http://www.msnbc.com/local/KHQ/29534.asp

Plane heading to Spokane forced to make an emergency landing YAKIMA, Washington, February 15 - There was another scare aboard an airplane Monday night. A Horizon Air flight, an affiliate of Alaska Airlines, was heading to Spokane from Portland when it was forced to make an emergency landing in Yakima. The crew says smoke filled the cockpitand forced the plane to land around 9:30 P.M.

Close to 60 people were on board, but no one was hurt. The airline rerouted the passengers onto another flight into Spokane.

-- Homer Beanfang (Bats@inbellfry.com), February 16, 2000

Answers

http://www.msnbc.com/ local/KAMR/32043.asp

Emergency landing By Kyle Paine AMARILLO, Texas  Mechanical problems may be to blame for an emergency landing at Amarillo International Airport Saturday evening. All 120 passengers were evacuated from Southwest Airlines flight 1641, a Boeing 737 from Hartford, CT en route to Las Vegas.

OFFICIALS SAY A hydraulics warning light came on in the cockpit. Protocol says whenever that happens, the pilots land as quickly as possible. Passengers described the landing as a nerve-racking event. One woman told NBC4 that she did not notice any thrust-reversers being used on the final descent and that the pilots seemed to be using only wheel brakes to slow the plane once it was on the ground. All of the passengers boarded another plane headed for Las Vegas about two hours later.

-- Homer Beanfang (Bats@inbellfry.com), February 16, 2000.

http://www.msnbc.com/ local/KXAS/17794.asp http://www.msnbc.com/ local/KXAS/17794.asp

Station Home Page & More Local Information

MD-80 pictured is similar to the planes forced to land on Monday

Plane headed to DFW makes emergency landing NBC 5 / Associated Press Two MD-80 planes, including one headed to Dallas, made emergency landings on Monday.

An American Airlines MD-80 headed to DFW was forced to land in Albuquerque, New Mexico on Monday.

Flight 1216, bound for Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, had taken off at 4:55 p.m. and turned back at 5:03 p.m., airline spokeswoman Martha Pantin said in Fort Worth.

``There was a smell of smoke in the cockpit, Pantin said.

Airline officials said 114 passengers and a crew of six safely walked off the plane at Albuquerque International Airport shortly after 5 p.m.

The MD-80 is similar to the plane that crashed Jan. 31 offshore northwest of Los Angeles, killing 88 people aboard Alaska Airlines Flight 261.

A TWA MD-80 on its way to St. Louis returned back to San Antonio Monday after reports of smoke in the cabin.

A spokesman says the trouble was traced to an air conditioning unit.

None of the 121 passengers on board were hurt.

Airlines were ordered Friday to inspect MD-80s after stabilizer jackscrew problems were found in the Alaska Airlines wreckage.

But Pantin said Mondays problem here had nothing to do with the stabilizer. She said all of the more than 280 MD-80s and MD-90s American operates have been checked for jackscrew problems and cleared.

Firefighters and maintenance crews checked the plane after the unscheduled landing, according to Pantin and Albuquerque airport spokeswoman Maggie Santiago.

-- Homer Beanfang (Bats@inbellfry.com), February 16, 2000.

http://www.msnbc.com/ local/KVBC/10966.asp

Station Home Page & More Local Information

Plane makes emergency landing Ben Correa LAS VEGAS - An America West Airbus made an emergency landing at McCarren Airport Sunday morning after passengers say they smelled a burnt odor.

The A-320 Airbus had taken off around 10:30, when the pilot decided to return the plane, rather than risk a problem in flight. Airline officials say there were 119 people on board the commuter, which was bound for JFK in New York.

Passengers were loaded onto another plane, which took off a short time later. Meanwhile, maintenance crews are trying to determine the source of the odor.

News 3 will have more on this story on Monday, February 14th.

-- Homer Beanfang (Bats@inbellfry.com), February 16, 2000.

Wow, Homer!

For whatever the reason, it seems one can anticipate the increased possibilities of delays when flying.

And it serves to remind travelers to have their wills and all final arrangements finished and in order before they take to the wings ...

