AVIATION INCIDENTS December 30th 2016

France A318 at Florence on Dec 28th 2016, strong unusual odour An Air France Airbus A318-100, registration F-GUGO performing flight AF-1266 from Paris Charles de Gaulle (France) to Florence (Italy), was on final approach to Florence's runway 05 when a strong unusual odour was noticed throughout the aircraft, on... Read full story »

Enter B738 at Warsaw on Dec 30th 2016, bird strike An Enter Air Boeing 737-800, registration SP-ENP performing flight SP-7913 from Warsaw (Poland) to Larnaca (Cyprus) and Mombasa (Kenya), was in the climb out of Warsaw's runway 29 about 15 seconds after becoming airborne when the right hand engine... Read full story »

Kenya B788 near Nairobi on Dec 28th 2016, loss of cabin pressure A Kenya Airways Boeing 787-800, registration 5Y-KZB performing flight KQ-112 from Nairobi (Kenya) to Paris Charles de Gaulle (France), was climbing through FL330 about 130nm north of Nairobi, near Mount Kenya, when the crew initiated a rapid descent... Read full story »

United A320 at Raleigh Durham on Dec 29th 2016, gear problem after departure A United Airbus A320-200, registration N489UA performing flight UA-1700 from Raleigh/Durham,NC to San Francisco,CA (USA) with 145 passengers and 6 crew, was climbing out of Raleigh's runway 23R when the crew stopped the climb at 7000 feet advising... Read full story »

Via E145 near Pittsburgh on Dec 29th 2016, loss of cabin pressure A Via Airlines Embraer ERJ-145, registration N841HK performing flight VC-841 from New York La Guardia,NY to Indianapolis,IN (USA), was enroute at FL320 about 180nm east of Pittsburgh,PA (USA) when the crew initiated an emergency descent due to the... Read full story »

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Aviation Incidents December 24-28 2016

Allegiant A320 near Syracuse on Dec 24th 2016, partial flight control failure, after landing advised lost all hydraulics An Allegiant Airbus A320-200, registration N216NV performing flight G4-1711 from Ogdensburg,NY to Fort Lauderdale,FL (USA) with 160 passengers and 6 crew, was climbing through FL330 out of Ogdensburg when the crew stopped the climb and diverted to... Read full story »

Baltic DH8D at Riga on Dec 28th 2016, unsafe gear An Air Baltic de Havilland Dash 8-400, registration YL-BBT performing flight BT-136 from Copenhagen (Denmark) to Riga (Latvia) with 64 passengers and 4 crew, was on final approach to Riga's runway 36 when the crew initiated a go-around reporting a... Read full story »

Iceland B752 at Keflavik on Oct 19th 2016, performed approach below profile An Icelandair Boeing 757-200, registration TF-ISR performing flight FI-431 from Glasgow,SC (UK) to Keflavik (Iceland), was on a RNAV approach to Keflavik's runway 19 about 2.9nm before touchdown when the aircraft went around at about 875 feet... Read full story »

LATAM A321 near Porto Alegre on Dec 27th 2016, cargo smoke indication A LATAM Airbus A321-200, registration PT-MXM performing flight JJ-8030 from Sao Paulo Guarulhos,SP (Brazil) to Montevideo (Uruguay) with 220 people on board, was enroute at FL340 about 45nm northwest of Porto Alegre,RS (Brazil) when the crew... Read full story »

American MD82 near Tampa on Dec 24th 2016, hydraulic failure An American Airlines McDonnell Douglas MD-82, registration N494AA performing flight AA-2457 from Dallas Ft. Worth,TX to Tampa,FL (USA) with 145 passengers and 5 crew, was descending towards Tampa when the crew reported a hydraulic failure. The crew... Read full story »

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AVIATION INCIDENTS 25TH DECEMBER 2016, OFF RUNWAY, LIGHTNING STRIKE, FIRE FLAG, REJECTED TAKEOFF & ELECTRICAL MALFUNCTION

