ACCIDENTS & INCIDENTS

(27 July – 2 August 2008)

Airline, Corporate, & AeroMedevac

Date/

Location

Aircraft/Reg.

Narrative

Casualties

Comments

27 July

Keflavic, ICELAND

Icelandair-operated Boeing 757-200

Reg: TF-FIU

Flight FI615 from Keflavik to New York JFK returned to Keflavik after a loud bang was heard from one engine during departure and the right hand engine lost power.

176 Uninjured

The flight was canceled. The passengers were brought to New York the following day on flight FI617 with a delay of close to 24 hours.

27 July

Adelaide, AUSTRALIA

Qantas-operated Boeing 767-338

Left main gear failed to retract after takeoff, and the flight returned to Adelaide for an normal landing. Some noise and vibrations were associated with flying around with the gear down.

No Injuries

Qantas would not say how many passengers were on board; however, a Boeing 767-338 can carry up to 254 passengers.  One disgruntled passenger indicated there was “absolute chaos on the plane,” although all other reports indicate that pax and crew remained calm throughout the incident.  This was Qantas’ second incident in a week, prompting the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) of Australia to detail a special team to investigate the airline’s safety amid growing public concern that the airlines standards may have slipped..

27 July

Praia, CAPE VERDE

LTE-operated Airbus A320-200 (chartered by TACV of Cape Verde)

Reg: EC-JRX

Aircraft overran the runway and departed the paved surface.

172 Uninjured

No injuries and no damage have been reported.

27 July

Zurich, SWITZERLAND

United Airlines Boeing 767-300,

Reg: N647UA

The airport Zurich reported that the aircraft rejected takeoff within the first 500 meters of the takeoff run after a bird hit an engine causing damage. After the airplane departed the runway two tires deflated due to hot brakes.

No Injuries

27 July

Atlanta, GA

Delta-operated Boeing 757-200

Reg: N757AT

Flight returned to Atlanta about 80 minutes into the flight over southern Florida, after flight attendants heard a loud popping noise. The flight landed safely without declaring emergency.

178 Uninjured

Maintenance staff identified a seal problem in one of the exit doors. The seal was replaced and the airplane returned to service.

27 July

Baltimore, MD

Southwest-operated Boeing 737-300

Reg: N351SW

Plane returned to Baltimore within 7 minutes after liftoff due to smell of smoke in the cockpit, the Baltimore Airport reported. Passengers deplaned normally at the gate.

129 Uninjured

Maintenance staff identified a fan as source of the smell. The fan was replaced, the airplane returned to service, resuming the flight with a delay of 2.5 hours.

27 July

Saint Martin, NETHERLAND ANTILLES

Air Antilles de Havilland DHC-6 Twin Otter

Aircraft suffered a bird strike against the right cockpit window shortly after takeoff. The crew decided to divert to Saint Martin, where the airplane landed safely.

18 Uninjured

The airline reported that the impact of the bird strike shattered the right hand windshield. A leased replacement Twin Otter resumed the flight, however without some of the passengers, who refused to continue their journey on the same type of aircraft.

28 July

Helsinki, FINLAND

TUIFly-operated Boeing 757

Reg: SE-RFP

Flight returned to Helsinki after a galley oven began to smoke about 20 minutes into the flight. The airplane landed safely. The oven was replaced and the airplane took off again arriving in Larnaca with a delay of 7 hours.

242 Uninjured

A spokeswoman for Finnmatkat, TUIFly's Finnish partner, said that a small piece of paper got into the oven for unknown reasons. A small amount of smoke occurred as the meals were being prepared. The galley was disconnected from the power supply as a precaution (circuit breaker) and the airplane returned to Helsinki.

29 July

Tokyo, JAPAN

Vietnam Airlines-operated Boeing 777

Starboard engine gave out and white smoke was visible to witnesses as it landed. Aircraft taxied to terminal where pax disembarked and 1 hour later engine caught fire.  The fire extinguished by airport fire service.

277 Uninjured

The Japanese Aircraft and Railway Accidents Investigation Commission decided to send investigators after judging it to be a serious incident, Japanese transport ministry officials said.

