Hudson River Animation

No incident in Miramar

What: Navy FA-18 fighter jet doing flight operations
Where: MCAS Miramar
When: Tuesday night 9 p.m
Why: When the jet ran low on fuel, the pilot was directed to land at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, which meant flying over Allied Gardens. The sight and sound of a jet flying low over the neighborhood brought back a panicked response, a reminder of an identical jet which killed people on the ground a few months ago in University City. Although the jet landed safely, the still-recovering neighborhood was catapulted back into a terror response--although the jet was completely in control the entire time.

Without wanting to sound too harsh, one hopes that San Diego recalls there is a military base and planes will be flying there when need be. There was no actual incident. Should they have ditched the jet in the bay rather than safely fly over? Then someone would have been complaining about the cost of a ditched FA-18. Be happy.

Emergency Outback Landing

View from a Cessna 172S Skyhawk SPIn Flight in Australia's Northern Territory,
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Contact photographer Stuart JR
What: Cessna 182 on an inspection
Where: Northern Territory outback.
When: Wednesday night feb 25
Who: Pilot and passenger
Why: The Cessna's pilot made an emergency landing when the plane experienced emergency problems. Rescue crews found the stranded pilot and passenger and flew them by helicopter to Elliot; the passenger was taken to Elliot Health clinic with a facial cut. The pilot was uninjured.

Smoke forces 2nd American Eagle Emergency Landing

What: American Eagle flight 3890 en route from the Cedar Rapids Eastern Iowa Airport
Where: Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport
When: 12:44 p.m
Who: 51 people on board
Why: 300 feet from the runway, a sensor indicated smoke in the cargo compartment, flight 3890 landed safely in Dallas.

Incidentally, American Airlines flight 2461 issued an alert Thursday after smoke was detected.

Air Travelers Neglect in Canada

Sunday March 1 is going to be a new day for birds and a bad day for Canadian Air travelers. That's the day that wildlife control
officers go part time. Despite being unable to read this, Vancouver International Airport's birds will no doubt be extremely grateful, or maybe not-- considering that the downsizing/downgrading of personnel is likely to result in more dead birds and more downed planes. So in addition to Canadian Snow, Canadian Ice and Canadian Winter, Canadian air Travelers are also going to be inflicted with Canadian Birds. If I have to fly Canadian, I'm walking. Or I'll be hitching a jump seat on the next flyby batch of Canadian geese. Heaven help us all.

Crash Victims

When you imagine becoming a millionaire, you picture sitting on the stage of some television show and providing the winning answer; or winning the lottery; or Ed McMahon or maybe the latest HGTV dream home host knocking at the door. You never picture a phone call that your loved one has died in a plane crash. What is the point of a million dollar lawsuit when you win it by losing the reason you'd ever want money in the first place?

But this is what is going to happen to the Buffalo Crash Victims. Talk about a pyrrhic victory.

Are you familiar with the origin of the word pyrrhic? You probably learned this in high school English, or perhaps in history class. It all goes back to King Pyrrhus who was at war with the Romans. His problem was that even though the King won his battles, there was an inexhaustible supply of Roman soldiers. The Romans won the war--because the Romans always had more soldiers to replenish their ranks. It all comes down to a quote from Plutarch, Lives: "Another such victory over the Romans and we are undone." Pyrrhic came to define any victory that costs more than it is worth.

So that is the position survivors are in. Even if their lawyers win their cases for them, the survivors have still lost. Even when their lawyers file and win their settlements, the battle is still lost, because the lost are still lost, and money is no replacement.

There will be financial problems now, because breadwinners are gone. Mortgages must still be paid; college educations must still be financed. Medical bills and household expenses do not stop simply because the one who paid them is gone. Or worse, the one who was going to college is gone in the flower of their potential life.

So that will be the next move of the families of the victims of the crash: hiring attorneys to represent them. Really, the only question here is which attorneys will the survivors choose?

Hughes Helicopter Crash

What: Hughes 369-F chopper owned by Blackwater Worldwide (now called Xe.)
Where: U.S. Training Center campus 30 minutes south of Norfolk, Va.
When: Feb. 24, 2009--Tuesday 1:33 p.m.
Who: Instructor and student. (Instructor was declared dead on site; student was ported to a hospital.)
Why: The instructor and student were on a practice run when the helicopter's skid apparently clipped an object on the ground and it crashed. The student was transported to a Chesapeake, Va hospital.

FAA and DOT Sued For Not Acting On Recommendations

It all started 15 years ago, when the NTSB first issued a list of safety recommendations. Fast forward 15 years, and the US Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) still hasn't taken those recommendations.

Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2009-- Newark, N.J. news conference on aviation Spokesman Mary Schiavo, former inspector general for the U.S. Department of Transportation, blamed the FAA for lagging in safety improvements.

National Air Disaster Alliance/Foundation is suing federal transportation officials, believing the lack of adoption of safety practices has resulted in accidents like the Continental Connection Flight 3407 crash near Buffalo.

We just posted some of those safety issues;
Or you can take a look at some NTSB's issues in their report NTSB Icing Safety on Aircraft Ground Icing

Mommy and Daddy are fighting.

But what they're really doing is shifting the blame to the other guy so when the Buffalo NY lawsuits come down, it'll be the other guy's wallet that gets sacked. D'ya think?"

