AirSafe.com Airline Safety Review for 2013

This 18th annual review discusses five fatal airline crashes and two other significant events from 2013. The five fatal airline crashes from 2013 represents the fewest fatal passenger events since AirSafe.com was launched in 1996. The two significant events both involved cargo jet crashes that killed all of the crew members. This past year was also unusual in that the majority of these events either occurred in the US or involved a US airline.

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Crashes Killing Airline Passengers

1. 29 January 2013; SCAT Airlines Canadair CRJ-200ER; UP-CJ006; flight 760; Almaty, Kazakhstan: The aircraft was on a domestic scheduled flight from Kokshetau to Almaty, Kazakhstan, crashed during approach about five kilometers (3.1 mi) from the destination airport, near the village of Kyzyltu. All five crew members and 16 passengers were killed.
   Wikipedia entry for this crash.

2. 6 July 2013; Asiana Airlines; 777-200ER; HL7742; flight 214; San Francisco, CA: The aircraft was on a scheduled international flight from Seoul, South Korea to San Francisco, and the rear of the aircraft struck a seawall just short of the runway while landing. The tail section broke apart, and both horizontal stabilizers and the vertical fin separated from the aircraft. Both engines and the main landing gear also separated from the aircraft. The aircraft caught fire after it came to rest, but not before all of the crew and most of the passengers were able to escape. All 16 crew members survived, but thee of the 291 passengers, all teenage girls from China, were killed.
   - AirSafeNews.com article from 13 July 2013
   - AirSafeNews.com article from 10 July 2013 on the role of the autothrottle
   - AirSafeNews.com on early findings of the crash investigation
   - Dr. Todd Curtis and former airline pilot Capt. Tom Bunn on the role of the media
   - Other 777 plane crashes
   - Wikipedia page on this accident
   - Other Asiana plane crashes

3. 7 July 2013; Rediske Air DHC-3 Otter; N93PC; Soldotna, AK: The aircraft was on a nonscheduled domestic flight from Soldotna, Alaska to Bear Mountain Lodge, alsoo in Alaska. The aircraft crashed during takeoff, killing the pilot and all nine passengers.

4. 16 October 2013; Lao Airlines ATR 72-600; RDPL-34233; flight QV301; near Pakxe, Laos: The aircraft was on a scheduled domestic flight from Vientiane, the capitol of Laos, to Pakxe in southern part of the country. It crashed into the Mekong river during its approach and sank. The crash occurred about eight kilometers (five miles) from the airport. All five crew members and 44 passengers were killed.
   Fatal ATR 72 crashes

5. 17 November 2013; Tartarstan Aircompany 737-500; VQ-BBN; flight 383; Kazan, Russia: The aircraft was on a scheduled domestic flight from Moscow to Kazan, Russia, and crashed during a landing attempt. Early reports indicated that it was at least the second landing attempt. All 44 passengers and six crew members were killed in the crash and subsequent fire.
   Fatal events involving airlines of the former Soviet Union

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Other Significant Events

1. 29 April 2013; National Airlines 747-400; N949CA; Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan: The aircraft had just departed on a cargo flight to Dubai, UAE when the aircraft entered a stall and crashed near the end of the runway. At one point, the aircraft had rolled to the right in excess of 45 degrees. Although the crew was able to put the wings more or less level, the aircraft impacted the ground at a high vertical speed, causing an explosion and fire. All seven crew members were killed.
   Fatal 747 crashes

2. 14 August 2013; UPS A300F4-622R; N155UP; flight 1354; Birmingham, AL: The aircraft was on a domestic cargo flight from Louisville, KY (SDF) to Birmingham, AL (BHM), crashed and burned during a landing attempt. The aircraft was destroyed in the crash and subsequent fire, and both pilots were killed. There were no other occupants, and no one was killed or injured on the ground.
   Additional details on the crash
   Other A300 plane crashes

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Fatal and serious events by year
1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001
2002,2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007
2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013

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AirSafe.com Bonuses
All subscribers to the AirSafe.com mailing list at subscribe.airsafe.com will be able to download free copies of all of the recent AirSafe.com books, including the latest, AirSafe.com Family Air Travel Guide.

Also available is the AirSafe.com Fear of Flying Resource Guide, with an overview of the symptoms of fear of flying, as well as recommended resources for managing or eliminating these fears.

FAA orders comprehensive review of the 787

The 787 is a new aircraft model that is noteworthy for technological advancements and design features that set it apart from other airliner models. This week, the 787 has been noteworthy for all the wrong reasons.

