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Posted: 26-08-2008 14:23 Post subject: Aviation Accidents

We seem to be having a little cluster of aviation accidents recently.

Today a plane caught fire at Munich airport:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7581412.stm

Last night a Ryanair plane had to make a forced landing because of cabin decompression.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7581492.stm

Two light aircraft recently collided near Coventry, five people dead
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7567209.stm

Last week there was a disastrous crash at Madrid, many dead
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7574696.stm

At least 8 firefighters died in a Helicopter crash in California
http://www.robertreevesblog.com/tp-071030134107/post-080807153808.shtml

At the end of last month there were two forced landings for Qantas planes
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7529451.stm

Just a statistical cluster..?

Posted: 28-08-2008 08:24 Post subject:

Here's an odd one:

Leaking mushroom soup halts plane

A Ryanair plane was forced to land in Germany after a passenger had an allergic reaction to mushroom soup.

The soup leaked onto the man from a jar in an overhead locker on a flight from Budapest to Dublin on Monday, the airline said.

His neck reportedly swelled up and he struggled to breathe, forcing the plane to divert for emergency medical help.

On the same day, another Ryanair flight had to make an unscheduled landing in France after losing cabin pressure.

A spokeswoman for Ryanair said the jar contained "a vegetable oil/mushroom soup type substance".

"It is procedure when a passenger requires medical attention to divert to the nearest airport," she said.

"The cabin crew and pilot take that decision."

The Boeing 737 landed at Frankfurt Hahn Airport where the man was treated by doctors.

The plane was delayed for two hours before continuing its journey to Dublin.

Oven fire

The episode was one of a series of high-altitude incidents in recent days.

On Monday, oxygen masks were deployed on a Ryanair flight from Bristol to Barcelona Girona when the cabin depressurised.

The plane was forced to land at Limoges Airport in central France and 16 people were taken to hospital suffering from ear pain.

Then on Tuesday, a Thomsonfly plane to Gatwick had to turn back to Croatia just seven minutes after take-off when a fire broke out in an oven.

A spokesman said the fire was "immediately contained" and there was "no danger to passengers or crew".

Passengers were delayed for eight hours while a replacement plane was flown from Manchester.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7585234.stm

Posted: 29-08-2008 15:37 Post subject:

Hang on a minute though. How did a jar of mushroom soup get through the rigorous security checks? I thought you were not allowed liquids in containers over a certain size????

Posted: 29-08-2008 15:47 Post subject:

I'm taking six flights in the next three weeks. Looks like fun...

Posted: 29-08-2008 16:28 Post subject:

Yup, I'm flying in the near future too. Shocked

Posted: 30-08-2008 14:37 Post subject:

Dramatic pictures reveal damage caused by mid-air explosion on Qantas jet - and how passengers were lucky to survive
By Richard Shears
Last updated at 4:58 PM on 29th August 2008

A Qantas jet crippled by a mid-air explosion will be repaired and flying to London again by November - as dramatic pictures today revealed how close to disaster the aircraft had come.

Officials said the Melbourne-bound 747 jet, which made a forced landing in Manila on a flight from Heathrow, could be repaired for less than £5 million, despite extensive damage in the fuselage.

The news came as photos suggested only luck had prevented a chain reaction of exploding oxygen cylinders destroying the entire plane.

One exploding cylinder was officially blamed yesterday for the devastating blast, but what was not previously known was just how close the bottle was to six other green tanks, lined up along the right side of the cargo hold.

A preliminary report issued by inspectors from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau yesterday found the faulty cylinder, fourth in the row of strapped-in bottles, 'sustained a failure that allowed a sudden and complete release of the pressurised contents'.

And photographs of the positioning of the other containers revealed the risk of an explosive chain reaction that, given the damage caused by just one tank, could have sent the aircraft plummeting.

The aircraft, with 365 people on board on July 25, immediately lost cabin pressure when the explosion tore a 5ft high and 6.5ft wide hole in the fuselage.

The ruptured bottle was blasted up through the passenger cabin floor but everyone on board escaped injury.

'It happened very quickly,' said Mr Julian Walsh, director of the safety bureau when he released the preliminary report in Canberra.

'The oxygen bottle went from the base of the aircraft to the ceiling of the first floor cabin.'