Turkish Boeing Crash at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport

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Contact photographer Joop Stroes - Global Aviation Photography
What: Turkish Airlines Boeing 737-800 (TC-JGE) Flight 1951 en route from Istanbul to Amsterdam.
Where: Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport
When: 10:40 a.m. Wednesday Feb 25
Who: 135 passengers on board; eight crew members. (numbers vary)
Why: The plane crashed as it approached the runway to land. Witnesses say the approach was too low and the pilot tried to go higher to avoid crashing into the A-19 (hwy.) The wreckage is in three pieces lying in a field next to the runway; emergency crews are tending injured passengers on site. The cockpit was intact, adn the fuselage broke at the wings.There was a report of one fatality which was later denied. There were at least 20 injured and at least 50 survivors. Another report estimated the majority of the passengers are injured. (Sorry the numbers don't mesh, but this is the news as it stands) There was no fire. Fights to and from Schiphol were suspended temporarily after the crash.
Update:
The number of deceased has been increased to 9.

More than 80 suffered injury.

25 suffered "serious" injury.
6 are hospitalized in critical condition.

Numbers corrected (again): 127 passengers 7 crew.

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

Four of the people aboard were Boeing employees: Ronald A. Richey, John Salman, Ricky E. Wilson and Michael T. Hemmer, all from the Seattle area. Two of them died, one was injured.

Medical Helicopter Makes Emergency Landing in St. Louis

pictured: Arch Helicopter
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Contact photographer Tim Lane
What: Arch Air Medical Services helicopter
Where: St. Louis Downtown Airport.
When: engines failed at 2:35 p.m. Monday
Why: While the helicopter was transporting a patient, it had an emergency, and made a landing at the St. Louis Downtown Airport. Patient was transported to destination by other means.

MD-90 Nose Gear Fails

Pictured: McDonnell Douglas MD-90-30 in Jakarta Indonesia
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Contact photographer Raldi
What: Lion Air McDonnell Douglas MD-90-30 en route from Medan to Batam (Indonesia)
Where: Batam (Indonesia
When: Feb 23rd 2009
Who: 156 passengers and 6 crew
Why: The crew spent an hour and a half trying to get the nose gear to lower but eventually had to land on foam without it. The landing was safe, after circling the airport for so long, although several on board did go to the hospital

Southwest Emergency Landing in Vegas

What: Southwest Airlines twin-engine Boeing 737 en route from Las Vegas's McCarran Airport to Long Island
Where: McCarran Airport
When: February 12, 2009
Who: 116 passengers , 5 crew members
Why: After takeoff, the left engine started misfiring, and every time it misfired the engine would flame. Nineteen minutes after takeoff, the plane returned to land at McCarran at 3:28 on one engine. Southwestern reportedly said that the engine was not on fire, but witnesses referred to flames.

US Airways 757 Emergency Landing in Wilmington

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Contact photographer John E. Jauchler - New England Airports
What: U.S. Airways flight HP-9226, a 757 registration N934UW en route from Fort Lauderdale to Philadelphia
Where: Wilmington's International Airport
When: 6:00 Feb 20, 2009
Who: 190 passengers and 6 crew
Why: Less than an hour into the flight, the plane lost pressure in its cabin, and the pilot made an emergency landing at ILM. Passengers were flown the rest of the way on a Airbus A321-200 which collected them after nearly a 6 hour delay.

Is the Q400 Safe?

When looking at track records, the biggest question of safety in the Bombardier Q400 seems to be the failure of the landing gear to retract. Airworthiness directives in the archives refer to this issue as "fatigue failure of the nose landing gear electrical harness" although when gear retraction failed in 2007 on a Scandinavian Airlines plane, the cause of the failure was described as "hydraulics actuator top eyebolt was separated from the actuator."

Of course in the Buffalo Crash, the landing gear issue did not come into play.

Significant icing may have been THE problem. It may have been icing that crippled the plane, period. It may have been a salvageable situation. It may have been a crisis situation that nine out of ten pilots could have handled--or 1 in 100.

Or it may have been one of several factors.

The Buffalo flight apparently slowed enough to lose lift.

When the stall-warning system angled the plane's nose down to regain speed, instead of following the proper procedure--lowering the nose to get out of a stall--the captain pulled back on the controls and added power.

Pilot training is being discussed as a factor in the crash. Or was it as James Fallows postulates a "tailplane stall?"

Nasa Tailplane Stall Video

However speculation is simply a logical exercise. The NTSB investigation is ongoing as the FBI, NTSB, and FAA examine the flight data and the world waits for an answer.

NTSB Most Wanted List

ntsb.gov/recs/mostwanted/aviation_issues.htm

R-44 Crashes In Panama; 3 Killed

Pictured: R-44
Click to view full sized photo at Airliners.net
Contact Photographer Jose Ramon Valero

What: Robinson-44 (tail # HP-AM3 ) Raven II owned by the Atlantic Suntoys Corp. en route from from the region of Tucuti, in the Panamanian province of Darien, on the border with Colombia en route to Albrook on the banks of the Panama Canal.
Where: Panama City's international airport, Tocumen terminal
Who: pilot Gary Muschette, and passengers Arturo Kam Tello and Ramon Ricardo Perez
Why: Requesting permission to land at Tocumen, pilot Gary Muschette reported a mechanical malfunction.

Witnesses said the helicopter was on fire before it fell from the sky.

Surviving a Helicopter Crash in the North Sea in Feb

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Contact Photographer Gary Watt

What: EC225 Super Puma chopper en route to a drilling rig, the Global Santa Fe
Where: in the North Sea, 500 yards from the BP ETAP platform.
When: Wednesday February 18, 2009 6.40 pm
Who: 16 passengers and 2 pilots
Why: 125 miles east of Aberdeen, the helicopter was forced to ditch in conditions of poor visibility. Flotation bags kept the helicopter afloat. Passengers waited on two rubber rafts. Individuals on the platform called the coast guard. Rescue vehicles included a Nimrod from RAF Kinloss, a Coastguard copter and a Sea King from RAF Lossiemouth. Emergency homing beacons fitted to the rafts and the men's survival suits assisted the rescue as conditions made them nearly invisible.

