Happy Easter

 

I would like to take this opportunity to wish you and your family, wherever you are in the world, a wonderful happy Easter. I hope you pull a rabbit out of your hat on Easter and make magical memories with friends and family!


LET YOUR SMILE CHANGE THE WORLD, BUT DON'T LET THE WORLD CHANGE YOUR SMILE

Extreme turbulence' injures 22 - United Airlines makes emergency landing

UNITED BOEING 787-9 N29978 (MSN 66137)

A United Airlines flight travelling from Tel Aviv (TLV/LLBG) to New York (EWR/KEWR) was forced to make an emergency landing at Stewart International Airport (SWF/KSWF) after 'extreme turbulence' injured passengers on board.

There were 312 passengers on board the Boeing 787 - seven of which were taken to hospital with minor / severe injuries. Another 15 of the passengers were treated on site for injuries sustained during the flight.

Sources have reported that 'high winds' were the cause of extreme turbulence that prompted the emergency landing. Passengers on board reportedly complained of nausea and some said they had chest pains due to the turbulence.

An FAA statement said, 'United Airlines Flight 85 landed safely at New York Stewart International Airport around 6:45 p.m. local time on Friday, the 29th of March, after the crew reported a passenger medical emergency.

The flight refueled and continued to Newark later that night.

Aircraft Information:

Airline: United Airlines

Code: UA/UAL

Aircraft: Boeing 787-10

Registration: N14016

Serial Number: 66985

Engine: 2 x RR Trent 1000

First Flew: 4th April 2022

Age: 2 Years. 

Quick thinking Somaliland Air Traffic Controller saves over 500 people

The Somaliland Civil Aviation and Airports Authority (SCAAA) has reported that an Emirates Boeing 777 and an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 MAX narrowly avoided a collision while flying over Somaliland. 

The incidence occurred on the 24th of March, about a month after two other aircraft nearly collided in the same airspace, adding to the growing concerns about safety and air traffic control competency in the region.

Flying at the exact same altitude the latest incident involved Emirates flight EK722 en route to Dubai and an Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET690 en route to Bengaluru.

According to the SCAAA, the two aircraft nearly collided at approximately 00:43 EAT (21:43 UTC) while flying at 37,000 ft. They had reportedly received conflicting instructions from air traffic controllers in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia.

EMIRATES BOEING 777-31H A6-EBK (MSN 34481)

The Emirates triple seven (A6-EGN) was flying from Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta (NBO/HKJK) to Dubai International Airport (DXB/OMDB). EK722 departed Nairobi at 19:54 UTC and eventually landed safely in Dubai at 00:29 UTC.

ETHIOPIAN AIRBUS A350-941 ET-AWN (MSN 310)

The Ethiopian Airlines 737 MAX (ET-AWH) was flying from Addis Ababa Bole International Airport (ADD/HAAB) to Bengaluru Kempegowda International (BLR/VOBL). 

ET690 departed Addis at 20:36 UTC and landed safely in Bangalore at 01:55 UTC.

Part of the SCAAA's statement read, "Thanks to the quick thinking and decisive actions of Somaliland Air Traffic Controllers, in collaboration with the pilot of Ethiopian Airlines, catastrophe was averted as the ETH690 pilot swiftly ascended to 39,000 ft, mere moments before disaster could have struck.".

A thorough investigation has been opened.

Virgin Australia considers swapping Max 10 planes with Max 8 model

VIRGIN AUSTRALIA BOEING 737-8FE VH-YQO (MSN 41010)

Reports have emerged that Virgin Australia is looking at alternative options for its delayed order of 25 Boeing 737 MAX 10s as the manufacturer struggles with supply chain issues and audits.

The Australian Financial Review reported that Virgin is assessing plans to opt for the smaller 737 MAX 8 model instead of the MAX 10. The MAX 10 seats 205 passengers while the MAX 8 accommodates 180 travellers, but it can fly further.

A Virgin spokesperson reported that there were delays but didn’t specifically mention the option to switch planes. “We have been advised by Boeing there will be a delay to the delivery of some 737 MAX-8 aircraft and we are working to minimise impacts to our schedule,” the spokesperson said.

Virgin Australia has currently taken delivery of four MAX 8s, with a further 10 in the pipeline. The most recent delivery was on the 13th of March and the airline expects to take delivery of a further four MAX 8s this year, with the remaining six to be delivered from early 2025.