On Monday, an onboard fire at Boston's Logan airport led to a formal NTSB incient investigation. Later in the week, there were three other incidents, including an incident with a second 787 at Boston. The week ended with the FAA ordering a comprehensive safety review of the 787.

• On January 7th, a Japan Airlines 787 at Boston’s Logan Airport had a fire in a battery associated with the auxiliary power unit (APU), causing some damage to the area in the aft electronics bay close to the battery, and an injury to a firefighter. There was only a maintenance and cleaning crew on board, no passengers were injured.
  
  
• On January 8th, another Japan Airlines 787, also at Boston, had a minor fuel problem that delayed a flight. This leak was from a vent designed to release fuel and was apparently caused by a fuel valve that was left open. The plane departed for Japan later that day.
  
  
• On January 9th, the crew of an ANA 787 in Japan received an error message about the aircraft’s braking system, and the flight was cancelled. It was a false message and there were no problems with the brakes.
  
  
• On January 11th, ANA reported that cracks appeared in a787 cockpit windshields, the third time this kind of event has occurred in their fleet of 17 aircraft.
  
  

NTSB investigation
The first incident was the most serious, and resulted in a formal investigation by the NTSB, an ongoing process that also involves Japan Airlines, Boeing, FAA, and Japan’s equivalent of the NTSB, the Japan Transport Safety Board. Normally this kind of investigation is launched when there is an accident. This fire was certainly not an accident as defined by the NTSB, but the NTSB’s reaction implies that this is being considered to be a serious event, very likely for at least a few reasons:

• The 787 had a number of prior incidents since entering passenger service last year.
  
  
• The aircraft also had a number of development issues that delayed commercial flights for several years.

In addition to the incidents this week, prior incidents and issues include the following:

• A November 2010 fire during a test flight that forced an emergency landing in Laredo, TX. The problem was traced to an electrical power distribution panel, and flight testing was halted for two months while the panel was redesigned.
• A July 2012 engine failure during a taxi test of newly manufactured 787.
  
  
• An electrical problem led to a December 2012 emergency landing of a United 787, and United later found a related electrical problem on another 787.
  
  
• A grounding of a Qatar 787, also in December 2012, after finding a similar electrical problem.
  
  
• A December 2012 FAA Airworthiness Directive (AD 2012-24-07) requiring 787 operators to inspect part of the engine fuel system for possible improper installations.

FAA comprehensive system review
On Friday January 11th, the FAA announced that it would undertake a comprehensive review of critical 787 systems, including how those systems were designed, manufactured, and assembled. This goes well beyond the electrical system that was involved in the fire at Boson's Logan Airport, and is separate from the NTSB investigation.

What does this mean for passengers?
Taken together, these incidents and issues don’t add up to a safety concern for passengers because there is so far no consistent pattern to these problems, and none of these past problems have led to any serious aircraft damage or to any injury to passengers or crew.

The recent NTSB investigation may have been launched in part because it is a new model and because there may be useful insights gained from thoroughly investigating incidents such as the Boston APU fire. There are currently fewer than 50 787s in commercial service, with over a third of the aircraft being delivered only in the past three months, and with six of the eight operators having fewer than six months experience flying this model.

As operators around the world gain more operational experience with the 787, there will certainly be more incidents. However, unless several of these incidents have one or more causes that are unique to the 787, there would be no real reason to suspect that the aircraft has some sort of issue exposes passengers to excessive safety risks.

Is it safe to fly on the Boeing 787? If you define safety as an acceptable risk, then the 787 is safe to fly because there is nothing that currently indicates that the 787 has a much greater likelihood of experiencing safety-related problems compared to other large jet airliners. However, that answer may change as a result of the current NTSB investigation or if problems are discovered as airlines gain more operational experience.

AirSafe.com Airline Safety Review for 2012

This 17th annual review discusses seven fatal airline crashes and three other significant events from 2012. The seven fatal airline crashes from 2012 equals 2008 as the year with the fewest fatal passenger events since AirSafe.com was launched in 1996. All but one of these seven events, a fatal crash last week in Canada that killed one passenger, occurred outside of North America and western Europe.

In addition to the seven airline crashes, there were five other significant crashes that did not kill an airline passenger, though four of these events involved airliners, and all five involved at least one fatality.

Among the 12 events from 2012, some of the more noteworthy included the following:

• The death of a lap child in a crash were all other passengers and crew survived
  
• A foiled hijacking attempt in China
  
• A crashed that killed the entertainer Jenni Rivera.
  
