan International headed to Chamiss Bay to load logs onto barges. The pilot was employed by Pacific Coastal Airlines

News Video

Ultralight Kills Pilot

What: two-seat, ultra-light took off from an airstrip in Eastbrook
Where: Plane hit the water in Taunton Bay, about 200 yards off Dwelley Point in Hancock County Maine
When: Crash reported at 7:27 p.m.
Who: Pilot 52-year-old Kenneth Tracy. Daughter, 8-year-old McKenzie Tracy, survived with serious injuries
Why: National Transportation Safety Board will be investigating

Lax Emergency Landing VIdeo.

1968 Aircoup Crash-lands near Albuquerque

What: 1968 Aircoup Single Engine emergency landing
Where: 14 miles southwest of the Cochise County Airport between Willcox and Cascabel on Three Links Ranch Road
When: Friday morning 10:23 a.m
Who: pilot 46-year old Shawn Schneider and passenger were uninjured
Why: after the plane's engine died, the pilot landed with minor wing damage.

Note
A passing America West pilot heard the mayday on the emergency channel, and radioed the distress call to the FAA in Albuquerque Control.

FAA liable in Torrance Helicopter Crash

Once again, judges and juries have decided the value of a human life. Yet no one claims that the compensation encompasses the true value. Like Lady Justice herself holding the balance, with the life of Bailey on one side, and the weight of coin on the other, U.S. District Court Judge Florence-Marie Cooper presided over the Torrance helicopter crash case after testimony from Robert Bailey's friends and family. The FAA was held responsible.

Helicopter Goes Down in Wheat Field

What: Crop-spraying helicopter
Where: Unidentified wheat field near Buffalo
When: 8/5/2008, 11 a.m.
Who: pilot suffered a small cut
Why: The helicopter was close to the ground when it lost power. The skids got caught on the top of the wheat. While crash landing, the helicopter flipped onto its side but fortunately, the chemicals remained intact and did not leak.

Oregon Crash Kills 2 in Plane, 3 in Vacation House

What: Four-seat Cessna owned by a Aviation Aventures in Seaside, flying to Klamath Falls from the Seaside Municipal Airport
Where: a beach house along the Oregon coast, Gearhart, Oregon
When: Monday
Who: Jason Ketcheson, the pilot, and Frank Toohey, his passenger died in the crash.
Why: The plane was flying low in fog, circled, revved its engine and crashed. The crash and explosions leveled a beach house along the Oregon coast. In the beach house, 8-year-old Grace Masoudi, 12-year-old Hesam Masoudi and 10-year-old Julia Reimann were killed. Toohey and Ketcheson in the plane were killed in the explosion. Three people inside managed to escape.

LAX Emergency Landing

What: American Airlines Boeing 757 Flight 31 Honolulu-bound airliner
Where: emergency landing at Los Angeles International Airport
When: The flight took off at 8:48 a.m but returned 57 minutes later
Who: The flight was carrying 188 passengers and six crew members. Six passengers were examined for possible minor injuries.
Why: There was some type of smoke odor in the cabin,

Note Fire trucks were supposed to spray streams of water to welcome an Airbus A380 — the world's largest jetliner — flown by Emirates Airlines, but the emergency delayed the Emirates flight.

Northwest has Emergency Landing

What: Northwest Airlines fight 796
Where: Mitchell Airport
When: Monday night
Who: 124 people on board
Why: Some passengers said they smelled burning rubber before the plane took off. After take-off, the pilot announced that the engine had stalled and a tire had popped. The plane then headed back to Milwaukee and a bumpy landing.

Medical Helicopter lands with one engine

What: MeritCare Bell 222-model helicopter en route from Fergus Falls, Minn., to the Hennepin County Medical Center.
Where: Emergency landing west of Minneapolis, at the Buffalo, Minn airport 35 miles away from destination.
When: Sunday afternoon.
Who: Patient with a broken bone and crew.
Why: Mechanical problems. One of the helicopter's two engines quit as it prepared to land.