Aeroflot A320 near Moscow on Dec 27th 2016, engine vibrations An Aeroflot Airbus A320-200, registration VP-BLR performing flight SU-1510 from Moscow Sheremetyevo to Surgut (Russia), was enroute at FL350 about 210nm northeast of Moscow when the crew decided to return to Moscow due to engine (CFM56) vibrations.... Read full story »

Swiss A319 at Stockholm on Dec 27th 2016, engine fire indication A Swiss International Airlines Airbus A319-100, registration HB-IPY performing flight LX-1233 from Stockholm (Sweden) to Geneva (Switzerland), was climbing out of Stockholm's runway 01L when the crew stopped the climb at 4000 feet reporting an... Read full story »

Jet Airways B738 at Goa on Dec 27th 2016, runway excursion during rejected takeoff A Jet Airways Boeing 737-800, registration VT-JBG performing flight 9W-2374 from Goa to Mumbai (India) with 154 passengers and 7 crew, backtracked runway 26, lined up runway 26 and was accelerating the engines for takeoff when the aircraft continued... Read full story »

American B772 near Buenos Aires on Dec 25th 2016, ran out of air sick bags, lightning strike An American Airlines Boeing 777-200, registration N780AN performing flight AA-997 (dep Dec 24th) from Dallas Ft. Worth,TX (USA) to Buenos Aires,BA (Argentina), was on final approach to Ezeiza Airport's runway 11 when the aircraft went around due to... Read full story »

United B772 near Santiago de Chile on Dec 25th 2016, electrical problems A United Boeing 777-200, registration N79011 performing flight UA-818 from Buenos Aires,BA (Argentina) to Houston Intercontinental,TX (USA), was enroute at FL320 about 160nm northnortheast of Santiago (Chile) when the crew initiated a descent to... Read full story »

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Russia military plane crash black box recovered, terrorism cannot be ruled out say a number of experts.

Sochi airport, crash happened shortly after a refuelling stop and subsequent take off.  

UPDATE: Russian Defence Ministry have NOT ruled out terrorist activity says Reuters: http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-russia-airplane-terror-idUKKBN14I0TB?utm_campaign=trueAnthem:+Trending+Content&utm_content=58651f1904d3015519a6c95c&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=twitter

A single black box flight recorder has been recovered, from among the wreckage of a Russian military plane that crashed into the Black Sea, the Russian defence ministry has said.


Over 3,000 people have been involved in the search for victims' bodies and aircraft debris, with only some portions of the jet found.

The TU-154 crashed on Sunday. All other aircraft of this type have been grounding pending the outcome of investigations into the cause of the crash.

Julian Bray Aviation Security expert comments: Russian officials are repeatedly suggesting its either pilot error or a malfunction on board the aircraft. However many experts are of the opinion that it is too early for terrorism to be totally ruled out. They point to the debris field and the fact that human remains are already being recovered just days into the recovery operation. Clearly some form of 'catastrophic event' occurred exploding the aircraft thus creating the debris being recovered.

A day of mourning for the 92 people on board - including members of the army's world-famous choir - has been declared by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Following the introduction of the Tu-154 in 1972, some 6.7% of the manufactured planes have either crashed or been lost due to serious incidents, according to data from Aviation Safety Network.

The aircraft factory located in Samara, Russia, has assembled 1,026 Tu-154 aircraft.

The latest crash has happened on the 25th of December, 2016 in the Black Sea, close to Sochi. The accident took the lives of all 93 people aboard the Syria-bound Tu-154 belonging to the Russian Ministry of Defence.

In total, type Tu-154 aircraft have been involved in 111 serious accidents. Additionally, 69 planes have crashed or have been grounded.

Five of the incidents were caused by terrorist activity, several aircraft were lost due to winter failed landings, one plane crashed due to being overloaded, another one suffered a mid-air  impact.

