Tahoe Plane Splashes Down

What: unidentified "sea" plane ... upside down
Where: off Burnt Cedar Beach in Incline Village; south of the Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe pier
When: 11 a.m. Thursday Sept 11 2008
Who: pilot and passenger are both unhurt
Why: While the plane was being towed by North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District's Marine 16 boat, it took on water a half-mile south of Burnt Cedar. Buoys were affixed to keep the plane afloat till crews managed to tow it to Ski Beach. Fuel leaking into the lake has instigated testing by local risk management. Absorbent booms were being used to collect some 40 estimated gallons of fuel, and the rest is expected to safely evaporate without injury to the local ecosystem.

Cessna Crashes in Ohio

What: Cessna 150
Where: Grimes Airport in Urbana
When: late Wednesday morning Sept 10, 2008
Who: Pilot Linda Blodgett, 69, of Ashland had minor injuries; passenger Christina Creamer, 58, also of Ashland, was uninjured
Why: After the airplane's engine stalled, the plane nose-dived into the ground near the runway. The accident is under investigation by Ohio State Highway Patrol and the Federal Aviation Administration. Accolades were given to the pilot for landing safely with a stalled engine.

Ultralight Crash in Canada

What: ultralight plane en route from Volks Aerodrome in Tottenham near Caledon, Ont.
Where: north of Toronto
When: The wreckage found by York Region police helicopter at about 7:45 p.m.
Who: The pilot, John Townsend of King City was found in the wreckage
Why: unknown. Transport Canada is investigating

Helicopter Crashes in Dubai Killing 7

What: Aerogulf Bell 212 helicopter flying from Dubai International Airport to one of the oil fields in the Gulf Sea. The helicopter was leased to the oil company by the aircraft firm Aerogulf,
Where: Crashed into an oil platform off the Duba Coast 50 NM west of Dubai Airport
When: Sept 3--20:23 local time
Who: two pilots and five contractors working for British oil and gas services company Petrofac: an American, a Briton, two Indians, a Pakistani, one Filipino and a Venezuelan.
Why: The British pilot lost control during take off, hit a crane crashed and exploded wednesday on a recently installed Resilient jack-up oil rig. After the helicopter propellers hit the crane, the aircraft split in two; half smashed on to the rig, while the other half fell into the sea.

The rig is owned by AP Moller-Maersk but operated by Petrofac on behalf of state-owned Dubai Petroleum. Production in one of Dubai's four oil fields has been suspended. The engine and the gear box have been found.

So far five of the bodies have been identified; one report says only two of the bodies need identification by DNA testing. All of the victims were contracted personnel.

2 Camarillo Crashes in a week

What: Experimental aircraft with a single engine
Where: Ventura County's Camarillo Airport.
When: Tuesday
Who: Pilot and passenger
Why: The plane had experienced mechanical problems and on return overshot the runway and flipped over just past the landing strip. No injuries.

This should not be confused with a similar incident Monday when another single-engine plane was towing a banner, flipped and the pilot was killed.

Helicopter crashes in Canada

What: helicopter en route to a remote fishing camp near the Quebec-Labrador border
Where: wilderness in northeastern Quebec
When: Friday
Who: Two pilots--a man and woman--flown to hospital in nearby Schefferville, Que and are reported to be in good condition.
Why: No cause is given. The search began Tuesday after someone at the fishing camp called to say the helicopter hadn't shown up. The crash was located by a Cormorant from Greenwood, N.S. at 8:10 p.m. Tuesday

South African Beechcraft Crashes into Mountain

What: Beechcraft plane owned by Air Serv which provides air transport for international aid agencies. The plane was being flown by South Africa's Cem Air.
Where: eastern Democratic Republic of Congo
When: crashed into a mountain near Bukavu. The plane was last contacted in heavy rain 10 minutes from Bukavu
Who: 15 passengers and two crew members. Most of the passengers were aid and relief workers.
Why: The weather is considered a factor but no cause is listed as yet. UN rescue teams are "securing the site and searching for and recovering victims' bodies." No survivors.

Yak 52 Crashes; pilot and passenger lost

What: Russian-built Yak-52 stunt plane flying from Archerfield Airport on Brisbane's southside
Where: off South Stradbroke Island, Jumpinpin Australia in south-east Queensland. Wreckage was found after a significant search in about 20 metres of water
When: Sunday Aug 31 12.30pm AEST
Who: veteran pilot Barry Hempel and 20 year old passenger. The pilot and passenger are missing.
Why: no reasons listed; crash is under investigation

Cessna crashes in Ontario

What: Cessna four-seat 172 owned by the Brampton Flying Club
Where: Shelburne, Ontario --a farmer's field just north of Toronto
When: just before 5 a.m Sep. 01 2008
Who: 2 men, including pilot, airlifted to St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto with life-threatening injuries;one Headwaters Hospital in Orangeville
Why: There is no reason listed why the plane crashed in the field. It looks like a total loss. The pilot is building flight time to become a commercial pilot

Another Emergency Landing at LAX

What: American Airlines Flight 1586 Boeing 737 en route from Los Angeles to Toronto at 11 a.m.
Where: LAX
When: Tuesday Aug 2 2008-12:51 p.m
Who: 130 passengers and five crew
Why: On takeoff, the pilot noticed a a blown tire and immediately requested to return. To burn off fuel, he had to circle the airport until his (safe) 12: 51 landing on the shredded tire.

Air Evac Lifeteam Medical Helicopter Crashes, Crew Killed

What: Air Evac Lifeteam Medical helicopter traveling back to Rushville from the Burney Volunteer Fire Department’s annual Antique Tractor Pull and Hog Roast on a public relations mission.
Where: Near Burney in rural Decatur County, about 40 miles southeast of Indianapolis,
When: shortly after takeoff Sunday 1:17 p.m.
Who: The 3 crew members aboard were all killed. (No patients were involved,) The crew included pilot Roger Warren, flight nurse Sandra Pearson and flight paramedic and base manager Wade Weston
Why:Cause is unknown. Pieces of the back end of the helicopter appeared to come off before it crashed. Witnesses say that the helicopter's nose tipped down, the helicopter went down and exploded on impact and instantly burst into flames.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.