Mystery surrounds objects shot down by US military

 

A spate of high-altitude objects have been shot down in North American airspace in recent days.

A balloon was downed off the coast of South Carolina on 4 February after hovering for days over the US. Officials said it originated in China and had been used to monitor sensitive sites.

China denied the object was used for spying and said it was a weather monitoring device that had blown astray. The incident – and the angry exchanges in its aftermath – ratcheted up tensions between Washington and Beijing.

But on Sunday, a defence official said the US had communicated with Beijing about the first object, after receiving no response for several days. It was not immediately clear what was discussed.

Since that first incident, American fighter jets have shot down three further high-altitude objects in as many days.

Source: Mystery surrounds objects shot down by US military

United Flight Out of San Diego Forced to Land After Passenger’s External Battery Catches Fire

A New Jersey-bound United Airlines flight was turned around shortly after taking off in San Diego Tuesday morning after a first-class passenger’s external battery pack caught fire and injured at least four people, according to San Diego Fire-Rescue.

Source: United Flight Out of San Diego Forced to Land After Passenger’s External Battery Catches Fire

U.S. air travel rumbles back to life after FAA computer outage

WASHINGTON/CHICAGO, Jan 11 (Reuters) – U.S. flights were slowly resuming departures and a ground stop was lifted after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) scrambled to fix a system outage overnight that had forced a halt to all U.S. departing flights.

More than 6,000 flights were delayed and nearly 1,000 canceled according to the FlightAware website as officials said it will take hours to recover from the halt. The numbers were still rising.

Source: U.S. air travel rumbles back to life after FAA computer outage

Southwest Airlines CEO Bob Jordan Issues Update To Travelers

southwest-airlines-extends-flight-schedule-through-march-8-2023

Bob Jordan:

I want everyone who is dealing with the problems we’ve been facing, whether you haven’t been able to get to where you need to go or you’re one of our heroic Employees caught up in a massive effort to stabilize the airline, to know is that we’re doing everything we can to return to a normal operation.

And please also hear that I’m truly sorry.

Here’s why this giant puzzle is taking us several days to solve. Southwest is the largest carrier in the country, not only because of our value and our values, but because we build our flight schedule around communities, not hubs. So, we’re the largest airline in 23 of the top 25 travel markets in the U.S.

Cities where large numbers of scheduled flights simultaneously froze as record bitter cold brought challenges for all airlines.

Our network is highly complex and the operation of the airline counts on all the pieces, especially aircraft and crews remaining in motion to where they’re planned to go. With our large fleet of airplanes and flight crews out of position in dozens of locations. And after days of trying to operate as much of our full schedule across the busy holiday weekend, we reached a decision point to significantly reduce our flying to catch up.

We’re focused on safely getting all of the pieces back into position to end this rolling struggle. You know, I have nothing but pride and respect for the efforts of the people of Southwest who are showing up in every way. The tools we use to recover from disruption serve us well, 99 percent of the time; but clearly, we need to double down on our already existing plans to upgrade systems for these extreme circumstances so that we never again face what’s happening right now.

I’m apologizing to them daily and they’ll be hearing more about our specific plans to ensure the challenges that they’ve faced the past few days will not be part of our future.

I reached out to Secretary Buttigieg earlier today to continue the discussions we’ve been having with the DOT through the holiday – sharing all the things that we’re doing to make things right for our Customers.

We always take care of our Customers. And we will lean in and go above and beyond as they would expect us to. Teams are working on all of that: processing refunds, proactively reaching out and taking care of Customers who are dealing with costly detours and reroutes, as just a few examples. Our plan for the next few days is to fly a reduced schedule and reposition our people and planes, and we’re making headway and we’re optimistic to be back on track before next week.

We have some real work to do in making this right. For now, I want you to know that we’re committed to that.

Source: Video: Southwest Airlines CEO Bob Jordan Issues Update

Plane makes landing with collapsed gear at Rostraver Airport; pilot not injured

 

No one was hurt when a small plane landed with its nose gear collapsed Monday afternoon at Rostraver Airport, an airport official said. The nose of the plane remained upright as the plane went down the runway, then hit the runway at the plane lost speed, said Gabe Monzo, executive director of the Westmoreland County Airport Authority.

Rostraver firefighters were at the scene, he said.

The crash occurred at about 4:15 p.m., according to the Westmoreland County Public Safety department.

Source: Plane makes landing with collapsed gear at Rostraver Airport; pilot not injured

Target 11 Exclusive: City of Pittsburgh paid $50,000 for drones, never used them

It has been four years since the city of Pittsburgh purchased two high-tech drones at a cost of more than $50,000. But Target 11 Investigator Rick Earle has learned they’ve never been used. Earle wanted to know why the drones have never gotten off the ground. He questioned the city’s new public safety director, Lee Schmidt.

Schmidt said the biggest concern is privacy. He said he’s working on a policy that will outline the proper uses of drones by city departments. Target 11 requested a copy of that policy but so far has not received the copy.

Source: Target 11 Exclusive: City of Pittsburgh paid $50,000 for drones, never used them

F-35 crashes at Hill Air Force Base; pilot ‘made his best effort to avoid any buildings’

HILL AIR FORCE BASE — An F-35A Lightning II fighter jet crashed at Hill Air Force Base on Wednesday around 6:15 p.m.

Officials say the pilot ejected and was recovered by emergency crews. The pilot was taken to a medical center for observation.