Three were winched to a helicopter; 15 were rescued by lifeboat, taken to the platform and flown to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary. A triumph of rescue. No fatalities.

Ukranian Cargo Plane Crashes in Egypt

Pictured: Antonov An-12
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Contact Photographer Dmitry Karpezo

What: Ukrainian Russian-made Antonov An-12 cargo plane [registration# S9-SVN] crashed during takeoff en route from Entebbe, Uganda to the Ukraine, on it's way to Nikolaev, an avia-repair plant
Where: Luxor, Egypt
When: Friday Feb. 20, 2009
Who: - Five crew members died
Why: On liftoff, the plane slammed to the tarmac, then slid down and off the runway and hundreds of feet from the runway burst into flames. The plane had a full tank.

The crew included one person from Russia, two from Belarus and two from the Ukraine. The plane's black box data recorder were recovered.

* Extra thanks to photographer Dmitry Karpezo

Japanese Turbulance. Lesson: Buckle Up!

"Click here for full size photo
Contact Photographer Stuart Lawson [Airplane-Pictures]
What: Northwest Airlines Boeing 747-400 Manila (Philippines) to Tokyo Narita (Japan)
Where: NARITA, JP
When: 02/20/2009
Who: 408 passengers and 14 crew
Why: 30 minutes prior to landing with seatbelt signs turned on, the airplane encountered severe turbulence. The plane dropped abruptly from 15000 feet. Some passengers not yet buckled in were thrown out of their seats and struck the ceiling resulting in a couple of injuries. 43 passengers were distressed enough to go to the hospital. Only one passenger sustained a neck fracture; two injuries were minor.

SOUTH NARITA, JAPAN, NWA2 ENCOUNTERED SEVERE TURBULENCE AT 15000.

Nascar Bombardier Nails Vegas Landing on One Engine

What: two-engine Bombardier CRJ-200 en route to Southern California
Where: emergency landing in Las Vegas
When: Thursday Feb 19
Who: 44 team members and a crew of four
Why: After the plane made a fuel stop in Salinas, Kan., the left engine lost oil pressure and the pilots shut it down at 38,000 feet. The General Manager of Michael Waltrip Racing said that "the plane operated flawlessly on one engine and we landed with absolutely zero incident."

The Michael Waltrip Racing team members were en route from North Carolina to Southern California for Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup. The team came the rest of the way by bus.

US Airways Emergency Landing in Grand Junction

What: US Airways CRJ-200 en route to Grand Junction Colorado
Where: Grand Junction, Colorado
When: Feb 18, 2009
Who: 27 passengers
Why: On approach, the crew discovered that the plane' flaps were inoperable, making the speed of approach at the upper limit of the tires' capacity. Emergency crews were on standby because of the potential tire issue. However (and fortunately) , the landing was (as you can see) uneventful.

Helicopter Beached in Encitas

What: Robinson R22 en route from Palomar Airport Wednesday morning (no destination given)
Where: Swami's Beach in Encinitas
When: Wednesday Feb 18
Who: two flight instructors were aboard
Why: After the aircraft developed mechanical problems, the pilot crash landed. No one was injured, but the tail of the helicopter broke off.

Colombia: Tragic Training Flight Tragedy

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Contact Photographer Andy Martin - AirTeamImages
What: retrofitted AC-47 and registration FAC-1670 or FAC - 1659
Where: in an empty lot near the electrical sub station El Purino, in the west of Caldas, border with the municipality of Honda (Tolima)
When: 18 FEB 2009
Who: 5 crew members, three mid-ranking and two lower ranking officials all fatalities
Why: The military "phantom" plane was on a training flight when it crashed in the vicinity of the air base.

Cessna Lands On Ice

What: 1972 Cessna 150L registered to a flight school in Wheeling, en route from the Chicago Executive Airport
Where: on the ice of Grays Lake near Route 120 and Lake Street, Lake County, IL
When: early Tuesday evening 4:30 p.m. Feb 17 2009
Who: pilot and one passenger were aboard. Neither was injured.
Why: The plane was experiencing engine problems and the pilot determined he would not make it to land at nearby Campbell Airport. Rescue crews left the pilot waiting for a mechanic.

The plane belongs to Flight Center at Service Aviation, Inc. of Wheeling.

Rumor is it got up to 40 degrees Tuesday so let's hope the pilot got that Cessna off the ice before it melted--

36°F
Current: Overcast
Wind: S at 6 mph
Humidity: 74%
Tue
40°F | 32°F

Medical Emergency Aboard United Airlines

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Contact Photographer Jack Tasker

What: United Airlines Boeing 777-200 registration N219UA en route from Tokyo-Narita to Washington-Dulles
Where: unscheduled landing in Winnipeg
When: Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Who: One passenger on a full commercial flight
Why: Eight hours into the 11-hour trip, a 41 year old passenger became incoherent, began having difficulty breathing and collapsed. A flight attendant performed CPR and provided oxygen. A doctor (passenger) used the plane's defibrillator to restart her heart. The plane then made an unscheduled stop in Winnipeg, where the woman was transported to an area hospital.

Crash Landing in St. Moritz

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Contact photographer Moritz Meier

What: Dassault Falcon 100 (registration VP-BAF) operated by Laret Aviation en route from Wien-Schwechat International Airport to St. Moritz-Samedan Airport
Where: St. Moritz-Samedan Airport
When: 12 FEB 2009
Who: 2 crew members died in the crash, the passenger survived
Why: On landing, the Falcon touched down with the right wing first, then with right main gear, and drifted left. The nose rammed the snow wall, turned left and broke in two.