United Airlines flight 1139

What: United Airlines flight 1139 bound for San Francisco from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
Where: Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
When: Sunday evening 5:20 p.m
Who: Only one injury. A 61-year-old woman sitting in Row 4 suffered a knee injury and was transported to Highline Medical Center. She was re-booked on a first-class seat to San Francisco.
Why: A row of seats gave way during takeoff and slid into the row behind it. A bolt holding down three occupied seats in Row 3 loosened and the seats slid backward into the three passengers in Row 4. After the incident, the pilot returned to the airport. The plane returned to service, heading to San Francisco at 8:56 p.m. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating,

Vancouver Island Crash

What: Pacific Coastal Airlines Grumman Goose G21A amphibious plane on a 30-minute flight between Port Hardy and Chamiss Bay
Where: Northern Vancouver Island. The plane went down on a hillside dense with foliage outside Port Hardy
When: August 03, 2008 ten minutes after take-off. Rescue crews finally spotted the wreckage around 4:30 p.m.
Who: Five died; There were two survivors, one injured, one not.
Why: The cause of the crash is under investigation. It is suggested that engine stall caused the crash.


Both surviving men were among a crew of six workers with Seaspan International headed to Chamiss Bay to load logs onto barges. The pilot was employed by Pacific Coastal Airlines

News Video

Palatka Florida Crash

What: Small plane on their way from Alabama to Miami--made a pit stop in Palatka Florida. The crash occurred after they took off.
Where: Palatka Florida, south of Jacksonville in a neighborhood
When: Sunday
Who: Eddie King, 64, and his wife Patricia, 57,
Why: The plane lost power, hit two trees, spun and then crashed in a wooden, vacant lot in between two homes. The pilot, his wife, their computer and their cat were all unharmed.

Kentucky Kit Crash

What: Experimental kit airplane
Where: Marvel Golf Course in Marshall County.
When: Sunday around noon
Who: Pilot John Goss was taken by helicopter to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Tennessee, where he later died. Alan Goss of East Carondelet, Illinois, was taken to Deaconess Hospital in Evansville, Indiana. Hospital officials aren't releasing information on his condition.
Why: Not released

3rd Qantas Emergency Landing a Charm

What: Manila-bound Boeing 767
Where: Sydney airport
When: Saturday
Who: 200 passengers aboard
Why:Leaking hydraulic fluid

Update
A third Qantas jet had an emergency landing in a ten day period, this last one happening Saturday after a wing was noted leaking fluid. The Civil Aviation Safety Authority will be reviewing Qantas safety standards although there were no injuries.

Corporate Jet kills 8

What: Corporate Jet en route to Owatonna to meet with representatives of a local glass company called Viracon to discuss a $2 billion hotel-casino complex being built in Atlantic City by Revel Entertainment.
Where: Owatonna airport.
When: Thursday
Who: 8 people aboard (six casino and construction executives and two pilots ) There were seven fatalities on site and one passenger died in the hospital.
Why: The plane attempted to land and touched down on the runway but then witnesses heard the engines power up as the pilots tried to get back in the air. The plane traveled 1,000 feet through a grass field before it hit an eight foot high runway wide antenna and lost control.

UpdateNational Transportation Safety Board investigators haven't focused on a single cause. They also are looking at runway conditions, the cockpit voice recorder, mechanical issues and a thunderstorm that moved through the area and interviewing witnesses

Crash Victims suffer from hypothermia

What: small plane
Where: Ketchikan Alaska off Gravina Island
When: Friday evening
Who: Troopers say the 66-year-old pilot, Robert C. Davis, and his 58-year-old passenger, Glenn B. Davis,
Why: Plane ran out of fuel on its approach but there were no injuries.

Emergency Landing in Minsk

What: Tupolev Tu-204 aircraft en route from Venice to Moscow
Where: Minsk national airport
When: Saturday Aug 1 12.45 Moscow time (10.45 GMT),
Who: 191 passengers, no injuries
Why: The pilot noticed dangerous vibration in the first engine, The plane landed with only one working engine.

Wrongful Death Lawsuit

What: Wrongful death filed re: mid-air collision between two Phoenix television news helicopters that killed four men last year.
Where: KNXV helicopter collided with a KTVK chopper in mid-air over Steele Indian School Park
When: July 27, 2007
Who: filed this week by lawyers representing the 15-year-old son of KNXV photographer Rick Krolak.
Why: The premise of the suit is that 55-year-old Krolak died because pilot Craig Smith, while flying KNXV's helicopter, was "careless, reckless, and grossly negligent. Smith, also died in the crash, but is a defendant, along with his employer U.S. Helicopter Inc. The suit alleges Smith was performing dangerous, complex maneuvers; failed to, or was unable to, control the KNXV helicopter; and flew too close to the KTVK helicopter and also alleges that U.S. Helicopter allowed Smith to operate the aircraft in a grossly negligent manner and the company knew, or should have known, that Smith was a reckless, dangerous pilot.

Qantas jet 737-800 Update

What: Qantas jet 737-800 flight 692 (domestic flight)
Where: Adelaide airport
When: Monday 6:10 pm three days after the Qantas jumbo jet blew a hole in its fuselage
Who: On return to the airport, the full load of passengers relocated to another plane
Why: routine 'air turn-back' shortly after take-off when one of the landing gear doors failed to retract

Note
Passengers reported hearing a "grinding" noise shortly after take-off as the pilot attempted to correct the malfunction.

A hydraulic leak in the controls in the wing was detected on the plane shortly after it took off from Sydney International Airport at 1:20 p.m. en route to Manila. Qantas said the leak wasn't apparent prior to takeoff. "On inspection, engineers determined that fluid was coming from the spoiler actuator that was not evident before departure."

Ultralight Crash and Two Fatalities

What: Rans S6 Coyote, co-owned by Mickey Jovkovic and Bill Lishman powered by a Rotax 912 engine, which does not use a traditional aircraft ignition system. Instead, it uses solid-state ignition modules, which are extremely reliable, but depend on electrical power to keep the engine running.
Where: near Port Perry
When: The crash happened around 9:45 a.m
Who: Mr. Jovkovic and a passenger were killed. The passenger, who was from South Africa and visiting his sister in nearby Port Perry this week, was given the flight as a gift from his brother-in-law, who won it in a charity auction.
Why: the engine on the new Rans S6 Coyote stalled, smashed into the ground and burst into flames. In a stall-spin, an airplane runs out of airspeed and falls off to one side as the pilot tries to bank toward the runway. Local pilots believe electrical problems may have shut down the airplane's ignition system.

Note: The plane's co-owner is Mr. Lishman, whose life story inspired the 1995 Hollywood movie Fly Away Home. Mr. Lishman, who became famous for training Canada geese to follow an ultralight airplane, built the Coyote with a friend in 1996, and had flown it ever since.

CLE ELUM crash: Two Fatalities

What: single-engine, four-seat Lancair ES traveling from Ketchikan, Alaska, to Mountain Home, Idaho. The plane is registered to Eugene Long of Lafayette, Colo. The destroyed plane was amateur-built from a kit and considered an experimental aircraft. The plane won an award for best composite at the 2007 Sun 'n' Fun competition in Florida, a large annual gathering of experimental aircraft enthusiasts
Where: It went down in Section 11, near Pile-up Creek in the mountains of the Naches area, 20 miles south of CLE ELUM (near Mount Clifty, located south of Easton, midway between State Route 410 and Interstate 90.)
When: Friday at about 3 p.m.
Who: An undisclosed man and woman died in the crash; their bodies were found at 5:35 p.m. in a debris field estimated to be a half-mile long and a quarter-mile wide; they were found 100 feet from the fuselage
Why: Under investigation. The pilot's last contact with Seattle Air Traffic Control occurred south of Cle Elum, where controllers lost radar and radio contact. Witnesses in 5 different campgrounds heard the plane's engine running when it crashed.

Madurai Airport Emergency Landing

What: Madurai bound Paramount Airways from Chennai
Where: Madurai India
When: 1.30 pm on Thursday
Who: 14 passengers
Why:Passengers encountered breathing difficulties. Pilot advised to return to Madurai

Flybe Embraer emergency landing on Isle of Man

What: Flybe Embraer 195 flight from Manchester to George Best Belfast City Airport
Where: Emergency landing on Isle of Man
When: August 1 at 1:17 pm
Who: 89 passengers on board had to escape via the emergency chutes. Four minor casualties were treated at the scene and one female was taken to hospital.
Why:failure of the air conditioning and circulation system. Flybe arranged for passengers to complete their flight on flight BE7016.

Small Plane lands in Bean Field

What: Small plane flying from Naperville to the Lake of the Ozarks.
Where: bean field on County Road 245, MO
When: Thursday
Who: Pilot Bentler of Naperville, Lavacchi of Port Barrington, Ill., and their wives.
Why: problem with the fuel lines, which caused the plane to lose engine power.

Delta Passengers Stranded at LAX after Emergency Landing

What: Delta flight 1767 from LAX to Kona
Where: LAX
When: Friday, 01 Aug 2008
Who: 200 passengers, including a basketball team
Why:plane began shaking almost immediately after takeoff and continued for about 20 minutes.