In the longer term, Virgin said it expects to take delivery of up to 25 MAX 10s from FY26.

The delays are associated with increased production timeframes at Boeing, across various aircraft types.

Boeing’s manufacturing delays come after the door plug on an Alaska Airlines MAX 9 blew off mid-flight at the start of the year. The plane was quickly grounded and underwent checks in the United States, while it was revealed that travellers were avoiding flying with the aircraft, according to Kayak.

The drama has caused Boeing’s share price to drop by nearly 25 per cent since the start of the year.

KLM / Pan Am Disaster 47 Years today

KLM BOEING 747-406 PH-BFT (MSN 28459)

On the 27th of March 1977, 47 years ago today, two Boeing 747 passenger jets, KLM Flight 4805 and Pan Am Flight 1736, collided on the runway at Los Rodeos Airport on the Spanish island of Tenerife, killing 583 people, and making it the deadliest accident in aviation history. 61 passengers survived the accident. KLM had 248 POB (234 Pax and 14 crew) Pan Am had 396 POB (380 Pax and 16 crew, 335 Pax died 61 survived). At 12:30pm a bomb explodes in the Las Palmas passenger terminal. Because of warnings of a possible second bomb, the airport was closed. A large number of flights were diverted to Tenerife. Like KLM Flight 4805 from Amsterdam and PanAm Flight 1736 from Los Angeles and New York. Las Palmas Airport re-opened to traffic again at 15:00. Because the PanAm passengers remained on aboard it was possible to leave Tenerife at once. The taxiways were congested by other aircraft, however. This meant the PanAm crew had to backtrack on runway 12 for take-off on runway 30. The entrance to runway 12 however, was blocked by the KLM Boeing. The PanAm flight had to wait for almost 2 hours before all KLM passengers had reboarded and refueling had taken place. The KLM flight was then cleared to backtrack runway 12 and make a 180deg. turn at the end. Three minutes later (at 17:02) Pan Am 1736 was cleared to follow the KLM aircraft and backtrack runway 12. The PanAm crew were told to leave the runway at the third taxiway and report leaving the runway. At 17:05:44 KLM 4805 reported ready for take-off and was given instructions for a Papa beacon departure. The KLM crew repeated the instructions and added "We are now at take-off". The brakes were released, and KLM 4805 started the take-off roll. Tenerife tower, knowing that Pan Am 1736 was still taxiing down the runway replied "OK ...... Stand by for take-off, I will call you." This message coincided with the PanAm crew's transmission "No ... uh we're still taxiing down the runway, the Clipper 1736". These communications caused a shrill noise in the KLM cockpit, lasting approx. 3.74 seconds. Tenerife tower replied: "Papa Alpha 1736 report runway clear.", whereupon the Pan Am crew replied: "OK, will report when we're clear". This caused some concerns with the KLM flight engineer asking the captain: "Is he not clear then?" After repeating his question, the captain answers emphatically: "Oh, yes". A number of second before impact the KLM crew saw the PanAm Boeing still taxiing down the runway. The crew tried to climb away and became airborne after a 65 feet tail drag in an excessive rotation. The PanAm crew immediately turned the aircraft to the left and applied full power. The KLM aircraft was airborne, but the fuselage skidded over the Pan Am's aft fuselage, destroying it and shearing off the tail. The KLM aircraft flew on and crashed out of control 150 m further on, sliding another 300 m bursting into flames.

PROBABLE CAUSE:

"The KLM aircraft had taken off without take-off clearance, in the absolute conviction that this clearance had been obtained, which was the result of a misunderstanding between the tower and the KLM aircraft. This misunderstanding had arisen from the mutual use of usual terminology which, however, gave rise to misinterpretation. In combination with a number of other coinciding circumstances, the premature take-off of the KLM aircraft resulted in a collision with the Pan Am aircraft, because the latter was still on the runway since it had missed the correct intersection." KLM Flight 4805 was a charter flight for Holland International Travel Group and had arrived from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, Netherlands. Its captain was Jacob Veldhuyzen van Zanten, age 50. At the time of the accident, Veldhuyzen van Zanten was KLM's chief flight instructor, with 11,700 flight hours, of which 1,545 hours were on the 747. The first officer was Klaas Meurs, age 42. At the time of the accident, Meurs had 9,200 flight hours, of which 95 hours were on the 747. Flight engineer was Willem Schreuder, age 48. At the time of the accident, Schreuder had 15,210 flight hours, of which 540 hours were on the 747. The aircraft was a Boeing 747-206B, registration PH-BUF, named Rijn (Rhine). The KLM jet was carrying 14 crew members and 234 passengers, including 52 children. Most of the KLM passengers were Dutch, while also on board were 4 Germans, 2 Austrians and 2 Americans. After the aircraft landed at Tenerife, the passengers were transported to the airport terminal. One of the inbound passengers, who lived on the island with her partner, chose not to re-board the 747, leaving 234 passengers on board.