Polish Medevac Crash Kills 2 Rescue Workers

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Contact Photographer Bartosz Bujak

What: Mi-2 Plus ambulance helicopter operated by Polish Medical Air Rescue (registration SP-SXF) en route to the scene of an accident near the southwestern town of Budziszow
Where: Jarostów Poland
When: 17-FEB-2009 7:50am
Who: Pilot and medical assistant were killed, while the doctor was taken to a Wroclaw hospital for treatment.
Why: A rescue team of the pilot, a doctor and a medical assistant were flying a rescue mission to a traffic accident at theA-4 freeway to assist a pregnant woman who had crashed in (car) traffic in foggy conditions. The helicopter hit the ground 20 km from their destination and 50 km west of Wroclaw. Visibility was poor and it was snowing.The cause of the helicopter crash is under investigation.

Chinese Boeing Suffers Oil/Gas Leak, Emergency Landing

Pictured: a Shenzhen Airlines Boeing 737
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Contact Photographer Weimeng

What: Shenzhen Airlines Boeing 737 flight ZH9852 en route from Beijing to south China's Shenzhen city
Where: emergency landing in northeastern China -- at the Zhengzhou airport
When: Monday Feb 16 at 3:45 p.m
Who: 119 passengers, no injuries.
Why: After the crew discovered the left engine was leaking [oil], the jet to make an emergency landing. However, a news report stated that the cause of the fuel leak was an engine seal ring. There is no word on what caused the [oil] leak.

Chilean Helicopter Crash kills 13

What: Celco Constitución helicopter
Where: south-central Chile-- in the Maule region about 185 miles south of Santiago
When: Feb 15
Who: Aboard were 12 firefighters, aged around 18 to 30, and the pilot,
Why: The firefighters had been on their way to put out a fire at a eucalyptus plantation when the helicopter crashed. There was a dense mist in the area and that there was light rain at the time of the crash.

Celco is owned by Empresas Copec

Ryanair Emergency Landing at Shannon

What: Ryanair planes en route from the UK
Where: Shannon Airport
When: shortly before 4pm in the afternoon feb 15
Who: 177 passengers and crew
Why: the pilot notified Shannon Airport control tower that it had a tire problem, performed a flyby to verify the condition of the landing gear, and then landed without further problems.

Skymaster Emergency Landing

What: Cessna Skymaster out of Rialto Airport
Where: emergency landing between the 210 Freeway and West Casmalia Street
When: Saturday
Who: pilot
Why: The plane was doing "demonstrations" when the pilot noted power loss. The pilot shut off his fuel, and coasted to a a strip of land between the 210 and West Casmalia Street, east of Sierra

Banner-flying plane Downed by Weather in Co.

What: single-engine plane pulling a Valentine's Day "Happy Valentine's Day Kim." banner en route from Erie to Centennial Airport
Where: near the town of Parker, about 25 miles southeast of Denver
When: Saturday afternoon
Who: pilot
Why: Wind and snow forced an emergency landing in a field. The pilot's business is flying banners.

American Airlines 757 Emergency Landing at LAX

What: American Airlines Flight 1236 on its way to Chicago from John Wayne Airport in California's Orange County
Where: LAX
When: one engine died just minutes after takeoff at 3:21 p.m. Sunday.
Who: 149 passengers and a crew of six
Why: The flight was diverted to Los Angeles International Airport, where it landed safely around 3:31pm. There were no injuries.

Air Pacific jetliner Emergency Landing at LAX

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Contact Photographer Snorre - VAP

What: Air Pacific jetliner (Boeing 747 ) Flight 811 en route to Fiji
Where: Los Angeles International Airport
When: Friday feb 13
Who: 441 passengers and crew
Why: The crew reported a "fuel transfer problem" and was forced to return to Los Angeles International Airport. After inspection (and repairs?), the plane reportedly was back flying by Friday evening.

Croatian Cessna Crashes into Velebit Mountain

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Boran Pivcic - CroSpotterTeam

What: Cessna T303 owned by Josip Crncevic en route from Zagreb to Zadar.
Where: missing on Velebit Mountain
When: Feb 7 3:45 pm
Who: carrying pilot and 3 crew members: the pilot and 3 crew members from Zagreb flying club "Ban," were: Gerd Govejsek, 63, Walter Aleksandar, 49, Miljenko Bartolic, 61, and Zvonko Kelek, 68.
Why: There is very little factual information available, but thecrash is being investigated by Investigator Dinko Vodanovic. It is speculated that the altitude meter or the wings froze.

It took 4 days of searching before the wreckage was located on the north side of the mountain at 11am at an altitude of 1,200 metres on Vagan peak. The scene of the crash is subject to harsh weather conditions.

The owner Josip Crncevichas gone public saying (paraphrased) "I am convinced that the army who carries out military aircraft practice near Zadar is involved. Zagreb’s flight control allegedly allowed the aircraft to fly via a prohibited route. The flight control forced my colleagues to reduce their altitude from eight to six thousand feet."

UK: R-22 Crash

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Contact photographer TFSPhoto
What: Robinson 22 single seat helicopter out of Leeds Bradford Airport
Where: near Sandtoft Air Field in a field near the village of Sandtoft
When: 12.45pm Feb 14
Who: Only the pilot was aboard
Why: The pilot of the crashed helicopter was on his first solo flight. South Yorkshire and Humberside fire and rescue services were there; the pilot was pronounced dead.

Porter Texas Baron Crashes in Back Yard

Contact Photographer Zane Adams

What: BEECH Baron 95-A55 registered to DBJD LLC en route from Bergstrom Airport in Austin.
Where: in a PORTER, TX subdivision near Williams Airport in East Montgomery County.
When: 02/12/2009 5:30pm Thursday night
Who: Pilot Daniel Boyd Williams and Rheta Lynn Williams were fatally injured and died at the scene.
Why: AIRCRAFT CRASHED on approach to Williams Airport in East Montgomery County.