-- Ashton & Leska in Cascadia (allaha@earthlink.net), February 16, 2000.

http://biz.yahoo.com/rf/0 00212/7.html

Saturday February 12, 9:32 pm Eastern Time

Passenger jet makes emergency Newfoundland landing

ST. JOHN'S, Newfoundland, Feb 12 (Reuters) - A Continental Airlines passenger jet made an emergency landing in the Canadian city of St. John's, Newfoundland on Saturday evening after a cockpit warning light indicated a fire on board.

Airport officials said the Continental Airlines (NYSE:CAL - news) Flight 55 en route from Paris to Newark, New Jersey, with 190 passengers and crew, landed safely at 6:30 p.m. (5 p.m. EST/2200 GMT).

Emergency crews using infrared equipment quickly determined that there was no fire in the forward cargo hold as indicated, and the aircraft taxied to a nearby terminal, where the passengers and crew deplaned.

No injuries were reported.

``Everything went like clockwork. We responded with normal procedure,'' said Rex Ledrew, president of the St. John's Airport Authority. ``As of now everything is clear and everybody is more or less happy.''

Ledrew said the flight is scheduled to resume Sunday, but it was unclear whether the same plane would be used, until officials were able to pinpoint the cause of the problem.

Although the Continental Airlines plane landed without incident, the eastern seaboard has seen its share of aeronautical disasters in recent years.

St. John's is about 900 miles (1,450 km) northeast of Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia, where 219 people died after SwissAir Flight 111 plunged into the Atlantic Ocean on Sept. 2, 1998 after the pilots reported smoke in the cockpit. That incident is still being investigated.

It is also the area where an EgyptAir flight crashed on Oct. 31, 1999 killing all 217 on board.

Also on Saturday, a fire in an office at Montreal's Dorval Airport forced the evacuation of the busy airport for five hours and caused flights to be rerouted to Mirabel airport, 35 miles (60 km) north of Montreal.

No injuries were reported.

-- Homer Beanfang (Bats@inbellfry.com), February 16, 2000.

Any of the stories tell what plane is involved in either of these two latest incidents:

February 15, Horizon Air: Portland to Spokane --

February 13, Continental Air; Newfoundland -- Flight 55

-- Squirrel Hunter (nuts@upina.cellrelaytower), February 16, 2000.

Great job Homey!

I'm sure the pollys will say that the reason there is smoke in the cockpit of all these flights is that the pilots were getting stoned.

-- Hawk (flyin@high.again), February 16, 2000.

Re the 737 at Amarrilo. Thrust reversers are never used before touchdown

-- Roy (bushwhacker @ north woods .com), February 16, 2000.

Thrust reversers ARE used in flight, but only in emergencies. The standard response to a loss of cabin pressure at high altitude is to reverse everthing. My sister is a flight attendant, and says having all 4 engines on a 747 reverse at about 40,000 feet is like being in the world's biggest elevator. They do this in drills, never heard of it happening for a real emergency.

-- bw (home@puget.sound), February 16, 2000.

Thrust reversers are never used in flight, aircraft are not certified to operate in that way. What you may be refering to is airbrakes/speedbrakes, these devices reduce lift over the wing and produce that elevator effect

-- Nick (hover@tampabay.rr.com), February 16, 2000.

Okay, Nick, I was repeating how it was told to me, but I wasn't there. I'll do a followup with my expert witness, and meanwhile will yield to anyone with superior knowledge in that area.

-- bw (home@puget.sound), February 16, 2000.

bw and Nick: just one example for you: Air Force crews of C-17 transports are trained to make "tactical descents" by using thrust reversers and other procedures to drop rapidly from altitudes as high as 40,000 ft. Their rate of descent can run between 12,000-15,000 fpm. Pretty exciting for all aboard the aircraft.

-- Norm Harrold (nharrold@terragon.com), February 16, 2000.

That sounds like how my sister described it, and she said it sure got her attention.

-- bw (home@puget.sound), February 17, 2000.

http://www.msnbc.com/ local/KVBC/11664.asp

Station Home Page & More Local Information

Engine problems forces flight landing LAS VEGAS, Feb. 16 An America West flight from Las Vegas to Phoenix returned to McCarran International Airport Wednesday morning when crew members noticed a possible engine problem.