30 July

Vancouver, CANADA

Cathay Pacific-operated Boeing 747

Aircraft suffered mid-air damage while descending for a landing at Vancouver overnight. Officials are trying to determine what happened to the plane at 20,000 feet while on a flight from New York to Hong Kong via the western Canadian city of Vancouver, said a Cathay Pacific spokeswoman.

363 Uninjured

The spokeswoman also mentioned that an external panel on the aircraft's fuselage was damaged, but she could not confirm or deny local media reports that the panel had been separated from the plane.

30 July

Isle of Man, UNITED KINGDOM

Manx2-operated Dornier 228

Aircraft burst a tire on landing at Ronaldsway Airport and veered off the runway, coming to a stop in the grass besides the runway.

No injuries

As a result of the incident two airplanes had to divert. An Aer Arann AT42, flight RE373 from Dublin, returned to Dublin, a FlyBe DH8D, flight BE7332 from London Gatwick, diverted to Liverpool.

31 July

Owatonna, MN

Raytheon Corporate Jets Hawker Beechcraft BAE 125-800A

Reg: N818MV

Aircraft was destroyed when it impacted terrain during a go-around from runway 30 at the Owatonna Degner Regional Airport (OWA), near Owatonna, Minnesota. The plane hit the ground in a cornfield, skidded for about 50 yards, then crossed a gravel road and continued to skid, clearing the corn in its path and leaving a wide swath of dirt and debris behind.

8 Fatal

The cockpit voice recorder was sent to the NTSB lab in Washington for analysis, along with a flight management system, a device that contains data but is less elaborate than the flight data recorders on large jets. The airplane was not required by the FAA to be equipped with a flight data recorder.

2 August

Minsk, RUSSIA

Red Wings-operated Tu-204

"The aircraft reported an engine failure and requested an emergency landing at the closest airport in Minsk," an airport official said.

190 Uninjured

2 August

Sydney, AUSTRALIA

Qantas-operated Boeing 767-300

The captain was forced to dump fuel before making an emergency landing at Sydney Airport due to a hydraulic leak in the controls. A leak in the wing was detected shortly after taking off from Sydney, an Australian Transport Safety Bureau spokeswoman said.

200 Uninjured

The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) has nevertheless launched a safety investigation of the airline.

General Aviation and Helicopter

Date/

Location

Aircraft/Reg.

Narrative

Casualties

Comments

27 July

McMurray, WA

Cessna 172N

Reg: N75558

Aircraft was substantially damaged when it impacted trees while maneuvering near McMurray, Washington. Examination of the airplane by the National Transportation Safety Board investigator-in-charge revealed that the airplane came to rest on its left side in an area of tall, dense trees within steep mountainous terrain

3 Fatal

A family member reported the airplane missing to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on 27 July 2008, after becoming concerned when the airplane had not arrived at its intended destination. The FAA subsequently issued an Alert Notification (ALNOT). The airplane was located by air units on 27 July 2008, approximately 2120, in a heavily wooded area about six miles east of McMurray.. The left and right wing were found separated from the fuselage and were located within the approximate 200-foot wreckage debris path. All primary flight controls were located at the accident site.

27 July

Midlothian, TX

Marshall James J Cozy MK IV

Reg: N500K

Aircraft was substantially damaged when it collided with the wall of a rock quarry.

1 Fatal

According to an eyewitness located at the bottom of the 100 foot deep rock quarry, he could hear the engine of the airplane when it flew at high speed through the quarry at approximately 20 to 30 feet above the floor before it collided with the wall of the quarry and exploded. According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector who conducted an on-scene investigation, the amateur built composite airplane was a single engine "pusher" with canards. The airplane's impact created a debris field approximately 100 yards wide and 350 yards long. The landing gear was discovered in the retracted position.

29 July

Quinhagak, AK

Cessna 207

Reg: N9952M

Aircraft sustained substantial damage when it collided with terrain during landing.

1 Uninjured

During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC) on 30 July, the pilot said as the airplane touched down on the runway and veered to the left. He said he applied full right rudder and aileron, but the airplane exited the runway and impacted terrain. The pilot said there were no known mechanical problems with the airplane prior to the accident, and that prior landings that day were uneventful. He said the airplane sustained damage to the wings and fuselage.