Airport witnesses the plane was coming in about 50 feet, began to climb and then made a sharp left to the treeline where it clipped several trees before landing in the Parnell family's back yard. The plane hit the ground hard, ejecting the passengers.

There used to be a stand of trees--possibly a sound barrier--separating the neighborhood from the airport. The NTSB says any safety they offered was an illusion and that the trees were a threat to the planes. However, individuals in the neighborhood believe they were safer when the trees were there.

British Airways Emergency

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Contact the photographer "SkyLiner"

What: British Airways Avro 146 RJ100 passenger jet en route from Amsterdam to London City
Where: London City Airport
When: Feb 13 2009 Friday evening about 8 p.m
Who: 67 passengers and four crew members
Why: On landing, the front wheel collapsed, and as the plane scraped on it's belly across the tarmac, the cabin filled with smoke. Everyone debarked from the rear of the plane via emergency slide. There were a few emergency slide injuries-

Continental Airlines Flight 3407 :NY Crash

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Contact Photographer Frank Robitaille

What: Continental Airlines Flight 3407, Bombardier Q400 turboprop operated by regional carrier Colgan Air en route from Newark, New Jersey to Buffalo Niagara International Airport
Where: Clarence Center, New York.
When: Thursday Feb 12 struck a house at 10: 10 pm. Two homes were affected.
Who: 44 passengers and four crew members, 1 person on the ground, all fatalities The passenger manifest has not been released.
Why: The New Jersey-to-Buffalo flight was cleared to land on a runway pointing to the southwest. But the plane crashed with its nose pointed to the northeast. Seconds after two automatic warnings to the pilots that the plane was not moving fast enough to stay aloft, the twin turboprop aircraft went through a "severe pitch and roll" after positioning its flaps for a landing. It did not dive into the house, as initially thought, but landed flat on the house. Icing is emerging as the possible cause for why flight 3047 fell from the sky. The flight data recorder has been collected and is currently being examined.


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Southwest Airlines Boeing Lands Safely on One Engine

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Contact photographer Michael Van Bosch

What: Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 [see example above] en route from the McCarran International Airport en route to Long Island, New York.
Where: McCarran International Airport Las Vegas
When: Thursday afternoon shortly after taking off--at 3:28 p.m.
Who: 118 passengers
Why: The crew of the Southwest Airlines Boeing shut down one engine when it caught on fire; and used the remaining working engine to make the emergency landing safely.

Plane collision in Wales

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Click to contact Photographer Mick Bajcar

What: Two Grob Tutors [see type above] twin-seater light plane with propellers
Where: in mid-air in southwest Britain in the Kenfig Nature Reserve, Porthcawl, a seaside resort in south Wales
When: Wednesday Feb 11 at 11am
Who: Two members of the RAF and two Air Training Corps cadets were killed in the crash.
Why: two light aircraft crashed in midair in Britain.

Emergency Landing at Abilene Airport

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Contact Photographer Mark Kopczak
What: American Airlines MD-80 plane flight 2076 headed from El Paso to Dallas
Where: Abilene Regional Airport
When: The in-flight emergency was discovered about 20 miles away from Abilene
Who: 61 people were on board the plane, including three crew members.
Why: When a warning light flared up signaling a possible generator issue, and the flight then landed safely at Abilene. Passengers were provided water and snacks at the terminal, and the plane departed at 12:45 p.m. to continue the flight.

Near Collision over India

Air India Airbus similar to the one in the near collision
See the large photo at Airliners.net
Contact Sreenath Yellamrazu - Indian Aviation Photographers


IAF Gajaraj IL 76 similar to the one in the near collision
See the large photo at Airliners.net
Contact Photographer Jonathan Derden

What: Air India's Airbus 320 Flight IC 206 en route from Dibrugarh via Jorhat to Kolkata
and an Indian Air Force transport IAF Gajaraj IL 76 en route to Dibrugarh at 19,000 feet flflying at a speed of 600 km per hour.
Where: over Jorhat in Upper Assam, around 300 km from Guwahati
When: Tuesday
Who: 43 passengers in the Airbus. The number aboard the Air Force plane was not disclosed.
Why: Pilot Joydeb Banerjee saw the air force plane about 300 feet away --Banerjee and co- pilot Neeraj Singha of IC 206 alerted the ATCs at Jorhat and Dibrugarh. The Airbus dived 2,000 feet just in time to save the lives of his 43 passengers. His airbus had taken off from Dibrugarh at 11.55 am.

An Airports Authority of India ATC officer stationed in the Mohanbari airport in Upper Assam was suspended for "apparent lack of co- ordination with the authorities in Jorhat".

Danube Helicopter Crash; 1 fatality

What: Robinson-44
Where: Danube river at Csepel Island near Lagymanyos Bridge
When: Tuesday, 10 February 2009
Who: executive of the general contractor of a sewage treatment project in S Budapest died in the crash. The pilot and and a photographer were rescued.
Why: The rotor was erratic before the helicopter crashed into steel moulds used to pour in concrete of the structure being built.

Piper Crashes in NY

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Contact Photographer Varel Freeman
What: Piper Twin Comanche en route from Livingston County New York
Where: in a field adjacent to West Lake Road, which is near the airport
When: FEBRUARY 8, 2009
Who: pilot, William C. Anderson
Why: On liftoff, one of the engines lost power.The pilot attempted to land on the runway but was unsuccessful and had to land in a nearby field

United Airlines Emergency Landing in Louisville

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Contact Photographer Danny Fritsche
What: United Airlines regional Embraer jet n845hk en route from Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia to Lambert-St. Louis International
Where: Louisville International Airport
When: Tuesday afternoon 2:20 p.m.
Who: 35 passengers and 4 crew members were on board
Why: After smoke was reported in the cockpit, the plane made an emergency landing at moved on runway 17-L; then the plane was moved to airport's cargo area.

Cessna Crashes near Puerto Rico

What: Cessna 206, chartered by Tropical Aviation Corp., was traveling from the Casa de Campo International Airport in the Dominican Republic to San Juan
Where: crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off the north coast of Puerto Rico, in what is being called "a debris field off the northwestern city of Quebradillas,"
When: around nightfall Sunday Feb 8
Who: carrying six people; missing pilot and all five passengers are U.S. citizens
Why: Witnesses reported seeing an explosion on the plane before it crashed. They are still hoping to find survivors.

Emergency landing in Pierre

What: Mesaba plane en route to Watertown and Minneapolis
Where: Pierre Regional Airport
When: 7 am Sunday
Who: a small number of passengers
Why: When one of the plane's engines failed, the plane returned to the airport where it landed safely. No more information is currently available

Airbus Lands safely at Kashgar airport

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Contact Photographer Matthew Lee - Contrails Aviation Photography

What: Qatar Airways QR821 Airbus A330-200 en route from Osaka to Doha
Where: Emergency landing at Kashgar airport in China’s Xinjiang region
When: 6:35 am Thursday
Who: 174 passengers and 20 crew
Why: The airbus plunged 9,000 meters in five minutes, experiencing a loss in cabin pressure but landed safely. All the passengers and their luggage left Kashi at around 9 p.m. Thursday on another Qatar Airways flight. The mechanical failure was repaired and the Airbus left the airport on Friday

Air NZ Nails Emergency Landing

What: Air New Zealand Boeing 747 jet en route for Los Angeles
Where: NZ
When: Saturday night (Feb 7)7:30 p.m. local time Saturday (06:30 GMT), returned to Auckland 90 minutes later.
Who: 365 people on board
Why: Reporting a hydraulic problem after a light indicated a landing gear should not be raised, the Boeing dumped it's fuel and returned at low altitude to New Zealand for a safe landing.

Brazil: Amazon Crash with 24 (? ) aboard; 16 + missing

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João Henrique Moraes de Oliveir Photographer

What: small Aerotaxi"air taxi" Embraer EMB-110P1 (tail numbers PT-SEA) en route from the city of Coari, 225 miles (360 kilometers) southwest of Manaus. The flight was a family heading to Manaus to celebrate a relative's birthday.
Where: in the into the Manacapuru river ( a tributary of the Solimões river) 50 miles (80 kilometers) southwest of state capital Manaus
When: 3:30 pm Saturday
Who: 22 people on board including 4 children and 2 crew members — 16 of whom are still missing, 4 survivors. One of the survivors is 9 years old. At this point, the exact numbers are uncertain.
Why: Survivors reported that they saw one of the motors of the plane stop. Before the pilot lost radio contact near the city of Manacapuru but there was a bad weather warning; there are indications he tried to turn the plane around near the site of the crash. They were flying in heavy rain. Rescuers are on the scene including divers searching for bodies, and a ferry for the plane. The air force helicopter that had been there to assist has suspended operations due to the stormy weather conditions.

The Embraer EMB-110P1 is a small twin turbo-prop plane that carries up to 21 people.

List of survivors:
Leandro da Costa, 9 years
Ana Costa Lima 43 years
Eric da Costa, 23 years
Brena Morais, 21 years

Catalina Island Crash

What: Fixed-wing Beechcraft Bonanza aircraft which flew out of Orange County's John Wayne Airport at 1:30 expecting to return at 4:50 p.m
Where: crashed in the rain on a remote Catalina Island hilltop near Mt. Orizaba, southwest of Catalina's Airport in the Sky
When: Thursday
Who: Pilot Mark Hogland president of a Dana Point charter flight company,and passengers, an out-of-state man and woman: Marshall Goldberg, a 39 year-old Florida man and Amy Marie Judd, 24 years old of Idaho. There were no survivors.
Why: The flight failed to return to John Wayne Airport Thursday. On Friday, rescue teams discovered the wreckage. It is speculated that the rainy, foggy weather played a part, although the pilot was FAA qualified to fly on instruments.

AirTran Flight 388 Emergency

What: AirTran Flight 388 from Orlando to Moline made an unscheduled landing Friday in Atlanta after a handful of passengers
Where: diverted the plane to Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
When: Feb 6, 2009
Who: Number of passengers not released. One crew member was hospitalized.
Why: crew and passengers who complained about the dizziness. They were checked out and most continued on a different plane ( flight took off from Atlanta around 12:35pm CST) to continue the trip to Moline.

Charlottesville Emergency Landing

What: United Airlines "United Express" flight 8066 (Embraer 145 regional jet that seats 50)from Chicago to Richmond
Where: Charlottesville-Albermarle Airport
When: scheduled to arrive in Richmond at 2:30 p.m but arrived at Charlottesville at 2 pm
Who: 30 people on board (26 passengers, 4 crew)
Why: Smoke was reported in the cabin. The plane landed without injury to anyone; and the passengers were driven the rest of the way to Richmond.

Fatal Piper Crash in West Virginia

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Contact Photographer Alex McMahon

Update

Thursday in Cook County Circuit Court, seeking $50,000 in damages, Pawel Jakub Batura filed a four-count suit claiming wrongful death and negligence on behalf of the estate of Stanley and Monika Niemiec casualties of the Jan. 29 crash. Defendants are Chicago-based American Polish Aero Club and Wesvin Inc., the FAA-registered owner of the aircraft. The suit claims Aero Club negligence on the following points:

• failure to properly inspect the engines;
  
• failure to perform adequate pre-flight preparations and inspections;
  
• failure to plan proper communication during the flight;
  
• failure to safely operate the plane;
  
• failure to keep the plane on the flight path;
  
• failure to properly monitor the engine.

Click Here to view the full quality photo on www.airliners.net
contact Photographer Alex McMahon
What: Wesvin Inc Piper PA-34
Where: KENOVA, W.Va 1.5 miles from the Wayne County airport
When: after 1 p.m. Jan 30 2009
Who: Pilot and six passengers were killed in the crash
Why: The plane was low on fuel and made a sudden 180-degree turn before losing contact with controllers at Tri-State. The plane struck struck a 345-kilovolt distribution lines.

The wings are broken; the propellor separated and propeller blade is missing.

Cessna Flips in NY

What: C210 Regis#: N7130U
Where: WEST HAMPTON NY-- GABRESKI AIRPORT
When: 02/05/2009
Who: Pilot
Why: AIRCRAFT WAS CLEARED FOR TAKEOff. THE PILOT
REPORTED THE AIRCRAFT HAD FLIPPED ON THE TAXIWAY FROM THE WIND.

Birds Strike Again: Turkish Airbus Lands Safely

What: Turkish Airlines Airbus A321 en route from Istanbul to Denmark
Where: Istanbul
When: Monday
Who: 143 passengers
Why: Passengers were flown to Copenhagen aboard another plane

Flight 1549 audio

The black box recording from US Airways Flight 1549 that safely landed in the Hudson River in NYC on 1/15/09

Platinum Jet Management LLC, of Fort Lauderdale Has Day In Court

2009-Feb 5-Platinum Jet co-founders Michael Brassington, 35, and Paul Brassington, 29, company manager Andre Budhan, 42, and maintenance director Brien„© McKenzie, 42 were arrested Wednesday on charges they violated federal aircraft regulations, contributing to a 2005 accident --Canadair Challenger 600 business jet failed to take off, crossed a heavily traveled road, hitting cars along the way, and slammed into a warehouse--at New Jersey's Teterboro Airport. Additional warrants have also been issued for charter director Joseph Singh, 37, and pilot Francis Viera, 59.


What: Canadair Challenger 600 business jet
Where: New Jersey's Teterboro Airport
When: Feb. 2, 2005
Who: 20 people injured
Why: The accident has been judged to be due to fuel loading (weight shift)

See NTSB Publication Below:

Aircraft Accident Report
Runway Overrun and Collision
Platinum Jet Management, LLC
Bombardier Challenger CL-600-1A11, N370V
Teterboro, New Jersey
February 2, 2005

NTSB Number AAR-06/04
NTIS Number PB2007-910401

Executive Summary: On February 2, 2005, about 0718 eastern standard time, a Bombardier Challenger CL-600-1A11, N370V, ran off the departure end of runway 6 at Teterboro Airport (TEB), Teterboro, New Jersey, at a ground speed of about 110 knots; through an airport perimeter fence; across a six-lane highway (where it struck a vehicle); and into a parking lot before impacting a building. The two pilots were seriously injured, as were two occupants in the vehicle. The cabin aide, eight passengers, and one person in the building received minor injuries. The airplane was destroyed by impact forces and postimpact fire. The accident flight was an on-demand passenger charter flight from TEB to Chicago Midway Airport, Chicago, Illinois. The flight was subject to the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 135 and operated by Platinum Jet Management, LLC (PJM), Fort Lauderdale, Florida, under the auspices of a charter management agreement with Darby Aviation (Darby), Muscle Shoals, Alabama. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, which operated on an instrument flight rules flight plan.

The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of the accident was the pilots’ failure to ensure the airplane was loaded within weight-and-balance limits and their attempt to take off with the center of gravity well forward of the forward takeoff limit, which prevented the airplane from rotating at the intended rotation speed.

Contributing to the accident were: 1) PJM’s conduct of charter flights (using PJM pilots and airplanes) without proper Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification and its failure to ensure that all for-hire flights were conducted in accordance with 14 CFR Part 135 requirements; 2) Darby Aviation’s failure to maintain operational control over 14 CFR Part 135 flights being conducted under its certificate by PJM, which resulted in an environment conducive to the development of systemic patterns of flight crew performance deficiencies like those observed in this accident; 3) the failure of the Birmingham, Alabama, FAA Flight Standards District Office to provide adequate surveillance and oversight of operations conducted under Darby’s Part 135 certificate; and 4) the FAA’s tacit approval of arrangements such as that between Darby and PJM.

The safety issues addressed in this report include weight and balance procedures; flight crew actions, training, and procedures; company oversight and operational control; FAA responsibility and oversight; cabin aide actions, training, and procedures; and runway safety areas.

Tam Progress

For those individuals following the Tam case:

"Scores of plaintiffs suing over Brazil's deadliest airline crash have settled with TAM Airlines and the plane's lessor, Pegasus Aviation IV Inc., and intend to direct their claims against the companies that manufactured the plane and its components."
"To view more of the LAW 360 press release"

What: TAM Express flight 3054 (Airbus A320) en route from Porto Alegre to Sao Paulo
Where: Congonhas airport
When: 1850 (2150 GMT) on Tuesday
Who: 186 passengers and crew plus assorted on ground
Why: wet runway conditions; unfit unfinished runway; reverser (and other) issues on plane. These and other reasons are in contention.