Mechanical failures, pilot error and fuel shortage have all been cited as causes of incidents.

2010 saw several fatal accidents involving Tu-154s, including the Polish Air Force Tu-154 crash in Russia, which killed 96 people, including President of Poland Lech Kaczynski.

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Aviation Incidents Christmas 2016

American B772 near Buenos Aires on Dec 25th 2016, ran out of air sick bags, lightning strike An American Airlines Boeing 777-200, registration N780AN performing flight AA-997 (dep Dec 24th) from Dallas Ft. Worth,TX (USA) to Buenos Aires,BA (Argentina), was on final approach to Ezeiza Airport's runway 11 when the aircraft went around due to... Read full story »

United B772 near Santiago de Chile on Dec 25th 2016, electrical problems A United Boeing 777-200, registration N79011 performing flight UA-818 from Buenos Aires,BA (Argentina) to Houston Intercontinental,TX (USA), was enroute at FL320 about 160nm northnortheast of Santiago (Chile) when the crew initiated a descent to... Read full story »

Emirates A388 near Tehran on Dec 25th 2016, engine problem An Emirates Airlines Airbus A380-800, registration A6-EUD performing flight EK-97 from Dubai (United Arab Emirates) to Rome Fiumicino (Italy), was enroute at FL400 about 190nm southwest of Tehran (Iran) when the crew reported problems with the #3... Read full story »

Open Skies B763 over Atlantic on Dec 26th 2016, all toilets failed An Open Skies Boeing 767-300 on behalf of British Airways, registration F-HILU performing flight BA-8004 from Newark,NJ (USA) to Paris Orly (France) with 172 people on board, was enroute over the Atlantic Ocean when all toilets failed. The crew... Read full story »

SAS A320 near Copenhagen on Dec 26th 2016, lightning strike A SAS Scandinavian Airlines Airbus A320-200, registration OY-KAU performing flight SK-596 from Keflavik (Iceland) to Copenhagen (Denmark) with 111 people on board, was on approach to Copenhagen when the aircraft went around due to weather. The crew... Read full story »

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Atlantic Airways (Faroe Islands) first to adopt RPN 0.1 for its new Airbus A320

Atlantic Airways, the national carrier of the Faroe Islands, has taken delivery of its first Airbus A320 on 20th December 2016 as part of its plan to increase capacity.

The aircraft which is equipped with CFM engines will be deployed on routes from the Faroe Islands to Copenhagen.   

Airbus said that the A320 was chosen by Atlantic Airways for its economics, performance and operability in challenging environmental and geographical conditions.

The aircraft has Required Navigation Performance (RNP 0.1) capability built-in, which enables the aircraft to fly precisely along predefined routes using on-board navigation systems. Atlantic Airways were the first airline in Europe to use the Required Navigation Performance approach.

 

With the delivery of the new A320, Atlantic Airways now operates a fleet of 4 aircraft.

Airbus claimed that the A320 Family has booked over 12,800 orders since launch and more than 7,300 aircraft delivered to some 400 operators worldwide.

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A Russian military plane [TU-154] with 92 people on board has crashed into the Black Sea on its way to Syria, Russian news agencies reported on Sunday that it was unlikely there would be any survivors.

Sochi airport near the Black Sea

A Russian military turbo jet aircraft   [TU-154] with 92 people on board has crashed into the Black Sea on its way to Syria.  Russian news agencies reported on Sunday that it was unlikely there would be any survivors.


Unnamed security sources, say the TU-154 aircraft had crashed into the Black Sea not far from the southern Russian city of Sochi.


It disappeared minutes after taking off over the Black Sea. The plane had departed at 5:40am local time (0240 GMT) from Adler, south of Sochi.


According to the Russian Defence Ministry, the plane was transporting  Russian servicemen, reporters,  members of a renowned military choir and dance troupe: the Alexandrov Ensemble.  Their destination, the Russian  Hmeymim airbase in Syria to entertain troops in the run-up to the New Year.