MCCARRAN SPOKESWOMAN Debbie Millet said Flight 820 landed safely and no injuries were reported among the 150 passengers and crew on board. She said the landing was made ``as a precautionary measure. Passengers on board the Airbus 320 were put on other flights to continue their trip to Phoenix and on to Boston. It was the second time in four days an America West flight returned to the Las Vegas airport. Flight 133 returned to the airport Sunday morning when crew members noticed the smell of smoke in the cockpit. There were 119 passengers on that flight. An inspection of the plane involved in Sundays incident, also an Airbus 320, found oil on an inlet to the auxiliary power unit.

-- Homer Beanfang (Bats@inbellfry.com), February 18, 2000.

http://www.ab qjournal.com/news/1plane02-16-00.htm

Wednesday, February 16, 2000

MD-80 Forced To Land in ABQ

The Associated Press Worries about potential electrical problems aboard a TWA MD-80 jetliner forced the airplane to make an unscheduled landing today at Albuquerque.

"It was something that had to do with a generator, but as it turned out, it wasn't a problem," said Maggie Santiago, spokeswoman for Albuquerque's international airport.

Flight 596 from Ontario, Calif., to St. Louis landed without problem at 9:19 a.m. and taxied to a gate, where the 90 passengers and crew got off the twin-engine airplane, she said.

The airplane was checked and was found "perfectly safe and flyable," Santiago said. The passengers and crew reboarded, and the airplane took off at 10:22 a.m. to continue its flight, she said.

The unscheduled landing was the second this week for an MD-80 at the Albuquerque airport. An American Airlines MD-80 landed after smoke was smelled aboard the craft.

TWA Flight 596 "initially reported some electrical difficulties, so the captain of the aircraft talked to passengers and said he mainly stopped for precautionary reasons because there was an indication they were running low on electrical power," Santiago said.

"The captain did indicate to the passengers that it was a problem totally unrelated to the rear stabilizer and jackscrew."

The crew of an Alaska Airlines MD-83 lost control of their airplane while trying to fix problems with its stabilizer, a part in the tail that helps level the aircraft. The airplane crashed last month into the Pacific Ocean off the Southern California coast, killing all 88 people aboard.

The jackscrew, a long, threaded piece of metal that turns to move through a stationary nut, is part of the stabilizer that was causing problems for the Alaska Airlines pilots.

The Federal Aviation Administration said Tuesday that 1,101 airplanes in the MD-80, MD-90, DC-9 and Boeing 717 series were subject to tail inspections.

The TWA MD-90 "was inspected over the weekend and there weren't any problems found on it in respect to that issue," Santiago said.

The American Airlines MD-80's problems had nothing to do with the stabilizer, Martha Pantin, an American Airline spokesman, said in Fort Worth, Texas.

All of American Airlines' MD-80s and MD-90s have been checked for jackscrew problems and have been cleared, she said.

-- Homer Beanfang (Bats@inbellfry.com), February 18, 2000.

http://www.seattleinsider.com/news/2000/02/20/md80troubles.html

Sunday, February 20, 2000 Another MD-80 has mechanical trouble

AMY CLANCY KIRO 7 EYEWITNESS NEWS

For at least the sixth time in the past few weeks, passengers on board an MD-80 series aircraft endured a terrifying emergency landing.

The most recent report of trouble was this weekend in Salt Lake City.

What was supposed to have been a fun vacation in Mexico got off to a very bad start Saturday when more than 160 passengers on board an MD-80 suddenly found themselves making an emergency landing, surrounded by emergency vehicles.

Jozette Miles and her new husband were just two of the more than 160 passengers headed to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico early Saturday morning on board a Fun-Jet charter when, shortly after take-off, something went wrong.

"When we got up into the air, the flight was not stabilizing at all. It would not catch altitude, it was dropping altitude a lot," Miles said. Fun-Jet Charters would not reveal what caused the pilots to return the plane.

But Salt Lake International Airport Operations confirmed there was a problem with an indicator light and with the plane gaining altitude.

"I think a lot of us got sick because of that," Miles said.

This weekend's incident is at least the sixth emergency landing of an MD-80 series aircraft since 88 people lost their lives Alaska Airlines Flight 261.