On the way, he said, it hit the handle of the cabin door, tore a hole in the fuselage and disabled the instrument landing system and the anti-skid brake system.

While it did not discuss the risk of a possible chain reaction among the other cylinders, the initial report also gave no explanation why the exploding bottle failed under pressure.

It was part of a batch of 94 that had been made in February 1996 and had undergone regular three-yearly checks and investigators will now be tracking down other cylinders made from the same batch by the US manufacturer.

So far, said Mr Walsh, no other problems had been identified.

Qantas said the aircraft would be safe to fly again once the damage had been repaired and could resume service as early as November.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1050663/Dramatic-pictures-reveal-damage-caused-mid-air-explosion-Qantas-jet--passengers-lucky-survive.html

Posted: 30-08-2008 17:55 Post subject:

Four escape air accident injuries

Four people have escaped injury in two separate aircraft accidents in Devon.

A 78-year-old man from Bedfordshire was in an Enstrom 280 helicopter flying from Plymouth to Bedford when it crashed at Haytor on Dartmoor.

A man and two women had to make an emergency landing in a light aircraft in mudflats near Exminster, coming to a halt about 100ft (30m) from pylons.

Devon and Cornwall police said the Air Accidents Investigation Branch would be leading inquiries into the incidents.

The helicopter pilot, who was the aircraft's only occupant, was not hurt in the crash, which happened at about 1225 BST on Saturday. But he suffered an arm injury after climbing out to check the damage.

Emergency services dealt with a fuel leak from the aircraft, which was left on its side after the crash. The Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service covered the area with foam to make it safe.

Devon and Cornwall police said they thought poor weather conditions and low cloud contributed to the crash.

A South Western Ambulance Trust spokeswoman said: "The helicopter was trashed and he just walked away without a scratch on him. Shocked

"Chris Coles, the paramedic on the scene, said it was absolutely amazing that this guy walked away with no injuries."

The pilot, a businessman who has not been named, went back to the crash site to arrange recovery of the helicopter which had been due to land at Dunkeswell airfield en route.

Forced landing

The plane involved in the Exminster crash was flying from Exeter to Jersey when its male pilot realised there was a problem and turned around.

The aircraft was forced to land on mudflats between power lines and pylons at about 1530 BST on Saturday. It also missed some livestock in the area.

Police were informed of the plane crash after Exeter Air Traffic Control reporting it coming down near Topsham.

The police helicopter flew to the scene and located the plane on wetlands between Exminster and Topsham on the Exminster side of the River Clyst.

Ambulance crews were up to their chests in water at some points when getting to the aircraft occupants. The plane had a full tank of fuel.

The South Western Ambulance Trust spokeswoman said: "The pilot was a bit of a hero landing in these mudflats."

She added: "It's just amazing, two miraculous escapes. It's very unusual to have two forced landings in one day. We are just pleased they weren't injured."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/devon/7589907.stm

'two forced landings in one day...' in the same county!

Posted: 12-09-2008 09:24 Post subject:

Pictures on page:

Pictured: The dramatic scene after a 'Red Arrows' Hawk jet crash-landed and smashed into RAF base
By Andy Dolan
Last updated at 10:26 PM on 11th September 2008

As car park prangs go, this was more serious than the average shunt.

But it could have been far worse - considering it involved a runaway RAF Hawk jet.

The £5million aircraft was due to become part of the Red Arrows fleet.

It was being delivered to RAF Cranwell in Lincolnshire to be sprayed in the display team's signature red livery when it crashed on landing and skidded off the runway.

The Hawk hurtled across the airfield, smashing into a crew building and three cars before coming to a rest next to the air traffic control tower.

It also destroyed some of the building's windows in the process.

The two-man crew ejected during the drama and were treated in hospital for their injuries.

The plane was understood to have been flown by Wing Commander David Firth-Wigglesworth, 43, the Red Arrows' Senior Flying Officer.

One witness to the crash said: 'As the aircraft touched down, its undercarriage gave way and it swerved to the right. Two loud bangs followed as the aircrew ejected.'

A source at RAF Cranwell added: 'A friend of mine had just left the building hit by the Hawk. If he hadn't left when he did, he wouldn't be here now.'

An investigation is being carried out into the cause of the accident.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1054687/Pictured-The-dramatic-scene-Red-Arrows-Hawk-jet-crash-landed-smashed-RAF-base.html

Posted: 27-09-2008 09:03 Post subject:

Passengers get out and push plane along runway
Passengers were forced to push the plane they had been travelling on along the runway after its engine failed.