The TU-154 plane was carrying 84 passengers and eight crew members.  Nine Russian reporters were also among the passengers.


Local sources report that debris from the wrecked plane has  already been found at a depth of 50-70 metres, some 1.5 km  (0.93 miles) from the Russian coast. 


An unidentified security source, suggests preliminary data indicated that the plane had crashed due to  a technical malfunction or a pilot error. However other sources are strongly suggesting that terrorism and sabotage cannot at this early stage be ruled out.


The respected Interfax news agency reporting the plane had not pinged a Mayday SOS message, before dropping off radar screens.
.
Meanwhile Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters it was too early to say what had caused the crash. President Vladimir Putin was being kept informed of latest developments, Peskov added.


Julian Bray aviation security and operations expert comments: Russia's Defence Ministry regularly flies musicians into Syria 'ENSA style' to put on concerts for military personnel and their families. The Russian air force base they were heading for: Hmeymim, is located in Latakia province. Russian air strikes against Syrian rebels, are originated at Hmeymim, making this a prime high security risk installation. The fact that debris from the wrecked aircraft, coupled with the pilots failing to issue any form of Mayday message, suggests that a sudden 'catastrophic event' took place, possibly from an on board explosives device. Examination of the debris 'shards' will determine if the explosion (if any) was from inside, or outside the aircraft. Until flight and data recorders are recovered, this of course is speculation as to the possible cause.


Sources: CNS, Reuters, Interfax, Sputnik,




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Aviation Incidents 23rd December 2016

Flybe DH8D near Norwich on Dec 21st 2016, door problem A Flybe de Havilland Dash 8-400, registration G-FLBC performing flight BE-7049 from Birmingham,EN (UK) to Dusseldorf (Germany), was enroute at FL250 about 30nm southeast of Norwich,EN (UK) when the crew decided to return to Birmingham due to a... Read full story »

Germanwings A320 near Dusseldorf on Dec 23rd 2016, odour on board A Germanwings Airbus A320-200, registration D-AIQE performing flight 4U-9772 from Dusseldorf (Germany) to Prague (Czech Republic), was climbing out of Dusseldorf when the crew stopped the climb at FL250 and decided to return to Dusseldorf for a safe... Read full story »

United B738 near Houston on Dec 22nd 2016, suspected unintentional passenger A United Boeing 737-800, registration N35236 performing flight UA-1035 from Houston Intercontinental,TX (USA) to Quito (Ecuador), was climbing out of Houston when the crew heard sounds from the cargo bays that triggered the suspicion of somebody... Read full story »

Biman B738 at Muscat and Dhaka on Dec 22nd 2016, tyre damage on takeoff A Biman Bangladesh Boeing 737-800, registration S2-AFL performing flight BG-122 from Muscat (Oman) to Dhaka (Bangladesh) with 149 passengers and 7 crew, was climbing out of Muscat when ATC informed the crew tyre debris had been found on their... Read full story »

PIA B772 at Lahore on Dec 23rd 2016, bird strike A PIA Pakistan International Airlines Boeing 777-200, registration AP-BGJ performing flight PK-760 from Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) to Lahore (Pakistan), was on approach to Lahore's runway 36R when the left hand engine (GE90) ingested a bird. The aircraft... Read full story »

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AVIATION INCIDENTS DEC 20th 2016

Aerosucre B722 at Puerto Carreno on Dec 20th 2016, overran runway on takeoff An Aerosucre Colombia Boeing 727-200, registration HK-4544 performing a freight flight from Puerto Carreno to Bogota (Colombia) with 6 crew, did not become airborne while taking off from Puerto Carrena's runway 25 at 17:20L (23:20Z), broke through... Read full story »

