Air Safety

Category Archives for Air Safety.

What a day: Now Nepal!

Not a brilliant day for flying in Asia. Yesterday, state-owned  Nepal Airlines Corporation only domestic aircraft, a Twin Otter, was grounded following a right engine failure. The fault was detected soon after takeoff from Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu. The Captain shut down the right engine and used the left one to land the aircraft back at TIA.  All 15 passengers, including two infants and one child, and three crew members were safe. This morning (local time) a Malaysian 777 vanished en route from Kuala Lumut to Beijing. This afternoon, an Air Indigo Airbus 320 flying Flight 6E 031 from New…

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Family support & grief over MH370 [updated]

Malaysia Airlines has reportedly spoken with family members of 80 per cent of the passengers who were on board MAS 370. Malaysian Airways CEO Ahmad Jauhari Yahya announced at a press conference that the carrier has also arranged to ferry a team to Beijing “to provide support and assistance to families there”. The passenger manifest will not be released until all families of the passengers have been informed but some names are listed here. In China at the Lido Hotel near Beijing Airport, security staff  are apparently having a hard time  holding back a large group of reporters who are making it…

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Vietnamese Navy says MH370 HAS crashed into ocean

Tuoi Tre (“Youth News), a main daily Vietnamese newspaper has reported that the Vietnamese Navy has confirmed that the missing Malaysian Airways 777  crashed into the ocean. Navy Admiral Ngo Van Phat, Commander of the Region 5, military radar recorded that the plane crashed into the sea at a location 251kilometers (153 nautical miles) South of Phu Quoc island in Malaysian territorial waters. If there are any survivors, then they need to be rescued now as every hour in the ocean reduces their chances. The Malaysian Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein has not been able to confirm…

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The search for MH370 [updated]

The Search and Rescue effort for Malaysian MH370 involves: Malasyia Airlines Malasyian Department of Civil Aviation Royal Malaysian Air Force and the Royal Malaysian Navy Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency, Butterworth-based Intergrated Area Defence System Headquarters  the Hawaii-based United States Pacific Command. two  Chinese maritime rescue ships are being sent to aid rescuers searching work for missing Malaysia Airlines 777.  agencies from Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines The mission involves maritime patrol aircraft, fighter jets, frigates,  submarines and  fishing vessels. “The plane lost contact near Ca Mau province airspace as it was preparing to transfer to Ho Chi Minh City air traffic…

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MH370 Passenger & Crew information [updated]

Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 was carrying a total number of 239 passengers and crew – comprising 227 passengers (including 2 infants) and 12 crew members. The passengers were of 15 (originally reported as 14) different nationalities: 1. China – 152 plus 1 infant (Chinese media report that the passengers included 24 Chinese artists on their way back from an art exhibition in Malaysia) 2. Malaysia – 38 3. Indonesia – 7 (originally reported as 12) 4. Australia – 7 (four were on a trade mission to China) 5. India – 5 6. France – 3 7.…

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MH370 lost in Vietnam Waters? [updated]

China‘s Xinhua state news agency are reporting that Malaysia Airlines 370 has crashed in southern Vietnam noting that : The aircraft did not enter airspace controlled by China and did not make contact with Chinese controllers. There has been earlier speculation that the aircraft had landed at Nanming. Malaysia Airlines were working to verify the authenticity of this report. Vietnam airport authorities acknowledged the plane entered its airspace at 1.30am local before subsequently losing contact at around 2:40am local time. Malaysian airlines are holding a Press Conference Saturday afternoon local time. The Malaysian Defence Minister Datuk Seri…

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Malaysian Airlines Missing Plane [updated]

A Malaysia Airlines 777-200 flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing has lost contact with air traffic control. This flight was Malaysian Airlines  MH370. It was a code share with China Southern Airlines. The plane is said to have been carrying 239 – 227 passengers of 13 different nationalities and 12 crew members. 160 of the passengers were Chinese nationals according to China’s Xinhua State News Agency. The 777’s serial number is 28420 / 404 and its registration is: 9M-MRO. It was delivered to Malaysia Airlines on 31st May, 2002. Apparently it was involved in an incident at Shanghai Pudong International Airport on 9th August, 2012, when the tip…

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Ethiopian Pilot Named Hailemedhin Abera Tegegn

The co pilot and hijacker of his own plane has been identified as Hailemedhin Abera Tegegn, 31 years of age. He is an Ethiopian National who gave up a career as an architect to become a pilot. He has worked for Ethiopian Airlines for five years. He is an orthodox Christian. His parents are alive and he has seven brothers and sisters. He has a girlfriend who runs her own cafe. Why he did it remains a mystery. Hailemedhin said he was requesting asylum in Geneva for fear of persecution in his native country. The Ethiopian…

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ET 702 Co-pilot Arrested [updated]

In many books and films, the “villain” is the most obvious character. It seems in today’s Ethiopian Airlines hijacking emergency, the perpetrator was the plane’s co pilot. Just after 9am CET on 17 Feb (8am GMT, 3am US EST), Reuters reported that the co-pilot of the hijacked Ethiopian Airlines 767 that was forced to land at Geneva Airport just after 6am CET, surrendered to police and asked for asylum in Switzerland. Police said the co-pilot was not armed. They said he felt threatened in his country. The co-pilot hijacked the 767 after the pilot went…

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Ethiopian Passengers leave plane & are searched

Passengers from the hijacked Ethiopian Airlines flight 702 which landed in Geneva, have disembarked the plane which has been parked at the end of runway 05, away from the airport’s terminal building. They were searched by the police as they disembarked the aircraft. The passengers then boarded buses near the plane. There were approximately 200 passengers on the hijacked flight. Swiss police continue to advise that there was a single hijacker who has been arrested. There are still no further details on motive and hijacker identity despite earlier rumours. There will be a Press Conference…

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