Pan Am Flight 1736 had originated at Los Angeles International Airport, with an intermediate stop at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK). The aircraft was a Boeing 747-121, registration N736PA, named Clipper Victor. Of the 380 passengers (mostly of retirement age, but including two children), 14 had boarded in New York, where the crew was also changed. The new crew consisted of captain Victor Grubbs, age 56, first officer Robert Bragg, age 39, flight engineer George Warns, age 46, and 13 flight attendants.
At the time of the accident, captain Grubbs had 21,043 hours of flight time, of which 564 hours were on the 747. First officer Bragg had 10,800 flight hours, of which 2,796 hours were on the 747. Flight engineer Warns had 15,210 flight hours, of which 559 hours were on the 747.


Aircraft 1 Information
Airlines: KLM
Code: KL/KLM
Aircraft: Boeing 747-206B
Flight Number: 4805
Registration: PH-BUF
Serial Number: 20400
First Flew: 14/9/1971
Age: 6 Years Old

Aircraft 2 Information
Airlines: Pan Am
Code: PA/PAA
Aircraft: Boeing 747-121
Flight Number: 1736
Registration: N736PA
Serial Number: 19643
First Flew: 24/12/1969
Age: 8 Years Old

Story sourced from Wikipedia 

Qantas flight lands at Perth Airport on one engine

QANTAS AIRBUS A330-202 VH-EBQ (MSN 1198)

A Qantas flight from Melbourne (MEL/YMML) to Perth (PER/YPPH) has landed safely after one of its engines failed mid-flight on Monday night. A Qantas spokesman confirmed the QF781 flight was granted a priority landing. It followed some passengers saying they heard a bang.

“The flight experienced an issue with one of its engines as it neared Perth,” he said.
“As is standard practice, the pilots shut down the engine and requested a priority landing.
“These aircraft are designed to safely operate with one engine. 

"The aircraft landed safely and without further incident in Perth.

“We know this would have been unsettling for customers on board, and we thank them for their cooperation and understanding.”

Passengers said the experience was unnerving, with the Airbus 330-200 landing at Perth Airport around 9.30pm.

“There was no panic at all from anyone, we were looking around waiting, wondering what’s happening and then the pilot came on and said, from memory, ‘One of the engine’s is cooked’,” she said.

“When we landed in Perth, we were greeted by about six different fire engines running down the runway, they’d cleared the whole runway for us.”

The aircraft was escorted to the gate and passengers disembarked as normal.

It will be assessed by engineers.

Aircraft Information:

Airline: Qantas

Code: QF/QFA

Aircraft: Airbus A330-202

Registration: VH-EBA

Serial Number: 0508

Engine: 2 x GE CF6-80E1A4

First Flew: 11th October 2002

Age: 21.5 Years 

Tampa man arrested after plane brawl and threat to “Take This Plane Down”

Authorities have arrested a passenger on an American Airlines flight from Tampa International Airport (TPA/KTPA) following a racist rant and a threat to “take this plane down.”

A 29-year-old Tampa resident, Shail Patel, ignited a ruckus on American Flight 2506 earlier this week to the point that other passengers grabbed him, put him in a headlock, and marched him off the Philadelphia-bound plane while it was still at the gate.

Patel reportedly ripped into one flight attendant with an “antisemitic slur,” and then issued a broader threat.

“F–k you blue-eyed white devils,” Patel yelled, according to reports, which cited court records. “I’m gonna take this plane down with all you motherf–kers on it.”

“He was belligerent as soon as he boarded,” it was reported, and quickly “began acting erratically yelling and cursing at the passengers.”

Patel then reportedly slapped another passenger on the hand and face and spat on them.

“I’m trying to get to my home country and you all people made it harder for me to get to my home country,” he shouted.