Braathens Regional RJ1H at Gothenburg on Dec 20th 2016, gear problem after departure A Braathens Regional Avro RJ-100, registration SE-DSY performing flight TF-29 from Gothenburg to Stockholm Bromma (Sweden), was climbing out of Gothenburg's runway 21 when the crew stopped the climb at 6000 feet and returned the aircraft to... Read full story »

Delta B752 over Pacific on Dec 20th 2016, smoke in cabin A Delta Airlines Boeing 757-200, registration N546US performing flight DL-2215 from Seattle,WA to Honolulu,HI (USA), was enroute at FL340 over the Pacific Ocean about 80 minutes into the flight when the crew decided to return to Seattle reporting... Read full story »

Star Freight B763 at Cologne on Dec 20th 2016, engine shut down in flight A Star Air Freight Boeing 767-300, reistration OY-SRU performing flight S6-6565 (dep Dec 19th) from East Midlands,EN (UK) to Cologne (Germany), was descending through FL250 towards Cologne when the crew declared PAN reporting an engine (CF6)... Read full story »

Eva B773 at Los Angeles on Dec 16th 2016, ATC instructs turn north instead of south, loss of separation, confusion, dangerous closure to terrain An Eva Air Boeing 777-300, registration B-16726 performing flight BR-15 (scheduled Dec 15th, actual Dec 16th) from Los Angeles,CA (USA) to Taipei (Taiwan), departed Los Angeles' runway 07R, contacted departure and was instructed to climb to 7000... Read full story »

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SWISSPORT AIRPORT WORKERS STRIKE CANCELLED AS NEW PAY DEAL AGREED AT ACAS but BA MIXED FLEET STRIKE STILL ON.....

A threatened strike by Swissport airport workers at 18 UK airports has been called off after successful talks over pay.  Industrial action would have involved 1,500 members of the Unite union working as baggage handler, check-in staff and cargo crew.
The 48-hour strike was slated for this Friday December 23.

The strike was called off after ACAS intervened and Swissport tabled an improved pay deal, Unite general secretary Len McCluskey confirmed.

He said: "I am delighted to report that we have reached an agreement which our shop stewards will recommend to our members."

The airports included: Gatwick, Heathrow, Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow, Stansted, East Midlands,Belfast,
Aberdeen, Bristol, Bournemouth, Cardiff, Doncaster, Edinburgh, Leeds/Bradford, Luton, Newcastle and Southampton.

Unite said members had voted by 62.5% to reject a 4.65% pay deal covering 2015 to 2017, which the union said "barely" kept up with inflation.

It claimed "detrimental" changes to terms and conditions were linked to the deal as well as an overtime pay freeze and pay restructuring.

British Airways said: “We are pleased that members of the Unite union employed by Swissport, who work on behalf of airlines, have cancelled the industrial action planned for 23 and 24 December.
“As a result, we will now be operating a normal schedule on these days.”

However, the airline still faces the prospect of a strike by certain cabin crew on Christmas Day and Boxing Day but plans to run a full schedule on both days.

Following the Swissport dispute breakthrough, McCluskey said: “I call upon British Airways to pay heed. This union is clearly open to reasonable negotiations. 

“We sincerely hope you take a leaf out of Swissport’s book and meet our members halfway on what is also a very just cause, the call for a living wage and equality for these young workers.”

Talks aimed at averting a planned strike by BA “mixed fleet” cabin crew are due to resume today (Wednesday). The action could involve up to 4,500 staff on contracts who joined the airline since 2010.

McCluskey described negotiations with BA about pay and conditions as difficult and said progress had been "painfully slow".

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Flight MH 370 Experts define additional search area

Officials who reassessed evidence from the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 have designated an additional 25,000km² search area north of the area so far investigated, reports Greg Waldron for Flight Global.

A re-examination of satellite communications data and drift analysis based on aircraft debris found along the African littoral have suggested “a remaining area of high probability between latitudes 32.5°S and 36°S along the seventh arc,” says the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB).

