ACCIDENTS & INCIDENTS

(24 August – 30 August 2008)

Airline, Corporate, & AeroMedevac

Date/

Location

Aircraft/Reg.

Narrative

Casualties

Comments

24 August

London, ENGLAND

Virgin-operated Boeing 747

Flight returned to London Gatwick shortly after takeoff and made a full emergency landing, an airport spokesman said. A Virgin spokesman denied earlier reports that an engine had caught fire. He said the pilot had reported a "technical difficulty" and decided to execute a precautionary landing back at Gatwick.

320 Uninjured

An RAF rescue helicopter, from Wattisham, was sent to the airport, and a second helicopter was also dispatched from Lee on Solent Coastguard Station. A spokesman for the airport said the plane had declared a problem and that the fire service had been on standby.

24 August

Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

Itek Air-operated Boeing 737-219

Reg: EX-009

The airplane reportedly departed about 20:30 and crashed shortly after takeoff. Unconfirmed reports indicate that the pilot had attempted to return to the airport for an emergency landing.

65 Fatal

Local weather reports indicate that there was a thunderstorm with associated rain passing over Bishkek from 16:30 to 20:00 local time. Over that period the wind shifted from 220 degrees to 100 degrees at 20:30. Wind was blowing at about 6 knots, with wind variable at 23 knots.

24 August

Toronto, CANADA

Air France-operated Boeing 747-400

Reg: F-GITF

Flight AF353 from Toronto to Paris declared PAN (international urgency signal) and requested to return to Toronto due to errors in the navigation and fuel systems

No injuries

The crew dumped fuel for 40 minutes and landed safely in Toronto 90 minutes after declaring PAN and 110 minutes after departure.

25 August

Limoges, FRANCE

Ryanair-operated Boeing 737-800

Reg: EI-DAS

Flight FR9336 from Bristol, UK to Girona, Spain performed an emergency descent due to a sudden depressurization while en route near Limoges.

26  Minor, 149  Uninjured

27 August

Pula, CROATIA

Boeing 737-800 Reg: G-CDZH

Flight BY2508 from Pula to London Gatwick returned to Pula about 10 minutes after takeoff, after a microwave oven in the airplane's galley started to emit thick black smoke.

189 Uninjured

Technicians identified an installation fault in the oven's wiring.

28 August

Cuidad Juarez, MEXICO

Canadair CRJ-200 Reg: XA-UFD

Flight C4-642 from Tijuana to Ciudad Juarez declared  an emergency after encountering severe turbulence

6 Serious, 4 Minor, 22 Uninjured

The airplane landed safely at Ciudad Juarez, where ambulances had arrived 15 minutes prior to the landing. 6 people were rushed to a hospital, 4 were treated at the airport.

28 August

Atlantic Ocean

Delta-operated Boeing B738

An operational error was reported when Transaero Flight 554 and Delta Flight 845 came within zero feet vertical and 1 minute lateral separation (15 minutes is required in non-radar environment).  The incident occurred 179 miles north of San Juan, PR.

No injuries

28 August

Atlantic Ocean

Transaero-operated Boeing 744

See above.

No injuries

30 August

Halifax, CANADA

Zoom Airlines-operated Boeing 767-300

Reg: G-UKZM

Flight from London Gatwick  to Halifax, reported after arriving at the parking position, that a small light blue panel, about one square foot in size (0.1 square meter), was missing from the side of the airplane.

No injuries

Halifax tower initiated an inspection of the  runway but nothing was found.

29 August

Berlin Schoenefeld, GERMANY

Easyjet Airbus A319-100

Reg: G-EZDH

Flight from Berlin Schoenefeld to Basel Mulhouse (Switzerland) returned to Berlin Schoenefeld for a safe landing after the landing gear could not be retracted.

None

30 August

Munich, GERMANY

Lufthansa-operated Airbus A340-600

Reg: D-AIHT

Flight LH722 from Munich  to Beijing returned to Munich after an engine failure.

No injuries

The plane landed at Munich safely.

30 August

Toacaso, ECUADOR

Conviasa-operated Boeing 737-291

Reg: YV-102T

Aircraft crashed in mountainous terrain while it was being ferried from Caracas, Venezuela to Latacunga, Ecuador.

3 Fatal

Old 737. Investigation will doubtless explore whether or not the aircraft was fitted with terrain avoidance warning.

General Aviation and Helicopter

Date/

Location

Aircraft/Reg.

Narrative

Casualties

Comments

24 August

Zacapa, GUATEMALA

Cessna Caravan 208

Aircraft was en route from Aurora to El Estor (both in Guatemala) when the pilot started making distress calls about engine failure about 45 minutes after takeoff. Soon after, the plane crashed in Zacapa, an agricultural town about 60 miles east of Guatemala City.

10 Fatal, 4 Serious

"It seems like the pilot tried her best to make a safe landing in a open field, but was not successful," said Ricardo Lemus, a Zacapa firefighter at the scene of the crash told reporters. 5 of those killed were American aid workers.

25 August

Curico, CHILE

Beech BE-55

Reg: CC-PBY

Aircraft, which was registered to and operated by Inversiones Aeronauticas Y Servicios Aereos Limitada as a personal flight, collided with a private residence while maneuvering in the vicinity of Curico. 

3 Fatal

The airplane received substantial damage due to crash impact and the post crash fire.

27 August

Reading, PA

Cessna 172

Reg: N54020

A runway incursion occurred at Reading Regional Airport.   The  approach controller instructed the pilot to land on a runway which had been closed for approximately 4 weeks for construction in the safety area, the runway was stilled closed for that construction when the plane landed.  The plane landed safely.

 3 Uninjured

The certified air traffic controller was working all the tower positions, including controller-in-charge, for 25 minutes and was responsible for 2 aircraft at the time of the incursion.

28 August

Las Vegas, NV

Piper PA-31-350

Reg: N212HB

Aircraft experienced a partial loss of engine power during climb a few minutes after departing from the North Las Vegas Airport. Shortly thereafter, as it  was returning to the airport, the airplane collided with several objects and eventually a residence.

1 Fatal

The National Transportation Safety Board investigator's review of FAA recorded radar data indicated that after the pilot took off, the pilot turned westbound while climbing. The airplane lost altitude during its course reversal turn. The pilot advised a radar controller at the FAA Las Vegas Approach Control Facility that he was "declaring an emergency" and desired to "immediately" return to runway 07 at VGT. Without delay, the controller cleared the pilot as requested.

29 August

Burbank, CA

Cessna 172N

Reg: N172ST

Aircraft sustained substantial damage following a forced landing near Burbank. 

1 Serious, 2 Minor

Initial reports provided to the NTSB investigator-in-charge (IIC) by airport operations personnel located at the Bob Hope Airport (BUR), Burbank, California, revealed that the pilot contacted air traffic control (ATC) advising of a "fuel problem." It was further reported that ATC then issued the pilot clearance to land. The pilot then overshot the runway before impacting power lines west of the airport boundary, which resulted in the airplane's uncontrolled descent onto a residential street, coming to rest on a parked automobile. There was no post crash fire.

Military

Date/

Location

Aircraft/Reg.

Narrative

Casualties

Comments

27 August

Davao City, PHILIPINES

Philippine Air Force (PAF) C-130 Hercules

Transport plane carrying two pilots and seven crew members  went missing shortly after takeoff from the Davao International Airport

9  Fatal

While all aboard the plane have been declared dead, no bodies have been found as of this writing.

All entries are preliminary and subject to confirmation/correction by formal accident reports.