Almost 200 Feared Dead in Air CrashOriginal article 2007/07/18
"

DC-3 Crashes at Mojave-Kern

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Contact photographer Michael Van Bosch
Landing photo taken one day before it crashed

What: National Test Pilot School's AMI 65 TP Turbo DC-3 Registration N834TP
Where: Mojave-Kern County Airport, CA
When: 04 FEB 2009 8 55:am
Who: crew of 2 pilots-one taken by ambulance to the hospital; the other drove himself.
Why: The DC-3 was in takeoff phase from runway 30. After liftoff, it dropped and veered off the runway and sustained substantial damage. Six hundred gallons of fuel leaked from the plane as a result of damage.


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Emergency Landing in China

What: Qatar Airway flight QR821 en route from Osaka, Japan to Doha, Qatar
Where: emergency landing at an airport in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region at the Kashi City Airport.
When: Thursday 6:30 am--landing at 7:22
Who: 20 crew members and 174 passengers from 22 countries and regions including Japan, the Republic of Korea, the United States and Qatar.
Why: When the flight encountered mechanical problems and descended 11,000 meters to 2,000 meters in 5 min, the crew prepped for an emergency landing.,The cause is under investigation

Norwegian Helicopter Crash

What: HeliTeam Eurocopter AS350 en route from Harstad to Alta.
Where: near the Swedish border.
When: Wedbesdat
Who: One person killed, one injured. It is unclear from our sources which was the pilot.
Why: The crash occurred during heavy snow showers so weather may have been a factor.
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Gear Up Landing in Oregon

What: C320
Where: SEASIDE, OR
When: 02/02/2009 4 p.m.
Who: Only the pilot Roger DeLong was aboard. No injuries reported.
Why: The Cessna landed with the landing gears stuck in the gear up position. The pilot had already dropped off passenger Gary Turel prior to the landing. The plane slid approx. 700 feet on its belly and sustained some damage. According to the FAA spokesman "landing gear jams are not uncommon on the twin-engine Cessna 320."

Plane Lands Safely After Lightning Strike

What: Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Registration N792AS en route from Ketchikan to Sitka
Where: SITKA, AK
When: 02/02/2009 5:50 PM
Who: not available
Why: The 737 experienced a lightning strike to the nose on approach.

Grumman Birdstrike Downs Plane in Louisiana.

Grumman Tiger Pictured
What: Grumman G164 fixed Wing Single-Engine
Where: FROGMORE, LA
When: 02/01/2009
Who: Pilot onlu one on board.
Why: "AIRCRAFT HIT A FLOCK OF BIRDS ON FINAL OBSTRUCTING WINDSCREEN AND CRASHED ON LANDING AT A PRIVATE STRIP NEAR FROGMORE, LA"

Russian Helicopter Crash

What: Mi-24 "Hind" (combat) Helicopter on a training flight from a Saratov region aircraft factory.
Where: 700 kilometers (450 miles) southeast of Moscow near the Pugachov aerodrome
When: just before noon (0900 GMT) Tuesday.
Who: 3 people aboard were killed
Why: The flight data recorders have been recovered and are being used in the investigation.

Cyprus Airways Grounded in London

What: Cyprus Airways Airbus 330 from Cyprus
Where: Heathrow Airport
When: Monday, Feb. 2, 2009
Who: 104 passengers
Why: The Airbus flight was one of many victims of the worst snowstorm in 18 years-- Weather caused hundreds of flight cancellations and virtually shut down public transportation.

Vias aéreas de Chipre aterradas em Londres

Que: Vias aéreas Airbus 330 de Chipre de Chipre
Onde: Aeroporto de Heathrow
Quando: Segunda-feira, fevereiro 2, 2009
Quem: 104 passageiros
Porque: O vôo de Airbus era uma de muitas vítimas da tempestade de neve a mais má em 18 anos-- Centenas causadas tempo de cancelamentos do vôo e de transporte público virtualmente interrompido.

JetBlue Emergency Landing

What: JetBlue Flight 1417 Embraer 190 en route from Orlando, Fla. to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport
Where: Austin-Bergstrom International Airport
When: a little after 6 p.m February 2, 2009
Who: The plane was flying at 90% capacity
Why: The pilot reported slats problems. ( Slats slide out from the forward edge of a plane’s wing to stabilize it during take-off and landing)

Unruly Passengers Threaten Hijacking

What: low-cost air carrier IndiGo's Flight 6E 334 Airbus 320 en route from Goa to Delhi
Where: Indira Gadhi International Airport
When: Feb.1 5.30 pm
Who: 163 passengers six-member crew
Why: The plane made an emergency landing at IGI Airport. According to the reports, 15 minutes prior to landing while flying over Jaipur, a couple of passengers were behaving aggressively and made a hijack threat. An emergency drill was put into action, and the plane landed and went to an an isolated bay at the airport. The passengers were allowed to disembark three hours after the plane made an emergency landing at 5.29 pm. One of the passengers is reported to have been drunk. All baggage was inspected and the passengers in question were retained for questioning.

Mooney Crashes in Elbert Colorado

What: MOONEY M20C registered to ALPHA AVIATION INC
Where: ELBERT, CO in the 28000 block of Elbert Road, between Kiowa and Elbert.
When: 02/01/2009
Who: Pilot Gary Williams of Highlands Ranch, Colo.
Why: The plane nosedived into a creek late Sunday morning killing the pilot. The crash is under investigation by the NTSB

Unexplained Helicopter Crash in Grande Cache

What: Sarvair AviationRobinson R44 (owned and operated by Klint Sarver) en route from Grande Prairie to Grande Cache
Where: about 50 km before reaching its destination Grande Cache, Alta
When: 6 p.m. Friday night. (rescue saturday Jan 31) ,
Who: Passenger and pilot are recovering.
Why: The crash is under investigation; it is thought that the helicopter flipped and slammed into a mountain. The pilot has a punctured lung and other injuries; and was transported to Grande Prairie. Passenger was uninjured.