It’s unclear what that meant or where he was from. A male passenger who restrained Patel and ushered him off the plane was a police officer. It wasn’t clear which agency he worked with.

Patel was arrested on two misdemeanor counts of battery and one count of disorderly intoxication, also a misdemeanor. He remained in the Hillsborough County jail on $2,150 bail as of Sunday.

Two bomb threats, same airport, same day.

On the 21st of March, two flights from Copenhagen (CPH/EKCH) to Stavanger (SVG/ENZV) received bomb threats, resulting in both planes landing back at Copenhagen Airport. 

The two airlines were SAS and Norwegian.

Scandinavian Airlines System, (SAS) flight SK1874 departed Copenhagen airport from runway 22R at 5.02pm and landed back two hours later on runway 22L at 7.02pm.

SCANDANAVIAN CRJ 900 EI-FPV (MSN 15440)

Norwegian flight DY971 departed Copenhagen from runway 22R at 5.35pm and landed back 21 minutes later on runway 22L at 5.56pm.

NORWEGIAN BOEING 787-9 G-CKWU (MSN 63321)

According to the police, the SAS plane was escorted back by two F-16 fighter jets as part of a standard security procedure, while the Norwegian plane landed itself. The airlines confirmed to Norwegian officials that all passengers were evacuated upon landing. Police and emergency services thoroughly searched both planes. Copenhagen Police emphasized that they "take the situation seriously" when it comes to a bomb threat. "We consider it a bomb threat on both airlines", said Simon Hansen, deputy police inspector at Copenhagen Police.

Aircraft Information:

Airline: SAS

Code: SK/SAS

Aircraft: Mitsubishi CRJ-900LR

Registration: EI-FPR

Serial Number: 15436

Engines: 2 x GE CF34-8C5

First Flew: 16th August 2017

Age: 5.7 Years

Aircraft Information:

Airline: Norwegian 

Code: DY/NOZ

Aircraft: Boeing 737-8JP

Registration: LN-NGM

Serial Number: 39024

Engines: 2 x CFMI CFM56-7B26

First Flew: 30th August 2013

Age: 9.7 Years

More from Brisbane Airport

Yesterday morning I got up early, put on my brand new (just arrived) Julia Flights T Shirt sporting the "5 More Minutes of Plane Spotting" theme.

 

and headed outside of my home as the morning Emirates Airbus A380, which flies over our home every morning, was coming my way.

EMIRATES AIRBUS A380-861 A6-EOE (MSN 169)
EK434 ARRIVING FROM DUBAI (DXB)   9 YEARS OLD

After that I headed out to the airport for some plane spotting with my YouTube streamer friends, Julia and Gavin from Julia Flights. They stream from Brisbane airport (BNE/YBBN) every weekend and sometimes on public holidays. The show is always very informative, and to keep it exciting, they invite guests to come on and host the show.

On yesterday's stream they had not one, but two high profile guest speakers. One was Veronica, she is an air traffic controller from Brisbane tower, 

and Captain Ben, he is a newly appointed three stripe First Officer for Qantas. Congratulations Captain Ben on your promotion.

Along with these guest speakers, they get other plane spotters call in from time to time.

Spotters like (right to left) Llyod, Flynn and Jason talking to Veronica.

If you have not seen the stream, they are streaming today, and you can find the stream here.

Julia Flights - YouTube

Julia Flights Store - Your Destination for Elevated Aviation Apparel

CHINA SOUTHERN AIRBUS A350-941 B-32AV (MSN 512)
CZ381 ARRIVING FROM GUANGZHOU (CAN) 1 YEAR OLD

CHINA EASTERN AIRBUS A330-243 B-5942 (MSN 1500)
MU715 ARRIVING FROM SHANGHAI (PVG) 10 YEARS OLD

QANTASLINK EMBRAER E190AR VH-XVU (MSN 19000078)
QF1903 OFF TO CANBERRA (CBR)

QANTASLINK DASH 8 Q 400 VH-LQB (MSN 4343)
QF421D OFF TO NEWCASTLE (NTL)