30 July

West Chester, PA

Eclipse Aviation Corporation EA500

Reg: N333MY

Aircraft sustained substantial damage during a runway overrun while landing at Brandywine Airport (OQN). During a visual approach for runway 27 at OQN, he "set up for a normal approach" and "dropped gear" and "one notch of flaps." A short time later, when the airplane had slowed , he then selected landing flaps. He believed that he was "a little high" on the approach so he "dipped down." As he passed the runway threshold his speed was "a little high," but he thought it was manageable. After touchdown, he "got on the brakes" and felt the airplane skid, but decided not to "go around" due to the "distance left." At this point he was "pumping" the wheel brakes "continuously," and then applied "full brakes." The airplane then began to skid to the right and went off the end of the runway.

2 Uninjured

After leaving the runway, the airplane traveled down a 40-foot embankment and crossed a service road. The airplane came to rest against trees and a chain link fence approximately 184 feet beyond the departure end of runway 27, along a magnetic heading of 265 degrees. Examination of the airplane revealed multiple fractures and areas of crush and compression damage to both the airframe and flight control surfaces. The nose landing gear was separated from its attach point. Both main landing gear were collapsed, and they had penetrated the upper surface of the wing structure. The wing flaps and the flap lever were found in the landing position.

31 July

Murrieta, CA

Cessna 206

Reg: N1499M

Aircraft descended from the takeoff initial climb and impacted terrain 7 miles north-northeast of French Valley Airport, Murrieta.

1 Uninjured

The pilot reported that shortly after takeoff he experienced a rudder and elevator control jam, and restricted aileron movement. Shortly after that, the engine lost power. With very little ability to control the airplane, the pilot was able to put the airplane down in an open field.

1 August

Ketchikan, AK

Cessna T210

Reg: N59214

Aircraft sustained substantial damage when it ditched in the ocean following a complete loss of engine power. Prior to the crash the pilot reported that he was low on fuel, and descended through an opening in the clouds into visual conditions. The pilot continued toward Ketchikan, but ran out of fuel, and ditched the airplane in about 50 feet of water near Vallenar Point. Ketchikan Flight Service Station (FSS) personnel directed local float-equipped airplanes toward the area of the accident, and they picked up the two occupants.

1 Minor, 1 Uninjured

During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC), on 5 August, the pilot reported that he requested a fuel vendor at the Bellingham Airport to fill the airplane fuel tanks, and he received a weather briefing from the Seattle Automated Flight Service Station (AFSS), which included a winds aloft forecast. After departure, the pilot said that during the flight, headwinds were greater than expected, and the cloud ceiling at Ketchikan was lower than expected. He also said that the fuel vendor may have not completely filled the fuel tanks to their maximum capacity.

1 August

Oshkosh, WI

P-51 Mustang

Witnesses on the AirVenture grounds reported seeing two P-51 Mustangs approach the south end of Runway 18/36 for what appeared to be a formation landing when the propeller of one Mustang caught the tail of the other, flipping it onto its nose. The aircraft in the rear tried to pull around the crashed aircraft and flipped over in the process, witnesses said.

1 Fatal, 1 Minor

Military

Date

Aircraft Type

Narrative

Casualties

Comments

28 July

Warsaw, POLAND

Polish Air Force F-16

The second pilot smelled smoke in the cockpit. According to the procedures in place, the crew asked for permission to land at Okecie, the Polish Air Force Spokesman told a local television station. The F-16, accompanied by two other F-16 aircraft, made the emergency landing successfully.

2 Uninjured

This was not the first emergency landing of the Polish “Falcons” at the airport in Warsaw.  In March 2008, an F-16 pilot had to land due to unstable operation of the engine.  In September 2007, pilots did the same as a result of smoke in the cockpit.

28 July

Colorado Springs, CO

Raytheon Cobra unmanned aircraft system (UAS)

Reg: N601RN

Aircraft sustained substantial damage when it collided with a light pole while maneuvering for a pre-programmed landing.

1 Uninjured

The purpose of the flight was for Raytheon to demonstrate the Cobra so that Air Force Academy staff could evaluate its potential as part of an "Advanced Airmanship Course" for its cadets.

29 July

Moscow, RUSSIA

Russian Military Su-27 Flanker

1 Fatal, 1 Serious

30 July

Nellis Air Force Base, NV

U.S. Air Force F-15D Eagle two-seater jet

1 Fatal, 1 Serious

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