Remembering Pan Am Flight 103

 35 Yrs ago today Pan Am 103 blew up over Lockerbie killing everyone on board.

Pan Am Flight 103 was a regular scheduled transatlantic flight from Frankfurt to Detroit via London and New York. At 19.03 on the 21st of December 1988, N739PA, (the aircraft operating the fight) was destroyed by a bomb, killing all 243 passengers and 16 crew in what became known as the Lockerbie bombing. Large sections of the aircraft crashed onto a residential street in Lockerbie, Scotland, killing 11 people on the ground. With a total of 270 people killed, it is the deadliest terror attack in the history of the United Kingdom. Following a three-year joint investigation by Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary and the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), arrest warrants were issued for two Libyan nationals in November 1991. In 1999, Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi handed over the two men for trial at Camp Zeist, Netherlands, after protracted negotiations and UN sanctions. In 2001, Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, a Libyan intelligence officer, was jailed for life after being found guilty of 270 counts of murder in connection with the bombing. In August 2009, he was released by the Scottish Government on compassionate grounds after being diagnosed with prostate cancer. He died in May 2012 as the only person to be convicted for the attack. In 2003, Gaddafi accepted responsibility for the Lockerbie bombing and paid compensation to the families of the victims, although he maintained that he had never given the order for the attack. Acceptance of responsibility was part of a series of requirements laid out by a UN resolution in order for sanctions against Libya to be lifted. Libya said it had to accept responsibility due to Megrahi's status as a government employee.  Some relatives of the dead, including the Lockerbie campaigner Dr Jim Swire, believe the bomb was planted at Heathrow airport and not sent via feeder flights from Malta, as the US and UK claim. A cell belonging to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (General Command) had been operating in West Germany in the months before the Pan Am bombing.

After a three-year joint investigation by the Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary and the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation indictments for murder were issued on November 13, 1991, against Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi, a Libyan intelligence officer and the head of security for Libyan Arab Airlines (LAA), and Lamin Khalifah Fhimah, the LAA station manager in Luqa Airport, Malta. United Nations sanctions against Libya and protracted negotiations with the Libyan leader Colonel Muammar al-Gaddafi secured the handover of the accused on April 5, 1999.
On January 31, 2001, Megrahi was convicted of murder by a panel of three Scottish judges and sentenced to 27 years in prison. Fhimah was acquitted.


The same aircraft was involved in another incident 18yrs earlier on the 4th of November 1970.

Pan Am Flight 114 was operating from John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), New York to Orly Airport, Paris, France. There were 148 passengers and a crew of 15 aboard the flight. The takeoff at 21.17 EST was uneventful. The flight had been cleared to 31,000 feet, and experienced turbulence during the climb at approximately 27,000 feet. It was described by the flight crew as an occasional “nibble.” At approximately 21:46 EST, the aircraft encountered moderate to severe turbulence as it passed Nantucket, Massachusetts. During the encounter, which lasted approximately 4 minutes, 21 passengers and 2 stewardesses sustained injuries which ranged from minor to serious. The seatbelt sign was on at the time of the encounter and had been on since takeoff.  At 22:07 EST, the flight crew requested clearance back to JFK Airport and later requested and received preferential air traffic control handling. The aircraft landed on runway 31R at 23:39 EST. 

Aircraft Information.

The aircraft was a Boeing 747–121, registered N739PA (CN 19646) and was named "Clipper Maid of the Seas". It was the 15th 747 built, it first flew on the 25th of January 1970 and was delivered in mid-February 1970. It had PW JTD-7A engines.
The aircraft was 18yrs old at the time of the Lockerbie incident.

THE 747

• 1556 built
• 18th loss
• 12th fatal accident
• 4th worst accident (at the time)
• 5th worst accident (currently)

Plane crashes in Russia have tripled since the invasion of Ukraine

Russia has seen triple the number of plane safety incidents this year compared to 2022.
Sanctions against Russia following its invasion of Ukraine have left airlines unable to get new planes or spare parts from major manufacturers. According to data compiled by Newsweek and the independent Russian outlet Novaya Gazeta Europe, there have been 180 plane malfunctions this year.

Between 2018 and 2022, there was an average of 55 plane malfunctions, with 60 last year, per Novaya Gazeta Europe. Russia recorded 11 civilian airplane incidents in the first eight days of December alone.

The sanctions left more than 700 planes worth $12 billion stranded in Russia after being leased to operators, Business Insider reported in 2022. Lessors managed to retrieve some of the aircraft, before a new law was implemented allowing foreign jets to be re-registered as Russian, per the BBC. Despite the sanctions, Russia has managed to keep many jets flying — smuggling in 14 million dollars of spare parts or taking them from grounded jets and creating a so-called "Frankenstein fleet.

But this all comes with safety risks, which appear to be showing up with the number of malfunctions. Two weeks ago, a Boeing 737 operated by Russian airline S7 bound for Moscow had to make an emergency landing after both its engines caught fire shortly after taking off in Siberia. 

15th of August, hundreds of Russian tourists were left stranded in Turkey after two Boeing 777s operated by Red Wings were unable to take off because they broke down due to technical issues. Then on the 12th of Sptermber Ural Airlines was forced to ditch an Airbus A320 in a Siberian wheat field after its hydraulics system failed. The jet is still stuck there, as the airline is trying to repair it so it can take off from the field.

United Boeing 777 was 748 feet away from hitting the ocean and crashing

UNITED BOEING 777-222 N793UA (MSN 26946)

On the 18th of December 2022 a United Airlines flight travelling from Kahului Airport, HI (OGG/PHOG) to San Francisco International Airport, CA (SFO/KSFO) lost altitude about 1 minute after departure from Kahului Airport, Hawaii, while in instrument meteorological conditions, which included heavy rain. The airplane descended from 2,100 ft to about 748 ft above the water before the crew recovered from the descent. No injuries were reported, and the airplane was not damaged. 

The NTSB was not originally notified of the event, since it did not meet the requirements of Title 49 Code of Federal Regulations Part 830.5. However, the NTSB learned of the event about 2 months later and chose to open an investigation. By that time, both the cockpit voice and flight data recorder durations had been exceeded. The investigation utilized flight crew statements and other records as information sources.

The captain (who was the pilot flying) reported that he and the first officer had initially planned for a flaps-20 takeoff (flap setting of 20°) with a reduced-thrust setting, based on performance calculations. However, during taxi, the ground controller advised them that low-level windshear advisories were in effect. Based on this information, the captain chose a flaps-20 maximum thrust takeoff instead. He hand-flew the takeoff, with the auto throttles engaged. During the takeoff, the rotation and initial climb were normal; however, as the airplane continued to climb, the flight crew noted airspeed fluctuations as the airplane encountered turbulence. When the airplane reached the acceleration altitude, the captain reduced the pitch attitude slightly and called for the flap setting to be reduced to flaps 5. According to the first officer, he thought that he heard the captain announce flaps 15, which the first officer selected before contacting the departure controller and discussing the weather conditions. The captain noticed that the maximum operating speed indicator moved to a lower value than expected, and the airspeed began to accelerate rapidly.

The captain reduced the engine thrust manually, overriding the auto throttle servos, to avoid a flap overspeed and began to diagnose the flap condition. He noticed that the flap indicator was showing 15°, and he again called for flaps 5, and he confirmed that the first officer moved the flap handle to the 5° position.

Both pilots recalled hearing the initial warnings from the ground proximity warning system (GPWS), and the first officer recalled announcing “pull up - pull up” along with those initial GPWS warnings. The captain then pulled aft on the control column, initially reduced power to reduce airspeed, and then applied full power to “begin the full CFIT [controlled flight into terrain] recovery.” The first officer recalled that, as the captain was performing the recovery, the GPWS alerted again as the descent began to reverse trend; data showed this occurred about 748 ft above the water. After noting a positive rate of climb, the captain lowered the nose to resume a normal profile, ensured that the flaps and speed brakes were fully retracted, and engaged the autopilot. The remainder of the flight was uneventful.

Aircraft Information:

Airline: United Airlines

Code: UA/UAL

Flight Number: UA1722

Aircraft: Boeing 777-222

Registration: N212UA

Serial Number: 30218

Engines: 2 x PW PW4077

First Flew: 18th July 2000

Age: 23.5 Years

Delta passengers spend night on remote Canadian military base

DELTA BOEING 757-251 N545US (MSN 711)

270 Delta passengers and crew were forced to spend the night on a chilly and remote Canadian military base after their Detroit-bound plane made an emergency landing due to a mechanical issue.

Delta flight 135 from Amsterdam (AMS/EHAM) to Detroit (DET/KDET) was diverted to Goose Bay (YYR/CYYR) “out of an abundance of caution,” a spokesperson for the airline told reporters.

The plane ran into a problem with its de-icing mechanism for one of its engines and needed to make an emergency landing somewhere with an airstrip long enough to accommodate the large aircraft, passengers told reports. The passengers ended up waiting for more than 20 hours to get back in the air and on their way to Michigan in the nightmarish scenario.

After landing at the Goose Bay Airport, the travelers waited on the tarmac for between five and seven hours for another plane to arrive to transport them to Detroit, passenger Nathan Johnson said.

But, when the second plane finally arrived and everyone boarded, they were told that the flight crew had timed out of workable hours and they would all need to leave the plane that just arrived, passenger Johnson, 45, said.

Another passenger who was traveling with her husband and their 4-year-old detailed the disastrous trip on her Instagram.

“Boarded a new plane after waiting 7+ hours, waited an hour after boarding for take-off only to hear that the crew and pilot have finished their allotted hours of flying and need to rest now for 10-12 hours. Now Delta is looking for accommodations for us all,” Shikha Joshi wrote in an Instagram story.

The tired travelers — some of whom didn’t have coats for the Canadian cold — were eventually transported in groups of 25 to 30 via school buses to nearby military barracks.

“We were shuttled back to the rooms with no understanding of what our next time was going to be as far as when we should wake up or when we should be ready,” he said. “There was no communication.”

There, they were given rooms with beds and basic amenities to get some shuteye, as well as snacks and water. Many passengers, however, didn’t have any spare clothes or essentials which they packed into checked luggage.

Johnson and his wife were forced to sleep in the clothes they had been wearing since beginning their trip home from Munich, Germany.

After a few hours at the barracks, buses arrived to bring the passengers to a "third plane". Their flight finally left the Canadian base at 5 p.m., with snow falling outside, Johnson said.

“Crew duty times were impacted due to weather and runway conditions at the Goose Bay airport causing the airport to suspend operations,” Delta said in a statement. “Delta sent additional aircraft to Goose Bay to bring customers to their final destination Monday.”

Their airline said affected customers will be compensated for the very long delay.

First Aircraft Information:

Delta Airlines

Code: DL/DAL

Flight Number: DL135

Aircraft: Airbus A330-323

Registration: N811NW

Serial Number: 0690

Engines: 2 x PW PW4168A

First Flew: 21st July 2005

Age: 18.6 Years

The second and third aircrafts to arrive were

Second Aircraft Information:

Delta Airlines:

Code: DL/DAL

Flight Number: DL9972

Aircraft: Airbus A330-223

Registration: N816NW

Serial Number: 0827

Engines: 2 x PW PW4168A

First Flew: 14th March 2007

Age: 16.9Years

Third Aircraft Information:

Delta Airlines

Code: DL/DAL

Flight Number: DL9964

Aircraft: Airbus A330-223

Registration: N851NW

Serial Number: 0609

Engines: 2 x PW PW4168A

First Flew: 8th June 2004

Age: 19.5 Years

Australians left stuck in Tuvalu after airport's runway damaged

Australians have been left stranded on the island of Funafuti, Tuvalu in Fiji after Fiji Airways cancelled all flights to and from the tiny Pacific Island national indefinitely due to damage to the airport's runway.
The airline is the only international carrier that services Tuvalu.