AIR NEW ZEALAND AIRBUS A321-271NX ZK-NND (MSN 8629)
NZ272 OFF TO WELLINGTON (WEL) 5 YEARS OLD

REX BOEING 737-85R VH-MFM (MSN 42805)
ZL325 OFF TO SYDNEY (SYD) 9 YEARS OLD

JETSTAR BOEING 787-8 VH-VKI (MSN 36235)
JQ24 ARRIVING FROM OSAKA (KIX) 9 YEARS OLD

SOLOMONS AIRBUS A320-232 H4-SIB (MSN 2445)
IE715 OFF TO MUNDA (MUA) 18 YEARS OLD

AIR NEW ZEALAND AIRBUS A321-271NX ZK-NNC (MSN 8573)
NZ142 OFF TO AUCKLAND (AKL) 5 YEARS OLD

ALLIANCE FOKKER 100 VH-XWQ (MSN 11300)
VA1388 OFF TO ADELAIDE (ADL) 33 YEARS OLD
FLYING FOR VIRGIN AUSTRALIA

REX SAAB 340B VH-ZRL (MSN 340B-398)
ZL5718 OFF TO ROMA (RMA) 27 YEARS OLD

ALLIANCE FOKKER 70 VH-QQY (MSN 11575)
VA1709 OFF TO GLADSTONE (GLT) 28 YEARS OLD
FLYING FOR VIRGIN AUSTRALIA

QANTALINK DASH 8 Q400 VH-QOX (MSN 4287)
QF2374 OFF TO HERVEY BAY (HVB) 14 YEARS OLD

KOREAN AIR BOEING 787-9 HL-8393 (MSN 35168)
KE408 OFF TO SEOUL (ICN) 2 YEARS OLD

PHILIPPINE AIRBUS A321-271N RP-C9930 (MSN 8117)
PR221 ARRIVING FROM MANILA (MNL) 5 YEARS OLD

Around 10 am the airport closed off one runway 19L, meaning everything came and went on 19R. This was because of maintenance need on the runway.

VIRGIN AUSTRALIA BOEING 737-8FE VH-YQO (MSN 41010)
VA367 OFF TO TOWNSVILLE (TSV) 10 YEARS OLD

ALLIANCE EMBRAER E190AR VH-UYB (MSN 19000012)
QF1874 OFF TO CAIRNS (CNS) 19YEARS OLD
FLYING FOR QANTAS

QANTAS AIRBUS A330-202 VH-EBQ (MSN 1198)
QF119 OFF TO AUCKLAND (AKL) 13 YEARS OLD

SINGAPORE AIRLINES AIRBUS A350-941 9V-SHC (MSN 276)
SQ256 OFF TO SINGAPORE (SIN) 5 YEARS OLD

AIR NEW ZEALAND BOEING 777-319 ZK-OKM (MSN 38405)
NZ145 ARRIVING FROM AUCKLAND (AKL) 13 YEARS OLD

QANTAS AIRBUS A330-303 VH-QPA (MSN 553)
QF61 OFF TO TOKYO (NRT) 20 YEARS OLD

FIJI BOEING 737 MAX 8 DQ-FAF (MSN 64310)
FJ921 ARRIVING FROM NADI (NAN) 4 YEARS OLD

SINGAPORE AIRLINES AIRBUS A350-941 9V-SHE (MSN 294)
SQ255 ARRIVING FROM SINGAPORE (SIN) 4 YEARS OLD

AIR CANADA BOEING 787-9 C-FRTW (MSN 37179)
AC36 OFF TO VANCOUVER (YVR) 6 YEARS OLD

QANTAS BOEING 737-838 VH-VYL (MSN 34184)
QF617 OFF TO MELBOURNE (MEL) 18 YEARS OLD

QANTAS BOEING 737-838 VHXZP (MSN 44577)
QF610 ARRIVING FROM MELBOURNE (MEL) 9 YEARS OLD

LINK FAIRCHILD METRO 23 VH-VET (MSN DC-839B)
SW4 OFF TO TOOWOOMBA (WTB) 31 YEARS OLD

EMBRAER LEGACY 500 N142GZ (MSN 55000008)
ARRIVING FROM MACKAY (MKY) 9 YEARS OLD

UNITED BOEING 787-9 N29978 (MSN 66137)
UA97 OFF TO SAN FRANCISCO (SFO) 4 YEARS OLD

CHINA AIRLINES AIRBUS A350-941 B-18907 (MSN 105)
CI53 ARRIVING FROM TAIPEI (TPE) 6 YEARS OLD

QANTAS AIRBUS A330-202 VH-EBB (MSN 522)
QF51 OFF TO SINGAPORE (SIN) 21 YEARS OLD