Update
The plane landed safely. There were no injuries. However, no other planes were available to get the passengers to Hawaii, possibly until Sunday, including 20 high school kids that had raised money to get to Hawaii to participate in an international basketball tournament to begin on Saturday, and all passengers were stranded

Emergency Landing in west Virginia

What: Piper Cherokee single engine plane on a flight from Charleston, W.Va., to Lexington, Ky.
Where: Tri-State Airport in Huntington, W.Va
When: not specified
Who: none of the passengers on board were injured. Owner Charles Rashid said he and two others, the pilot, Clay Nease and a fellow passenger, Archie Lambert were on their way to a car auction in Lexington
Why: engine trouble in mid air

Skilled Emergency Landing at Albany International Airport

What: Rented single engine Piper Cherokee from the Piseco Lake Airport in the southern Adirondacks around 1:00 Friday afternoon, headed home to Cherry Hill.
Where: Directed by control tower to (emergency) land at Albany International Airport
When: Friday afternoon 2:30 pm
Who: Stephans family of Cherry Hill: Dad Jim, wife and two kids
Why: Thumping on the left side of the plane... landing gear assembly, which later fell off in the woods near the airport.

Update
The pilot (Jim Stephans) said : “Basically had to get the plane to just above stall speed and then hold it there and keep the plane on one wheel as long as I could to allow me to slow the plane and slide into the grass.”

Officials said Stephans did a good job of landing in the first 1000 feet of the runway and sliding off the runway. The plane landed with barely any damage -- no real damage to the plane, no damage to the people in it.

Lawsuit over defective Helicopter Part

What: Inter-Island Helicopters McDonnell Douglas 369FF helicopter
Where: Kaua'i Hawaii
When: March 11, 2007
Who: Michael Gershon, 60, of Walnut Creek, Calif., and three other passengers.
Why: Safety board concludes manufacturing failure led to Ha'ena fatality-Caused by a manufacturing defect in a tail rotor fitting.

Update
Two of the passengers, Douglas Barton and wife Judy Barton, of Newport, N.H., in June announced a $9.5 million settlement in their lawsuit against Boeing Co., which merged with McDonnell Douglas in 1997; Aluminum Precision Products Inc., manufacturer of the defective fitting; and Smoky Mountain Helicopters, the company that operates Inter-Island Helicopters.

An NTSB probable cause report released yesterday said the defect resulted in separation of the tail rotor system and loss of tail rotor control. A contributing factor in the crash was the helicopter's impact with trees as it spiraled down for a crash-landing at the YMCA's Camp Naue. Closer examination of the parts revealed that the tail rotor blade assembly was fractured through the root fitting in the general area that coincided with a hole for the rotor blade retention bolt.

In response to the finding, the Federal Aviation Administration issued an emergency airworthiness directive on April 27, 2007, mandating inspection of the root fittings on certain MD 369 helicopters

Portugal: Emergency Landing

What: Undisclosed aircraft
Where: International airport of Faro (Algrave), south of Portugal
When: Friday
Who: 197 passengers
Why: Engine problems

Pilot should not have flown

What: Home-built RV-7 single-engine four-seat plane
Where: east of the Shark River Municipal Marina, near the number three buoy near Shark River Island, in about three feet of water
When: July 5 6:53 p.m
Who: Point Pleasant Beach pilot Richard Jahns,
Why: Pilot should not have been flying on the day of the accident, according to a federal report. The National Transportation Safety Board, said that "instrument meteorological conditions prevailed" at the time of the flight, but that Jahns "did not hold an instrument rating."

Under the Code of Federal Regulations Title 14 Section 63.1(e), entitled instrument rating, "no person may act as pilot in command of a civil aircraft under (Instrument Flight Rules) or in weather conditions less than the minimums prescribed for (Visual Flight Rules) flight unless that person holds: (1) The appropriate aircraft category, class, type (if required), and instrument rating on that person's pilot certificate for any airplane, helicopter, or powered-lift being flown."

In Flight Injuries

Many turbulence-related injuries go unreported. We all know that flying during a storm can be a bumpy ride, but did you know that the US is terrible in the (northern) summertime due to storm activity? Storms over the Pacific are problematic. Commercial aircraft have on-board weather radar usually, which help flights avoid turbulence, but radar isn't perfect. Turbulence happens in the clear air around visible cloud cover.

A plane that flies over a mountainous region--like flying over the Himalayas--tends to have a bumpier ride. Australians have some of the world's most turbulent air routes. Routes from Melbourne to Christchurch and Sydney to Los Angeles are notorious for the amount of turbulence

Turbulence-related injures are under-reported: There are about a dozen or so reported yearly in Australia. These are real injuries, like broken bones and head injuries. For example, unexpected turbulence in 2000 caused broken ankles and other injuries in a 747 flying from Sydney to Osaka. It was mid-flight and the seat-belt sign was off.