• Five crashes with no survivors

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Crashes Killing Airline Passengers

1. 2 April 2012; UTair ATR 72-200; VP-BYZ;flight 120; Tyumen, Russia: The aircraft was on scheduled domestic flight from Tyumen to Surgut, Russia. The airplane crashed broke up, and caught fire in a field about 1.5 miles (2.5 km) form the end of the departure runway. All four crew members and 27 of the 39 passengers were killed. This is the second fatal passenger jet crash involving this airline. The first was a 17 March 2007 crash of a UTair Tupolev Tu134A in Samara, Russia that killed six passengers.
   Fatal crashes of airlines of Russia and the former Soviet Union

2. 20 April 2012; Bhoja Airlines; 737-200; AP-BKC; flight B4 213; Islamabad, Pakistan: The aircraft was on a scheduled domestic flight Karachi to Islamabad, Pakistan, and crashed in a residential area near the airport. The aircraft was completely destroyed in the crash, and all six crew members and 121 passengers were killed. Among those killed were several children and one newlywed couple. This was the airline's inaugural flight on this route.

   This was the 72nd time that passengers have been killed on a 737 airline flight, and the first since an August 2011 crash in Canada.
   Fatal 737 crashes
   Crash rates by model

3. 14 May 2012; Agni Air; Dornier 228-200; 9N-AIG; near Marpha, Nepal: The aircraft was on a scheduled domestic flight from Pokhara to Jomson, Nepal, and crashed into the side of a mountain near Marpha, Nepal. Shortly before the crash, the crew had turned back toward Pokhara because of weather conditions at Jomson. Two of the three crew members and 13 of the 18 passengers were killed.

4. 3 June 2012; Dana Air; MD83; 5N-RAM; flight 992; Lagos, Nigeria: The aircraft was on a scheduled domestic flight Abuja to Lagos, Nigeria, and crashed in a residential area near the airport. The plane reportedly struck a power line and then crashed into at least one apartment building. The aircraft was completely destroyed in the crash, and all seven crew members and 146 passengers were killed. At least 10 people on the ground were killed as well.
   
   Fatal MD80 series crashes

   

5. 28 September 2012; Sita Air Dornier 228;-200; 9N-AHA; Flight 601; Kathmandu, Nepal: The aircraft was on a scheduled domestic flight from Kathmandu to Lukla, Nepal, and crashed shortly after takeoff. The aircraft reportedly struck a vulture about 50 feet off the ground. The bird hit the right engine, and the plane crashed while the crew was attempting to returen to the airport. All three crew members and 16 passengers were killed.
   Fatal Dornier crashes

6. 22 December 2012; Kivalliq Air Fairchild Metro 3; C-GFWX; Flight 671; Sanikiluaq, Canada: The aircraft was on a scheduled domestic flight from Winnipeg to Sanikiluaq, Canada, and crashed just short of the runway during a second landing attempt. There was limited visibility due to darkness and blowing snow at the time of the crash. Both crew members survived, but one of the seven passengers, a six-month-old boy being held in his mother's lap, was killed.

   

7. 25 December 2012; Air Bagan Fokker 100; XY-AGC; Flight 011; Heho, Myanmar: The aircraft was on a scheduled domestic flight from Mandalay to Heho, Myanmar, hit a set of power lines during a landing attempt, and crashed about a kilometer short of the runway. There was fog in the vicinity of the airport at the time of the crash. The aircraft broke up and there was a post-crash fire. All six crew members survived, but one of the 65 passengers was killed. A person on the ground was also killed.
   Fatal Fokker 100 crashes
   Aviation Herald article on crash

   

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Other Significant Events

1. 9 May 2012; Sukhoi Superjet 100; near Jakarta, Indonesia: The aircraft was on an unscheduled demonstration flight that had departed from Jakarta, Indonesia. After departure, the crew circled nearby Mt. Salak, and began a descent from 10,000 feet to 6,000. The aircraft crashed into the side of the mountain at about 5,100 feet. There were no survivors. Among the 37 passengers were members of the media and representatives from a number of Indonesian airlines.

   This aircraft type had entered commercial airline service the previous month, and the manufacturer Sukhoi had been taking the accident aircraft on a promotional tour through a number of countries in Asia. This was a demonstration flight that had invited guests as passengers, rather than a flight that was available to the public, so it is not counted as a fatal event as defined by AirSafe.com

2. 2 June 2012; Allied Air; 727-200; 5N-BJN; flight 111; Accra, Ghana: The aircraft was on a cargo flight from Lagos, Nigeria, to Accra, Ghana, and overran the runway after landing. The aircraft struck a minivan on a nearby road, killing all 10 of the occupants. None of the four crew members were killed.

   Because no airline passengers were killed, this is not counted as a fatal event as defined by AirSafe.com.
   
   Fatal 727 crashes

   

3. 29 June 2012; Tianjin Airlines; Embraer ERJ 190; B-3171; flight 7554; en route Hotan to Urumqi, China: The aircraft was on a scheduled domestic flight from Hotan to Urumqi, China, when three hijackers attempted to take over the aircraft. The hijackers reportedly carried explosives and attempted to break into the cockpit. The hijackers were subdued by passengers and crew members, and the aircraft returned to Hotan. Two of the three hijackers later died of injuries received during a fight with the crew and passengers. None of the the nine crew members or the 89 passengers were killed. Because only hijackers were killed, this crash was not counted as a fatal event as defined by AirSafe.com.

4. 9 December 2012; Starwood Management; Learjet 25; N345MC; near Iturbide, Mexico: A chartered private jet carrying the singer and entertainer Jenni Rivera crashed near Iturbide, Mexico while en route on a domestic flight from Monterrey, Mexico to the Toluca, Mexico airport near Mexico City. Both pilots and all five passengers, including Rivera, were killed in the crash. The Learjet was cruising at about 28,000 feet and entered into a high speed descent, crashing in mountainous terrain. Because this was not an aircraft normally used in passenger airline service, this crash was not counted as a fatal event as defined by AirSafe.com.

5. 29 December 2012; Red Wings Airlines; Tupolev 204-100; RA-64047; flight 9268; Moscow, Russia: The aircraft was on an unscheduled repositioning flight from Pardubice, Czech Republic to Moscow, Russia. After touching down, the aircraft overran the runway, and collided with an embankment next to a highway, causing the aircraft to break up. While various pieces of aircraft wreckage struck cars on the adjacent highway, no one on the ground was killed (See video below).

   Five of the eight crew members were killed. It had been snowing prior to the crash, and there was a significant crosswind at the time of the landing. Because there were no passengers on the aircraft, this crash was not counted as a fatal event as defined by AirSafe.com.
   
   Plane crashes in Russia and the former Soviet Union

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Fatal and serious events by year
1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001
2002,2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007
2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012

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AirSafe.com Bonuses
All subscribers to the AirSafe.com mailing list at subscribe.airsafe.com will be able to download free copies of all of the recent AirSafe.com books, including the latest, AirSafe.com Family Air Travel Guide.

Also available is the AirSafe.com Fear of Flying Resource Guide, with an overview of the symptoms of fear of flying, as well as recommended resources for managing or eliminating these fears.

Video for AirSafe.com Airline Safety Review 2009

The podcasts associated with the AirSafe.com airline safety review for 2009 are currently available as audio and video files that you can either download or play below. Please feel free to reuse them for any noncommerical use. You can read the review in a previous AirSafeNews.com article or at 2009.airsafe.org.

Video and Audio Podcast Links (7:51)
Audio: MP3 | Video: iPod/MP4 | WMV | YouTube

AirSafe.com Airline Safety Review for 2009

The year 2009 was tied for the second fewest fatal airline crashes in any year since AirSafe.com began it's annual review of airline safety events in 1996. This 14th annual review discusses eight fatal airline events, and 10 other significant events from 2009.

The first and last events noted by AirSafe.com in 2009 didn't kill a single passenger, but both attracted a tremendous amount of public attention for entirely different reasons.

On 15 January 2009, a US Airways A320 experienced a loss of power to both engines shortly after taking off from New York's La Guardia Airport. The crew was able to successfully ditch the aircraft in the Hudson River near midtown Manhattan. Reportedly, the aircraft encountered a flock of birds shortly after takeoff. After ditching, all five crew members and 150 passengers evacuated the aircraft. One passenger sustained serious injuries. This event was not only the first time a large passenger jet has crashed in the US because of a bird strike, it was only the fourth time a large passenger jet has successfully ditched anywhere in the world.

The last high profile event of 2009 was the failed bombing attempt of a Northwest Airlines A330 airliner on Christmas day. A passenger allegedly attempted to detonate an explosive device while the aircraft was approaching Detroit on a flight from Amsterdam. The device was triggered by the alleged bomber during descent, but it only managed to start a small fire and burn the suspect's leg. The fire was put out, the crew was able to land the airplane without further incident, and no one else on the plane was injured. The investigation into how this happened is both ongoing and very wide ranging, and may lead to significant security changes for passengers all over the world.

While AirSafe.com's list of events includes both airline and non-airline events, the focus of the site is on those events involving large airliners that result in the death of at least one passenger. There were eight such events in 2009, with the most catastrophic the June 1st crash of an Air France A330 in the Atlantic Ocean, a crash that killed all 216 passengers and 16 crew members. Below are the list of the eight airliner crashes with at least one passenger fatality:

1. 7 February 2009; Manaus Aerotaxi Embraer Bandeirante; near Santo Antonio, Brazil: The aircraft was on a scheduled domestic flight from Coari. The crew reportedly encountered heavy rain and was attempted to turn back about an hour into the flight. The plane crashed into the Manacapuru River, killing both crew members and 22 of the 26 passengers. Eight of the passengers were small children.
   Fatal Bandeirante plane crashes
   
   
2. 12 February 2009; Continental Connection (Colgan Air) Dash 8 Q-400; Flight 3407; near Buffalo, NY: The aircraft, a scheduled flight from Newark, NJ and operated by Colgan Air, crashed in a residential area about seven miles from the airport. At least one house on the ground was destroyed. All 45 passengers and four crew members were killed, along with one person on the ground.
   Wikipedia Entry About this Accident
   Other Dash 8 Events
   
   Continental Connection Crash in Buffalo
   Audio: MP3 | Video: iPod/MP4 | WMV | Google Video | YouTube
   
   
   
   
   
   For more videos, visit the AirSafe.com YouTube channel.
   

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3. 25 February 2009; Turkish Airlines 737-800; Flight 1951; Amsterdam, Netherlands:
   The aircraft, on a scheduled international flight from Istanbul, Turkey, to Amsterdam, Netherlands crashed in a field about a mile (1.6 km) short of the runway. Four of the seven crew members, including both pilots, were killed, as were five of the 128 passengers.
   
   Preliminary reports from the Dutch accident investigators suggest that a malfunctioning altimeter may have led the flight control system to command a reduction in thrust, as well as a significant drop in airspeed and altitude, during final approach.
   
   Turkish Airlines Fatal Events
   Other 737 Plane Crashes
   Wikipedia Entry for this Accident
   

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   Turkish Airlines Crash in Amsterdam
   Audio: MP3 | Video: iPod/MP4 | WMV | Google Video | YouTube
   
   
   
   
   
   For more videos, visit the AirSafe.com YouTube channel.
   

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4. 1 June 2009; Air France A330-200; Atlantic Ocean:
   The aircraft was on a scheduled international flight from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to Paris, France. The aircraft crashed in the Atlantic Ocean in an area roughly 390 miles (650 kilometers) northeast of Brazil's Fernando de Noronha islands, which are about 220 miles (354 kilometers) off the northeast coast of Brazil. Debris from the aircraft was found near the estimated position of its last radio communication. All 216 passengers and 12 crew members, together representing over 30 nationalities, are missing and presumed dead.
   Latest Accident Updates
   Fatal Events for Airlines from Europe
   Fatal Air France Plane Crashes
   

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   Initial Report on the Air France Accident
   
   Audio: MP3 | Video: iPod/MP4 | WMV | YouTube
   
   
   
   For more videos, visit the AirSafe.com YouTube channel.
   

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5. 30 June 2009; Yemenia Airlines; A310-300; Flight 626; near Moroni, Comoros Islands:
   The aircraft was on a flight from Sana’a, Yemen to Moroni, Comoros Islands with 142 passengers and 11 crew on board. The aircraft crashed in the sea near the town of Mitsamiouli, which is on the main island of Grande Comore, in the early morning hours of June 30th. One passenger, a twelve-year-old girl named Bahia Bakari, was rescued about 10 hours after the crash, and is the sole survivor of this plane crash. The girl's mother was also killed in the crash.
   
   More Accident Details
   Fatal Events for Airlines from Africa and the Middle East
   Fatal A310 Plane Crashes
   Plane Crashes with a Sole Survivor
   Yemenia Airlines Wikipedia page
   
   
6. 15 July 2009; Caspian Airlines Tu154M, Flight 7908; near Jannatabad, Iran: The aircraft was on a scheduled international flight from Tehran, Iran to Yerevan, Armenia, and crashed near a village in the Qazvin region of Iran about 16 minutes after takeoff.
   
   The aircraft was completely destroyed in the crash, and all 153 passengers and 15 crew members were killed. Among the victims were members of Iran's youth judo team, including eight athletes and two coaches.
   
   This is the first fatal crash for Caspian Airlines, and the 19th fatal passenger crash involving the Tu154 since 1990. The most recent fatal Tu154 crash was an Iran Air Tours crash in September 2006. The Caspian Airlines crash represents the fourth fatal Tu154 airliner crash involving an Iranian airline. the previous three were all with Iran Air Tours.
   