Two days after the fatal crash, an American Airlines jet bound for Dallas had to return to Phoenix after pilots reported problems with the horizontal stabilizer -- the same problems reported aboard doomed Flight 261.

Then, on February 5, an Alaska Airlines MD-80 had to return to Reno because of a suspected wiring short.

It happened again, just days later, aboard an Alaska Airlines MD-80 from Puerto Vallarta to Seattle. This one had to make an emergency landing in San Francisco.

Then, four days after that, another MD-80 experiences difficulties -- this one flown by TWA. It was forced to return to Phoenix because of suspected hydraulic problems.

And just this past week, an American Airlines MD-80 had to make an emergency landing in Albuquerque because of smoke in the cockpit.

Passengers aboard the latest problematic flight -- the Fun-Jet charter -- have finally arrived in Mexico, but with frightful memories of how their vacation began.

"I mean, it was dropping a lot," Miles said.

Passengers, like Miles, say they are angry at Fun-Jet for more than just the emergency landing and the altitude problems that made many sick.

They say the charter service kept them at the airport for hours, awaiting word on when they could get another flight.

Their original jet was reportedly fixed and flew them all to Mexico nearly 14-hours later than scheduled.

Northwest News

-- Homer Beanfang (Bats@inbellfry.com), February 22, 2000.

http://www. azstarnet.com/public/dnews/082-8914.html

Tuesday, 22 February 2000

American Airlines engine fails; plane lands safely

An American Airlines jet made an emergency landing in Tucson yesterday after one of its two engines failed while the jet was about 130 miles from Tucson.

The jet, an MD-80 carrying 80 passengers from Dallas, landed without incident at the airport at 3:30 p.m., said Jeff Bowen, a spokesman for the Tucson Airport Authority.

The MD-80 series became the subject of intense scrutiny by the Federal Aviation Administration after one flown by Alaska Airlines crashed into the Pacific Ocean last month, killing 88 passengers and crew.

But that scrutiny was not directed at the plane's engines. The FAA ordered inspections of stabilizers in the tail sections of the 1,101 planes in the MD-80, MD-90, DC-9 and Boeing 717 series.

The engine failure on the Tucson-bound American jet caused no problems for passengers. ``The plane has two engines, so it was able to land with one just fine,'' Bowen said.

``It actually came in about 13 minutes ahead of schedule and it landed normally and pulled into its gate just like any other flight.''

Emergency vehicles were alerted but not needed, Bowen said.

``Our fire department is always out there in full force in these situations should anything happen,'' Bowen said.

-- Homer Beanfang (Bats@inbellfry.com), February 22, 2000.

http://www.newsday.com/a p/rnmpnt00.htm

Emergency Landing for MD-82 Jet

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) -- A Continental Airlines MD-82 jet traveling from Las Vegas to Cleveland with 146 people aboard made an emergency landing after the crew reported trouble keeping the flight level.

Flight 1416 was carrying 141 passengers and five crew members when it landed about 4:30 p.m. Monday, authorities said. No one was injured.

The plane had been cruising at 33,000 feet when the crew reported a change in altitude of less than 1,000 feet, the airline said in a statement.

It was not known what caused the drop in altitude and repair crews were investigating, said Catherine Stengel, a Continental spokeswoman.

Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Tom Kenney said crew members reported problems with aileron trim -- a control surface on the wing that controls the rolling movements of an airplane.

The plane is similar to the Alaska Airlines MD-83 that crashed Jan. 31 offshore northwest of Los Angeles, killing 88 people.

The MD-82, one of the MD-80 series of planes made by McDonnell Douglas, has a strong safety track record, according to FAA data.

But after the January crash, the FAA ordered the inspection of the horizontal stabilizer on more than 1,100 MD-80, MD-90, DC-9 and Boeing 717 planes -- which use similar control mechanisms as the jet that crashed -- after jackscrew problems were found in the Alaska Airlines wreckage.

The Continental passengers were transferred to another plane and taken to Cleveland, airport officials said.

AP-NY-02-22-00 0648EST

-- Homer Beanfang (Bats@inbellfry.com), February 22, 2000.