The “seventh arc” is where the aircraft, a Boeing 777-200ER registered 9M-MRO, transmitted its final satellite communication on 8 March 2014.

The ATSB report is based on the outcome of a ‘first principles review’ held from 2-4 November in Canberra. Participants in the review included government officials and experts from industry.

“There is a high degree of confidence that the previously identified underwater area searched to date does not contain the missing aircraft,” says the ATSB.

“Given the elimination of this area, the experts identified an area of approximately 25,000km² as the area with the highest probability of containing the wreckage of the aircraft. The experts concluded that, if this area were to be searched, prospective areas for locating the aircraft wreckage, based on the analysis to date, would be exhausted.”

READ MORE: https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/experts-define-additional-mh370-search-area-432575/

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Aviation Incidents Dec 14 2016

Fedex MD10 at Chicago on Dec 14th 2016, slat disagree A Fedex Federal Express McDonnell Douglas MD-10, registration N363FE performing flight FX-3021 from Los Angeles, CA to Chicago O'Hare, IL (USA), was on final approach to runway 28C already cleared to land when the crew reported they needed to go... Read full story »

Estelar B732 at Santo Domingo on Dec 16th 2016, engine shut down in flight An Estelar Boeing 737-200, registration YV2792 performing flight E4-8362 from Santo Domingo to Caracas (Venezuela) with 90 people on board, was climbing out of Santo Domingo's Mayo Guerrero Airport about 10nm from the airport when one of the engines... Read full story »

Blue B737 over Germany and Belgium on Dec 16th 2016, loss com and painting in the sky A Blue Air Boeing 737-700, registration YR-BMA performing flight 0B-5131 from Larnaca (Cyprus) to London Luton,EN (UK), was enroute at FL400 over southern Germany when communication with the aircraft was lost. The aircraft continued on its planned... Read full story »

American MD82 near Little Rock on Dec 15th 2016, e-cigarette overheats An American Airlines McDonnell Douglas MD-82, registration N555AN performing flight AA-1129 from Dallas Ft. Worth,TX to Indianapolis,IN (USA) with 137 people on board, was enroute at FL290 about 65nm northeast of Little Rock,AR (USA) when a... Read full story »

American A332 at Philadelphia on Dec 15th 2016, panel door open An American Airlines Airbus A330-200, registration N288AY performing flight AA-740 from Philadelphia,PA (USA) to Madrid,SP (Spain), departed Philadelphia's runway 27L and was in the initial climb when the crew requested to level off at 5000 feet... Read full story »

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Veteran ITN war correspondent Michael Nicholson, whose career spanned more than five decades, has died aged 79.

Obituary

Veteran ITN war correspondent Michael Nicholson, whose career spanned more than five decades, has died aged 79.

Nicholson reported on the fall of Saigon in 1975, the Falklands War, the Balkans conflict, the Gulf War and the 2003 invasion of Iraq.


Nicholson joined ITN in 1964 and was the network’s senior foreign correspondent between 1989 and 1999.


He died while on a cruise with his wife Diana.


ITN chief executive John Hardie said he was a “true legend”.


Nicholson presented reports from around the world on ITV’s flagship current affairs programme Tonight.


In 1976, he became ITN’s first bureau chief in South Africa and was the first television correspondent to live in the country during apartheid.


He also witnessed the toppling of Saddam Hussein’s statue in Baghdad at the end of the Iraq War in 2003.
Former ITN presenter Sir Trevor McDonald said Nicholson “almost single-handedly changed the face of TV news reporting”.


ITV News presenter Alastair Stewart said he was “deeply saddened to learn of the death of ITN giant Mike Nicholson”.


Mr Hardie added “Michael Nicholson is rightly regarded as a true legend of ITN.


“As a journalist he is renowned and revered throughout our industry and beyond for his courage, his intelligence, and his compassion.”


In a statement, his family described him as “an amazing father, devoted grandfather, loving husband and dear friend”.




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