By Our Foreign Staff
Last Updated: 3:01AM BST 27 Sep 2008

Those travelling on a Chinese Shandong airlines flight were asked to get out and push when their plane broke down after landing.

The CRJ7 plane with 69 passengers and seven aircrew flying from Guilin in the south of China to Zhengzhou broke down before it could taxi to the arrivals terminal. It had travelled 500 miles before the engine failed on the runway.

Airport staff were called out to push, but needed the passengers' help because it would not budge.

It took nearly two hours to push the jet the half mile to a side lane.

"Thank God it was only a 20-ton medium-sized plane," said one of the airport workers. "If it were a big plane, it would have knocked us out."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/3089022/Passengers-get-out-and-push-plane-along-runway.html

Posted: 29-09-2008 20:02 Post subject:

I work for the civil aviation authority...the stories I could tell you... Wink

Posted: 29-09-2008 20:10 Post subject:

Posted: 30-09-2008 20:40 Post subject:

Hmm..what did we have in the last couple of weeks...

The usual birdstrikes and Bombardier Q400 that have to turn back or don't take off at all because they're not working properly again.

The more interesting ones:
There was an airshow two weeks ago where one of our local general aviation clubs offered flights for the visitors. One of the pilots turned off the runway and mistook the road around the perimeter of the airport for the taxiway. She also ran into some traffic signs and damaged the wings on her plane.

Then we had another private pilot who almost landed on top of a Swissair because the tower had told him that the runway was clear...

Posted: 07-10-2008 08:43 Post subject:

A bit of a mystery here - perhaps it was a Close Encounter! Shocked

Australian plane makes emergency landing after 'mid-air incident' injures 40
An Australian plane has been forced to make an emergency landing following an as-yet unspecified mid-air incident left 40 people injured.

Last Updated: 8:04AM BST 07 Oct 2008

The Airbus A320 made a successful landing at an airfield in the Western Australian town of Exmouth after issuing a mayday emergency call.

"It is understood up to 40 people were injured during a mid-air incident," Sergeant Greg Lambert of the West Australian Police told the Australian Associated Press. "The nature of the mid-air incident is unknown."

Emergency services and medical staff were on standby at the airport, which lies about 1,100 kilometres (680 miles) northeast of the state capital of Perth.

It was not immediately clear which airline operates the jet involved in the incident.

Australia's national carrier Qantas, which has suffered a spate of incidents in recent months, told AFP it had no information about the incident but was working to find out more.

Qantas also owns the discount airline Jetstar, which operates around 29 Airbus A320s on domestic routes.

In July, an exploding oxygen bottle punched a huge hole in the side of a Qantas Boeing 747-400, forcing an emergency landing in the Philippines. No passengers were injured in the mid-air drama.

Air safety investigators announced a safety review of Qantas, which has long been known as the world's safest airline, after two other incidents occurred involving its aircraft within two weeks.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/australiaandthepacific/australia/3150223/Australian-plane-makes-emergency-landing-after-mid-air-incident-injures-40.html

Posted: 07-10-2008 09:01 Post subject:

More..

Up to 50 injured in Qantas 'mid-air incident'
The incident is the latest safety scare to hit Qantas, Australia's national carrier
Sophie Tedmanson in Sydney

Up to 50 people have suffered broken bones and other injuries when a Qantas plane carrying more than 300 passengers was involved in a “mid-air incident” and was forced to make an emergency landing in Western Australia.

The plane was en route from Singapore to Melbourne in southern Australia when it was forced to land at Learmonth airport in the town of Exmouth, 1,200km north of Perth in Western Australia at 1.30pm local time (4.30amBST).

A spokesman for Western Australia Police told Times Online that passengers were being treated by nurses at the scene and would then be transferred to a local hospital. Police are also at the scene.

He said he understands that nobody has received life-threatening injuries.

Qantas said that “a number of passengers and crew sustained injuries, including fractures and lacerations” on board QF72, which was due to land in Perth.

The airline said the problem was related to “a sudden change in altitude” but no details are yet available as to what caused the altitude change.

...

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article4897076.ece

Posted: 07-10-2008 11:55 Post subject: