AirSafe.com's airline safety review for 2010

This 15th annual review discusses 10 fatal airline crashes and 14 other significant events from 2010. While the overall rate of fatal and serious airliner crashes remains relatively low, 2010 saw an increase in fatal passenger airline crashes and other serious crashes compared to 2009, which had eight fatal airline crashes and 10 other noteworthy aircraft safety events. While the US and Canada account for about 60% of the world's airline flights last year, none of the fatal passenger airliner crashes involved an air carrier based in North America, though one of the other noteworthy events involved a US cargo airline.

While fatal crashes such as the crash of a military jet that killed the President of Poland, and a passenger airliner crash that had a single survivor were intensely covered by the world's major media organizations, perhaps the more notable airline safety or security event during 2010 had nothing to do with the risks passengers face when flying, but the risks passengers face when they submit to screening by the TSA, specifically the put-down procedures that the TSA implemented in late October to supplement their use of full body scanners. Several aspects of this policy and the public's negative reaction were covered in detail by AirSafeNews.com, from questions about whether the TSA was hiring convicted rapists, to suggestions on what passengers can do to change TSA policy, and a review of the public's responses to TSA policies.

Although AirSafe.com's primary focus is on those events that involved deaths of passengers on large airliners, the site's annual list of fatal or signifiant crashes includes both airline and non-airline events. There were ten events in 2010 that led to airline passengers fatalities, with the most catastrophic being a May crash of an Air India Express 737-800 that killed 158 of the 166 aircraft occupants. The full list is below:

1. 25 January 2010; Ethiopian Airlines 737-800; Flight 409; near Beirut, Lebanon: The aircraft was on a scheduled international flight from Beirut, Lebanon to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and crashed into the Mediterranean Sea shortly after takeoff. All 82 passengers and eight crew members were killed.
   More information on the Ethiopian Airlines Crash
   Initial AirSafeNews.com report on this event
   Other 737 plane crashes
   
   
2. 12 May 2010; Afriqiyah Airways; A330-200; Flight 771; near Tripoli, Libya: The aircraft was on a scheduled international flight from Johannesburg, South Africa (JNB) to Tripoli, Libya (TIP) with 93 passengers and 11 crew on board. The aircraft crashed short of the runway during its landing attempt. All 11 crew members and 92 of the 93 passengers were killed. The sole survivor was a 10-year-old Dutch boy.
   More Crash Details
   Fatal Events for Airlines from Africa and the Middle East
   Plane Crashes with a Sole Survivor
   Other A330 Plane Crashes
   Afriqiyah Airways Wikipedia page
   
   
3. 22 May 2010; Air India Express; 737-800; flight 812; Mangalore, India: The aircraft (VT-AXV) was on a scheduled international flight from Dubai, UAE, to Mangalore, India, arriving just after 6 a.m. local time. The aircraft landed on one of the runways at Mangalore airport, but was unable to stop on the runway. There were reportedly six crew members and 167 passengers and on board, including four infants. Early reports indicate that there were at least six survivors.
   More details on this accident
   
   
4. 28 July 2010; Airblue; A321-231; flight 202; near Islamabad, Pakistan: The aircraft (AP-BJB) was on a scheduled domestic flight from Karachi to Islamabad, Pakistan when it crashed during approach in a hilly area near the airport. The aircraft was completely destroyed in the crash, and all 146 passengers and six crew members were killed. The crash occurred at 9:45 am local time, and there was rain in the area at the time of the crash.
   More details on this Airblue crash
   Wikipedia page about the crash
   Wikipedia page about AirBlue
   
   
5. 16 August 2010; Aires Colombia; 737-700; HK-4682; San Andres Island, Colombia: The airliner was on a scheduled domestic flight from Bogota to San Andreas Island, Colombia. San Andreas Island lies off the east coast of Nicaragua. The aircraft took off from Bogota just after midnight and was attempting to land just before 2 a.m. local time during a storm. The aircraft was reportedly struck by lightning just before touchdown. The airplane struck the runway and broke up into three large pieces. One of the 125 passengers was killed, and all six crew members survived.
   More on this event
   
   
6. 24 August 2010; Henan Airlines; ERJ-190; B-3130; flight VD8387; Yichun, China: The aircraft was on a scheduled domestic flight from Harbin to Yichun, China. The aircraft broke up and caught fire after it overran the runway after landing. At the time of the crash, there was fog in the area and limited visibility. The aircraft carried five crew members and 91 passengers, and 43 of the occupants were killed. At least one flight crew member survived.
   Other Embraer plane crashes
   Other plane crashes involving airlines from China
   
   
7. 24 August 2010; Agni Air; 9N-AHE; Dornier 228-200; near Shikharpur, Nepal: The aircraft was on a domestic flight from Kathmandu to Lukla, Nepal. Due to weather conditions at Lukla, the aircraft was returning to Kathmandu, but crashed near Shikharpur, Nepal, about 50 miles (80 km) from Kathmandu. All three crew members and 11 passengers were killed.
   
   
8. 13 September 2010; Conviasa ATR 42-320; YV1010; Flight 371; Puerto Ordaz, Venezuela: The aircraft was on a scheduled domestic flight from Porlamar to Puerto Ordaz, Venezuela. It crashed into an industrial area just short of the destination airport. There were 17 fatalities among the 47 passengers and four crew members.
   
   
9. 4 November 2010; AeroCaribbean; ATR 72-212; CU-T1549; Flight 883; near Guasimal, Sancti Spiritus Province, Cuba: The aircraft was on a domestic flight from Santiago to Havana, Cuba. The crew reported an emergency situation shortly before the aircraft crashed in mountainous terrain. All seven crew members and 61 passengers were killed.
   Additional crash details
   
   
10. 4 December 2010; Dagestan Airlines (also known as South East Airlines); Tu154M; RA-85744; flight 372; Moscow, Russia: The aircraft was on a scheduled domestic flight from Moscow to Makhachkala, Russia. The aircraft departed from Moscow's Vnukovo Airport, and about eight minutes later, while the aircraft was climbing through an altitude of about 6,500 m (21,000 ft), there were reportedly problems involving the fuel system. When the aircraft was about 80 km away from the departure airport and at about 9,000 m (29,000 ft) altitude, two of the three engines flamed out and the crew elected to divert to Moscow's Domodedovo Airport. The aircraft experienced a hard landing near the runway, and broke up after striking a large earthen mound beyond the end of the runway. Two of the 160 passengers were killed, and all nine crew members survived.
    Additional details on the crash
    Other Russian airliner crashes

Other Noteworthy Events
AirSafe.com highlighted 14 other noteworthy events in 2010, including a crash that killed the President of Poland and a number of other high level Polish leaders. While some of these events resulted in fatalities, and others involved airliner aircraft normally tracked by AirSafe.com, none of these crashes are a fatal event as defined by AirSafe.com, and are included because of the seriousness of the events or because of other issues that may be highlighted by the crash.

1. 10 April 2010; Polish Air Force Tu154, near Smolensk, Russia:
   The president of Poland, Lech Kaczynski, was killed, along with his wife and numerous Polish officials, when their aircraft, a Polish Air Force Tupolev 154M, crashed near Smolensk, Russia. The flight, took off from Warsaw with 88 passengers and eight crew members and crashed during its approach to Smolensk air base. All on board were killed.
   More details about this event
   
   
2. 13 April 2010; AeroUnion A300B4-200; XA-TUE; Flight 302; Monterrey, Mexico: The aircraft was on a domestic cargo flight from Mexico City to Monterrey, Mexico and was destroyed when it crashed on a roadway about two kilometers from the destination airport. All five crew members were killed, as were two people on the ground.
   
   
3. 19 April 2010; Southwest Airlines 737-700; flight 649; Burbank, CA: The airliner, with 119 passgengers and a crew of five on board, nearly collided with a Cessna 172 at Burbank Airport in California. Flight 649 was inbound from Oakland to the Burbank airport (also known as Bob Hope Airport) and was landing to the east on runway 8 while the Cessna 172 had just taken off to the south from runway 15, passing over the 737 at the intersection of the two runways. The two aircraft came within 200 feet vertically and 10 feet laterally of each other at the runway intersection. At the time of the event, skies were clear with 10 miles of visibility. No one on either aircraft was injured and neither aircraft was damaged.
   Fatal midair collisions
   AirSafeNews.com report of this event
   
   
4. 15 May 2010; Blue Wing Airlines; Antonov An28; eastern Suriname: The aircraft was on a scheduled domestic flight between Godo Holo to Paramaribo, Suriname. The aircraft crashed in a wooded area in eastern Suriname. Both crew members and all six passengers were killed. This is the third time that a Blue Win An28 has been destroyed in a crash. One of the crashes in April 2008 also killed everyone on board.
   Wikipedia page on this airline
   
   
5. 17 May 2010; Pamir Airways; Antonov An24B; flight 112; near Salang Pass, Afghanistan: The aircraft (YA-PIS) was on a scheduled domestic flight between Kunduz to Kabul, Afghanistan. All contact with the aircraft was lost about 10 minutes after departure, and it is presumed to have crashed in the Salang Pass area, which lies around 100 km (60 miles) north of Kabul and at an altitude of about 13,350 feet. Heavy fog was reported in the area at the the time. All five crew members and 38 passengers are missing and presumed dead. This was the first major crash for this airline.
   Wikipedia page on this crash
   
   
6. 16 June 2010; United Express; Embraer E145; flight 8050; Ottawa, Canada: United Express 8050, a nonstop flight from Washington's Dulles airport to Ottawa's Macdonald-Cartier airport, landed on runway 7, was unable to stop on the runway, coming to rest about 150 meters off the end of the runway. It was raining at the time of the accident.
   
   One witness claimed that the aircraft was hydroplaning on the runway, and a second witness who was monitoring air traffic control communications reported that the pilot told the control tower he had no traction on the wet runway.
   
   The nose landing gear appears to have collapsed, although the rest of the aircraft appears intact. There was no post crash fire. Both pilots and one passenger was injured. The other 32 passengers and the flight attendant were not injured.
   More deatails on this accident
   
   
7. 20 July 2010; United Airlines; 777-200; flight 967; over Kansas: The aircraft was on a scheduled domestic flight from Washington, DC (IAD) to Los Angeles (LAX) when it diverted to Denver, CO (DIA) after apparently experiencing significant turbulence while flying at 34,000 feet over Kansas.
   
   According to United, the aircraft had 255 passengers and 10 crew members. FAA spokesman Ian Gregor in Los Angeles said 26 passengers and four crew members were injured, and that one person was critically hurt, though no additional details were provided about the most seriously injured person. Local media reported that 21 people were transported to Denver area hospitals.
   More deatails on this incident
   
   
8. 27 July 2010; Lufthansa; MD-11F; flight 8460; Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: The aircraft was on a cargo flight from Frankfurt, Germany to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia had a landing accident that fractured the fuselage. The two crew members survived. This plane crash was a cargo flight without passengers, and is not a fatal event as defined by AirSafe.com, but is included because of the seriousness of the event.
   Lufthansa plane crashes
   
   
9. 28 July 2010; US Air Force; C-17; near Anchorage, AK: The aircraft had taken off from Elemendorf AFB near Anchorage, Alaska and crashed during a local training mission. The aircraft came down in a wooded area about two miles from the runway. All four on board were killed. The aircraft and crew were based at Elmendorf. This was the first fatal crash involving the USAF C-17, also known as the Globemaster III. In two previous incidents, a C-17 sustained engine damage after being struck by a surface to air missile in Iraq in 2003, and last year a C-17 had a gear up landing in Afghanistan.
   
   
10. 9 August 2010; de Havilland DHC-3T Otter; near Dillingham, AK: Former Alaska Senator Ted Stevens was one of five people killed when an turbine engine, float equipped Otter crashed into steep terrain during a flight from nearby Lake Nerka to a fishing lodge in the Dillingham, Alaska area. The pilot and four passengers, including Stevens, were killed, and four other passengers were injured. One of the survivors was former NASA administrator Sean O'Keefe. Coincidentally, the pilot who was killed in this crash was the father-in-law of one of the C-17 pilots killed the previous month near Anchorage, AK.
    
    This was not the first fatal plane crash in Alaska involving Senator Stevens. In December 1978, the Senator was one of two survivors of a fatal crash of a Learjet in Anchorage, Alaska. Both pilots and three other passengers, including the Senator's first wife, were killed in the crash.
    Other crashes involving US political figures
    
    
11. 25 August 2010; Filair; Let 410; 9Q-CCN; Bandundu, Democratic Republic of Congo: The aircraft was on a scheduled domestic flight from Kinshasa to Bandundu, and during its approach to Bandundu it crashed into a house about a mile from the airport. All three crew members and 18 of the 19 passengers were killed.
    Sole survivor plane crashes
    Wikipedia entry about this event
    
    
12. 3 September 2010; United Parcel Service (UPS); 747-400F; flight 6; Dubai, United Arab Emirates: The aircraft was on an international cargo flight from Dubai, UAE to Colonge, Germany, and crashed shortly after takeoff about 10 km (6.2 mi) north of the airport. The two crew members were killed. The only previous fatal crash of a 747-400 was a 2000 crash of a Singapore Airlines in Taipei, Taiwan.
    Other UPS plane crashes
    Other 747 plane crashes
    
    
13. 7 September 2010; Alrosa Mirny Air Enterprise; Tu154M; RA-85684; flight 514, Izhma, Russia: The aircraft was on a scheduled domestic flight from Udachny to Moscow, Russia. While en route at about FL347 near over Usinsk, Russia, the aircraft experienced a complete electrical failure that resulted in a loss of navigational equipment, fuel pumps, and flaps. The crew was able to make a successful emergency landing on an abandoned runway at the Izhma, Russia airport. None of the nine crew members or 72 passengers were injured.
    More details on this accident
    Russian airliner crashes
    
    
14. 15 December 2010; Tara Air; DHC-6 Twin Otter; 9N-AFX; Palunge Hill, Nepal: The aircraft was on a domestic flight from Lamidanda to Kathmandu, and crashed into Palunge Hill while en route to its destination. The crew reported an emergency situation shortly before the aircraft crashed in mountainous terrain. All three crew members and 19 passengers were killed. Tara Air is a subsidiary of Yeti Airlines

Fatal and serious events by year
1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002,2003
2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010

Maggots Raining on Passengers Forces US Airways Flight Back to Gate

Some airline incidents are quite stranger than fiction, and that was the case on June 28, 2010 in Atlanta. US Airways flight 1537, which was scheduled to go from Atlanta, GA to Charlotte, NC, was taxiing prior to takeoff when passengers began noticing maggots falling from on overhead bin. The flight crew announced that they were returning to the gate because of a "minor emergency on board."

The source of the maggots was from a container of spoiled meat that was in the carry-on baggage of one of the passengers. The plane returned to the gate, where a ground crew cleaned out the aircraft before it was allowed to continue to Charlotte. The passenger who caused this situation was also allowed to continue, but on another flight. Only after the flight arrived at Charlotte did the airline fumigate the aircraft.

Comments from one of the passengers on this flight show just how disturbing this event was to them:

• I heard the word ‘maggot' and that kind of got everybody creeped out...All of a sudden, I felt somebody flick the back of my hair and on the front of me came a maggot, which I flicked off me
  
  
• I felt like they were crawling all over me because it only takes one maggot to upset your world
  
  
• And as they're telling us to stay calm and seated, I see a maggot looking back at me and I'm thinking, ‘These are anaerobic, flesh-eating larvae that the flight attendants don't have to sit with

How Can Maggots Get on an Airplane?
In the US, the federal government restricts what kinds of animals or other live creatures are allowed on an aircraft, and what kinds of animals can be imported into the US. However, for domestic airline flights it is up to the airline to set rules for animals, and those rules typically deal with flying with pets and service animals. Also, while the TSA has many rules about what items are permitted and prohibited from checked or carry-on baggage, there are no specific restrictions on bringing either spoiled meat or insects through security.

AirSafe.com contacted US Airways directly, and a representative indicated that dogs, cats, and birds were allowed on flights, but not bees or other insects. Presumably this means that maggots would not have been allowed on the aircraft if the airline had been made aware of their presence. It is not clear whether the passenger who brought the maggots on board either received permission from the airline or was even aware that there were maggots in their baggage.

Video Report of the Maggot Event

Advice from AirSafe.com
Most airlines have very detailed rules on what kinds of live animals or biological specimens you can bring on an aircraft. If you are thinking about bringing any kind of animal or insect on board the aircraft, contact the airline ahead of time to see if your animal will even be allowed. If you are traveling internationally, make sure you are following all appropriate import and export rules. If you see something that may be a problem, for example someone sneaking an animal onto the aircraft, or a carry-on or checked baggage item that may be a health hazard, contact an airline representative immediately.

Pet Travel Issues and Related Online Resources

According the US Department of Transportation, over two million pets and other live animals are transported by air every year in the United States. Most airlines in the US allow pets to travel on aircraft, sometimes in the passenger cabin, but also in the cargo hold. Over the last few years, the US government has addressed traveler concerns about the extent of pet travel safety issues by providing regular updates concerning reports of the loss, injury, or death of animals in their Air Travel Consumer Report.

AirSafe.com's pet travel resource page has basic advice about pet travel, pointing out that there are a number of considerations that passengers must consider, including what extra charges you may face, limitations on when pets can travel, and many other conditions of travel. If you plan to travel with pets, the most important thing to know that is that rules can be very different for different airlines. In the US, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) allows each airline to set its policies on travel with pets, including whether they are allowed in the cabin, or for that matter whether they can be transported at all.

Pets and Security Screening
According to the TSA, you will need to present the animal to the security officers at the checkpoint. You may walk your animal through the metal detector with you. If this is not possible, your animal will have to undergo a secondary screening, including a visual and physical inspection by our Security Officers. Your animal will not be placed through an X-ray machine. However, you may be asked to remove your animal from its carrier so that the carrier can be placed on the X-Ray machine.

Pets in the Passenger Cabin
Not every airline allows pets in the passenger cabin. Those that do typically allow only small animals that must be kept in some kind of cage or kennel for the duration of the flight. Also, the pets must be able to fit in the area under the seat and can’t be in the overhead baggage compartments. An airline may also limit the maximum number of pets in the passenger cabin, as well is the number of pets in coach, business, or first class sections of the aircraft. It is also possible that an airline may allow pets in one class of service or section of the aircraft, but not another.

Pets in the Baggage Compartment
If pets are not in the passenger cabin, they are typically transported in pressurized, temperature-controlled aircraft compartments. Confirm with your airline that this is the case.

One of the most comprehensive sites providing useful pet travel information PetFlight.com. Featuring practical travel advice, details on pet travel policy by airline, and lists of pet travel incidents reported to the DOT, this site will address many common questions pet owners may have about animal air travel safety.

Traveling to Hawaii with Pets
Hawaii has special limitations on pet travel, including quarantines of animals traveling to the state, even for passengers flying from other parts of the US. Make sure that you review Hawaii’s requirements at http://hawaii.gov/hdoa/ai/aqs/info, contact the airline, and possibly consult your pet’s veterinarian, prior to your travel to Hawaii. Otherwise, your pet could be quarantined for up to 120 days.

Service Animals
Service animals are not pets, but rather an animal individually trained to provide assistance to an individual with a disability. In the U.S., a disabled passenger can travel with his or her service animal in the passenger with relatively few limitations compared to the limitations on pets. While U.S. airlines are required to make accommodations for travelers with service animals, there may be situations where a service animal may not be allowed in the cabin. If you plan to travel with a service animal, it would be a good idea to contact the airline prior to your travel to see if there may be any difficulties.

Photo: shanan

Interview with Amanda Ripley, Author of "The Unthinkable"

This episode of the podcast features an interview with Time Magazine senior writer Amanda Ripley, author of the book "The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes And Why."

Amanda has traveled the world, writing about and studying a number of disasters, including the attacks of 9/11, and the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. She currently covers both risk and homeland security issues for Time Magazine.

She has written for a number of other publications, including Congressional Quarterly, New York Times Magazine, Time Out, and Washington Monthly.

You can hear the podcast at
http://www.airsafe.com/podcasts/show59-ripley.mp3

Related information is available at
http://www.airsafe.com/podcasts/show59.htm

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