   More Details at AirSafeNews.com
   Fatal Events for Airlines from Africa and the Middle East
   Caspian Airlines Plane Crash Wikipedia page
   
   
7. 24 July 2009; Aria Air Ilyushin 62M, Flight 1525; Mashhad, Iran: The aircraft was on a scheduled domestic flight from Tehran, Iran to Mashhad, Iran. After landing, there was a tire burst and the aircraft skidded on the runaway, hitting an airport fence and an electricity pylon.
   
   The normal landing speed for an Ilyushin 62 would have been between 145 and 165 mph, but this accident aircraft reportedly landed at a speed of 197 mph. The airplane ran off the runway and collided with a wall located about a kilometer from the runway.
   
   The front section of the aircraft was completely destroyed in the crash, and there were 16 fatalities among the 153 passengers and 13 crew members.
   
   This is the first fatal crash for Aria Air, and the 12th fatal passenger crash for the Ilyushin 62 since it began passenger service in the 1960s. This crash comes less than ten days after the last fatal plane crash in Iran. All 168 passengers and crew on that Caspian Airlines flight were killed.
   
   Shortly after the accident, the airline's flight certification license was revoked by the Iranian civil aviation authorities.
   
   More Details at AirSafeNews.com
   Fatal Events for Airlines from Africa and the Middle East
   Aria Air Wikipedia page
   
   
8. 12 November 2009; RwandAir CRJ-100ER; Flight 205; Kigali, Rwanda:
   A RwandAir CRJ-100ER was on a scheduled flight from Kigali, Rwanda to Kampala, Uganda, ran into a terminal at the Kigali airport. The aircraft reportedly had and unspecified engine problem shortly after taking off and the crew returned to the airport. According to eyewitnesses, the plane first taxied to a parking position on the apron, but then accelerated, knocked over blast fences, and hit the the concrete wall of the airport building containing the VIP lounge. The nose gear collapsed and the forward portion of the aircraft penetrated the building up to about the position of the forward passenger doors. One of the three crew members and one of the 10 passengers were killed.
   Additional accident information and photos
   Canadair Regional Jet Crashes

Other Noteworthy Events
AirSafe.com recognized 11 other noteworthy events in 2009, including a midair collision involving a sightseeing flight, two crashes of cargo jets, and an accidental release of sensitive security information by the TSA.

1. 15 January 2009; US Airways A320-200, Flight 1549; New York, NY: The aircraft was on a scheduled passenger flight from New York (LaGuardia) to Charlotte, NC The aircraft struck a flock of birds shortly after takeoff and experienced a loss of power to both engines. The crew was able to successfully ditch the aircraft in the Hudson River near midtown Manhattan. The aircraft reached an maximum altitude of about 3200 feet before it began to descend. After ditching, all five crew members and 150 passengers evacuated the aircraft. One passenger sustained serious injuries. This event is not numbered because it is considered a significant event as defined by AirSafe.com. The following pages have background information about the airline, the aircraft model, and other issues related to this crash:
   Previous US Airways Crashes
   Other Significant A320 Events
   Bird Strike Hazards to Aircraft
   Jet Airliner Ditching Events
   Wikipedia Entry About this Event
   Bird Strike Videos
   Bird Strike Study from the AirSafe.com Foundation
   
   

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   Crash of US Airways Flight 1549
   Audio: MP3 | Video: iPod/MP4 | WMV | Google Video | YouTube
   
   
   
   
   
   
   For more videos, visit the AirSafe.com YouTube channel.
   

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2. 22 March 2009; Pilatus PC-12; Butte, Montana: The aircraft was on an unscheduled flight from Orville, CA to Bozeman, MT. The pilot changed the flight plane to Butte, MT, and the aircraft crashed about 500 feet (150 meters) from the airport. All 14 on board were killed, several of them children.
   
   This plane crash involved a non-airline flight, and is not a fatal event as defined by AirSafe.com, but is included because of the seriousness of the event. According to the NTSB, there have been at least six previous fatal accidents in the US involving the Pilatus PC-12.
   
   
3. 23 March 2009; FedEx Express (FedEx) MD-11F; near Tokyo, Japan: The aircraft was on a cargo flight from Guangzhou, China to Narita Airport near Tokyo, Japan. The aircraft bounced on landing, and contacted the runway a second time nose wheel first before rolling to the left, contacting the runway with its left stabilizer and wing, and catching fire. The aircraft ended up in an inverted position. Both crew members were killed. (Note: Event dates are determined by the date at the location of the event.)
   
   This plane crash was a cargo flight, and resulted in no fatalities, and is not a fatal event as defined by AirSafe.com, but is included because of the seriousness of the event.
   Other FedEx Express Plane Crashes
   Other MD-11 Plane Crashes
   
   
   23 March 2009 Crash of a FedEx Express MD-11 near Tokyo
   Audio: MP3 | Video: iPod/MP4 | WMV | YouTube
   
   
   

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4. 18 June 2009; Continental Airlines 777; Flight 61; en route from Brussels to Newark: The captain of Continental Airlines Flight 61, a 777 en route from Brussels to Newark, died while the aircraft was in flight over the Atlantic. The captain was replaced by a reserve first officer and the crew declared an emergency. The aircraft landed without further incident. There were 247 passengers on board, and there were no other injuries to passengers or crew.
   Visit the AirSafe.com News for more information.
   Other Continental Plane Crashes
   Other 777 Plane Crashes
   
   
5. 8 August 2009; Eurocopter and Piper Saratoga, Hudson River, near New York City:A single-engine aircraft and a sightseeing helicopter collided early Saturday afternoon over the Hudson River near Manhattan. Three people were aboard the single-engine Piper PA-32R-300 (N71MC), and the flight plan indicated the aircraft was heading from Teterboro Airport in Teaneck, New Jersey to Ocean City, New Jersey. The Saratoga took off from Teterboro shortly before noon local time. On board were a pilot and two passengers, including one child. The Liberty Harbor Sightseeing Tours helicopter, a Eurocopter AS350 (N401LH), took off from Pier 30 in Manhattan, near West 30th Street, and reportedly had one pilot and five Italian tourists on board. All nine occupants were killed.
   
   Visit the AirSafe.com News for more information.
   Fatal Midair Airline Crashes
   Fatal Eurocopter AS350 Events
   Fatal Piper Saratoga Events (PA-32R-300)
   
   
6. 9 October 2009;CASA-212, near Fonds-Verrettes, Haiti:The aircraft was on a routine surveillance flight near the border of Haiti and the Dominican Republic, when it crashed in a mountainous area about 12 miles (20 km) west of the village of Fonds-Verrettes, Haiti. All 11 personnel, which included military members from Jordan and Uruguay, were killed. The aircraft flight had been supporting the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti, or MINUSTAH.
   
   
7. 28 November 2009; Avient Aviation MD-11F; Flight 324; Shanghai, China: The aircraft was on was on an unscheduled cargo flight from Shanghai, China to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan when it crashed. Reportedly, one eyewitness, who is a pilot based in Shanghai, stated that the main gear left the ground just before the end of the runway, with the aircraft gaining very little altitude, before impacting approach lights and antennas and falling back onto the ground. Another report indicated that the aircraft's tail struck the runway one or more times during takeoff. Three of the seven crew members were killed. More crash details, including photos, available at AirSafeNews.com
   
   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.
   
   
8. December 2009; TSA Accidentally Releases Sensitive Information: The Transportation Security Administration had released what it thought was a redacted procedures manual and posted it on a publicly accessible website. The document was in fact improperly redacted and all of the information, including photos of sample identification documents from the CIA and US Congress, was easily extracted from the document. This event was covered in depth by AirSafeNews.com, but if you just want to see these procedures manuals, you can download the full, unredacted version, or the version with the sensitive areas blacked out.
   
   
   Video and Audio Podcast Links (2:23)
   Audio: MP3 | Video: iPod/MP4 | WMV | YouTube
   
   
   
   
   Related Information
   Full TSA report
   Redacted TSA report
   TSA prohibited and restricted Items
   
   Related AirSafeNews.com Articles
   AirSafeNews.com article on the attempted bombing
   Description of four key US terrorist and TSA security databases
   BBC interview with AirSafeNews.com's Dr. Todd Curtis
   
   
9. 22 December 2009; American Airlines 737-800 (N977AN); Flight 331; Kingston, Jamaica:The aircraft was on a scheduled international flight from Miami, FL to Kingston, Jamaica. The aircraft landed during a rainstorm, and was unable to stop on the runway. After departing the runway, the aircraft went beyond the airport fence, and crossed a road before coming to rest on a beach. The landing gear collapsed, both engines separated from the wings, and there were two major breaks in the fuselage, but all 148 passengers and six crew members survived. The landing was carried out with a slight tail wind.
   
   This plane crash resulted in no fatalities, and is not a fatal event as defined by AirSafe.com, but is included because of the seriousness of the event.
   Other American Airlines plane crashes
   Other 737 crashes
   Wikipedia page on this accident
   
   
10. 25 December 2009; Northwest Airlines A330-300 (N820NW); Flight 253; near Detroit, MI: A passenger on a Northwest Airlines A330-300(N820NW) apparently attempted to detonate an explosive device while the aircraft was approaching Detroit. Flight 253 was an international flight from Amsterdam to Detroit, and early reports are that a passenger, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, a 23-year-old Nigerian national, allegedly had the device strapped to one of his legs, and that the device was triggered during descent (about 20 minutes before landing) and started a small fire. The flight, operated by Northwest Airlines using an Airbus 330-300 aircraft with 278 passengers and 11 crew members on board, landed safely, and the suspect, the only person injured, was transported to a local hospital for treatment of serious burns.
    
    This plane crash resulted in no fatalities, and is not a fatal event as defined by AirSafe.com, but is included because of the seriousness of the event.
    
    Other Northwest Airlines plane crashes and serious incidents
    Other A330 crashes and serious incidents
    Wikipedia page on this accident

Want to Improve AirSafe.com? - Fill Out This Month's Survey and Tell Us How

Welcome to AirSafe.com's October 2009 survey. We've made several changes over the last few months, and we want to get your feedback about your experience with AirSafe.com and the podcasts, blogs, web sites, or other resources associated with AirSafe.com.

Please answer one or more questions. We'll provide a summary of the results next month.

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New Video for Year in Review 2008 Released

The new video for the podcast "AirSafe.com's Airline Safety Review for 2008" is now available. You can see the video or listen to the audio version, below, or you can find it at one of the podcast links.

Audio: MP3 | Video: iPod/MP4 | WMV | Google Video | YouTube

For details on the events of 2008, visit http://2008.AirSafe.org

For more videos, visit the AirSafe.com YouTube channel.

AirSafe.com's Airline Safety Review for 2008

The year 2008 had the fewest fatal airline crashes in any year since AirSafe.com began it's annual review of airline safety events in 1996. This 13th annual review discusses seven fatal airline events, and fifteen other significant events from 2008.

As AirSafe.com looks back at the fatal and significant aviation safety events of last year, the most noticeable fact about this 13th annual review is that 2008 had fewer fatal airline events than any of the previous 12 years reviewed by AirSafe.com. The most was 19 fatal events in 1997, and the previous low was eight fatal events in 2003, 2006, and 2007.

AirSafe.com counts as a fatal event any airline flight where one or more passengers are killed, including those events involving hijacking, sabotage, and military action. This review counts only those events that occur on aircraft that can carry at least 10 passengers, and that are commonly used in regular airline service in North America, Western Europe, Australia, and Japan. Significant events are those events that were noteworthy for other reasons. Several of these 15 significant events were non-fatal events involving large jet airliners, but others included crashes involving celebrities, military aircraft, and smaller airline aircraft.

One of the more interesting observations from the 2008 review is that it represents the second consecutive year with no fatal airline events involving the US or Canada. That includes any US or Canadian airliner operating anywhere in the world, or any other airliner operating to or from the US or Canada. The last such event was the crash of a US airliner in Kentucky in August 2006. Since the introduction of jet airliner service to North America in 1958, there had been no previous two year period with zero airliner passenger fatalities.

To put this in a global context, Canada and the US account for about 60% of all airline traffic involving larger aircraft. In other words, 40% of these kinds of airline flights were responsible for 100% of the fatal passenger events. In 2008, the seven fatal events included one airliner from Europe, two each from Africa and Latin America, and two from countries of the former Soviet Union.

The fifteen other events in AirSafe.com's review were included either because of the amount of media attention they attracted, or because of the safety and security issues associated with the event. Among these 15 significant events were seven non-fatal jet airliner events. The most recent was a December 20 takeoff accident involving a Continental Airlines 737 in Denver. Although the plane experienced significant structural damage and a post-crash fire, all passengers and crew members successfully evacuated the aircraft.

The other significant airliner events included the first ever crash of a 777, two in-flight events involving Qantas, another two involving Air Canada, and a takeoff accident involving Iran Air.

The other eight significant events included an F/A-18 crash in San Diego, four fatal crashes involving small airliners, and three crashes involving celebrities. Rev. Sun Myung Moon, the head of the Unification Church, survived a helicopter crash in South Korea; Travis Barker, former drummer for the music group Blink-182, was one of two survivors of a crash of a chartered jet in South Carolina, and President-Elect Barack Obama was on board a plane that had a collision with a parked aircraft on the ground in Chicago.

For more information on all of these 2008 events, including links to incident reports, investigation updates, plane crash videos, and podcasts, please visit 2008.AirSafe.org. There you will also find links to additional information such as what you can bring on board, lists of banned items, instructions on how to successfully complain about your air travel experience, and fear of flying advice.

Listen to the Annual Review for 2008