"Fiji Airways wishes to advise that all flights scheduled to operate between Suva or Nadi and Funafuti in Tuvalu have been suspended until further notice," the airline said in a statement.

"The airline has had to take this step-in light of runway damage at Funafuti International Airport."

The statement added:

  "We will continue to monitor the situation and are seeking information from the Tuvalu authorities on the effectiveness of the repairs currently underway."

A passenger from Adelaide, said his flight out on Thursday had been cancelled and then another was cancelled on Saturday. It is unclear how many Australians are stranded but with two flights cancelled so far there could be more than 140 travelers waiting to leave, he said.

He said he had been told extremely heavy rain had caused the damage to the airport runway.
"Heaviest ever, according to the locals, who said they had never experienced that amount of rain," he said.

He said there were concerns among traveler's they might not be home before Christmas.

One passenger said "I had surgery booked for this Tuesday, and unless I leave tomorrow, I'll not be in Australia for that surgery," he said.

Passenger manages to fly to LA without a ticket, visa or passport

According to a recent security report, in early November a Russian-lsraeli dual national was able to fly from Copenhagen to Los Angeles with Scandinavian Airlines Systems without a passport, ticket, or visa,

The report states that when the man arrived into Los Angeles, officers discovered that he was not listed on the Scandinavian Airlines (flight SK931) or any other flight.

The suspect said he was confused, hadn't slept for three days and couldn’t remember how he got through airport security in Denmark, authorities say.

An investigation is currently ongoing.
The incident has brought a spotlight on security at SAS and Copenhagen

The complaint, filed in U.S. District Court for Central California by FBI Special Agent Caroline A. Walling, said the passenger committed the offense of being a stowaway on an aircraft, a crime that carries a potential jail sentence of up to five years.

When he was questioned by CBP officers, his bag was searched and found to contain Russian ID cards and an Israeli ID card but no passport, authorities said.

Russian cargo plane's engine explodes shortly after take-off,

Dramatic video shows the moment a stricken Russian cargo planes engine explods shortly after take-off, leaving a trail of fire as the plane desperately dumped fuel. The Tu-204, which was travelling from Ulan-Ude-Baikal International Airport (UUD/UIUU) to Changzhou Airport (CZX /ZSCG) was seen with smoke coming from the engine followed by a long streak of a vibrant orange flame as it jettisoned fuel before making an emergency landing at the airport it had left from in Ulan-Ude, East Siberia.

The Aviastar aircraft is used to ferry goods between China and Russia amid Western sanctions against Vladimir Putin's regime. It had been flying from Baikal Airport in Ulan-Ude to Chinese city Zhangzhou when the explosion led to fire in its left engine.

Alexey Tsydenov, head of the Buryatia region, said the aircraft had dumped most of its fuel before making an emergency landing using just one engine.

Speaking after the event, witness Lyubov Pichueva said: 'I heard a powerful explosion coming from above. 'At first, I thought it was fireworks, but the sound was too strange. It was very scary.'

Witnesses said they were able to see the plane dumping fuel as it tried to avert a horrifying disaster.
One said: 'It was burning very bright just now. Something is falling out of it… It is dumping something.'

All five crew on board managed to survive the terrifying ordeal as the plane landed safely at 8:30 am local time (0:30 am GMT). An investigation is underway by the East Siberian Transport Prosecutor's Office

Russia has suffered a spate of air safety issues and the country is the subject of a 'red flag' by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). In the first eight months of this year, there were 120 air accidents in Russia involving civil aircraft operated by Russian airlines. This is more than double the number in recent years despite significantly fewer flights as a result of Putin's war against Ukraine.

Aircraft Information:

Airline: Avaistar - TU

Code: 4B/TUP

Aircraft: Tupolev Tu-204C

Registration: RA-64024

Serial Number: 1450743164024

Engines: 2 x Aviadvigatel PS-90A

First Flew: May 2002

Age: 20.5 Yrs