Brock Thurgood, who owns property in South Weber near the base, said the pilot landed near his property after ejecting. Thurgood said he heard a loud boom and saw smoke, so he got on an all-terrain vehicle to investigate, along with his daughter and two other nearby residents.

“We went up there and as we’re driving down the Canal Road … looking for a way to get up there, we looked over and saw him,” Thurgood said. “He was waving his arms and yelling and walking down towards us and it was the pilot. I don’t really think there’s much to say other than that he’s OK, and that’s the most important part.”

Source: F-35 crashes at Hill Air Force Base; pilot ‘made his best effort to avoid any buildings’

Planes flip at Orlando Executive Airport, leaving 1 dead

One person is dead and another was sent to the hospital after a plane at the Orlando Executive Airport flipped over during severe weather Thursday, according to the Orlando Fire Department.

The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed two people were inside the plane when it flipped over at about 5 p.m. The plane was holding for takeoff on a taxiway while the weather was unfavorable, according to a spokesperson for the airport.

The spokesperson said another plane that flipped over did not have anyone inside it.

“Unfortunately, that system moved in so fast, it was so severe with very heavy gusty winds that it actually flipped the airplane,” said Orlando Executive Airport director and air traffic controller, Judith-Ann Jarrette.

Source: Planes flip at Orlando Executive Airport, leaving 1 dead

Passenger plane pilots ‘fall asleep at 37,000 feet’ and fly past airport – YouTube

Two pilots on an Ethiopian Airlines flight reportedly fell asleep and missed their landing, according to the commercial aviation news site Aviation Herald.

The Boeing 737-80 was en route to Ethiopia from Sudan on Monday when the pilots dozed off, causing the aircraft to fly past the runway at Addis Ababa Bole International Airport.

Air traffic control tried to contact the crew multiple times but could not reach anyone, Aviation Herald reported. Eventually, an alarm sounded in the plane waking the sleeping pilots, according to the news site.

The pilots safely landed the plane about 25 minutes later.

Ethiopian Airlines, Africa’s largest airline, did not confirm that the pilots fell asleep but said it received a report about a flight temporarily losing communication with air traffic control.

“The flight later landed safely after communication was restored,” the airline said in a statement.

The involved crew was “removed from operation” pending an investigation, the statement continued.

Incident: Ethiopian B738 at Addis Ababa on Aug 15th 2022, pilots asleep

By Simon Hradecky, created Thursday, Aug 18th 2022 20:09Z, last updated Saturday, Aug 20th 2022 19:10Z

An Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737-800, registration ET-AOB performing flight ET-343 from Khartoum (Sudan) to Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), was enroute at FL370 when the pilots fell asleep. The aircraft continued past the top of descent maintaining FL370 and continued along the FMC route set up for an approach to runway 25L without descending however. ATC tried to contact the crew numerous times without success. After overflying runway 25L at FL370 the autopilot disconnected, the disconnect wailer woke the crew up who then maneouvered the aircraft for a safe landing on runway 25L about 25 minutes after overflying the runway at FL370.

The aircraft remained on the ground for about 2.5 hours before departing for its next flight.

ADS-B data confirm the information, The Aviation Herald received, showing the aircraft maintained FL370 until after overflying the runway before the aircraft began to descend and maneouver for another approach.

On Aug 20th 2022 the airline confirmed the incident advising that both pilots have been suspended pending further investigation. Appropriate action will be taken based on the outcome of the investigation.

https://flightaware.com/live/flight/ETH343/history/20220815/0140Z/HSSK/HAAB

Source: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/pilots-ethiopian-airlines-flight-reportedly-fall-asleep-miss-landing-rcna44062

4 of 5 Marines killed when their aircraft crashes in Southern California desert, federal source says

A U.S. Marine transport aircraft carrying five Marines went down Wednesday afternoon in a remote part of Southern California.

A federal source tells CBS News four of the five were killed. There was no word on the fate of the fifth.

The MV-22 Osprey, belonging to the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, went down in a desert area near Glamis, California, Maj. Mason Englehart confirmed to CBS News. The crash occurred at around 12:25 p.m. local time.

There was no word on the fate of the fifth. The crash occurred about 50 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border.

Source: 4 of 5 Marines killed when their aircraft crashes in Southern California desert, federal source says

Plane diverted to Pittsburgh due to possible medical situation onboard

An American Airlines flight from Phoenix, Arizona to New York City was diverted to Pittsburgh International Airport early Tuesday morning.

The plane was diverted due to a possible medical situation onboard.

Allegheny County 911 dispatchers said police and paramedics had been called to the airport.

The condition of the person who experienced the medical problem has not been released.

Source: Plane diverted to Pittsburgh due to possible medical situation onboard

Small plane crashes into Florida bridge, killing one person and injuring 5, officials say – CNN

(CNN)A small plane crashed Saturday into the Haulover Inlet Bridge in Florida’s Miami-Dade County, killing one person and injuring five others, authorities said.

The Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement a single-engine Cessna aircraft flying from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport lost power and struck a vehicle on the bridge while landing.
The plane carrying a pilot and two passengers was traveling northbound and hit a SUV traveling southbound before catching fire, the Miami Dade Police Department said in a news release.
Once firefighters put out the flames, they discovered a deceased person inside the plane, the release said.
A woman and two toddlers were inside the SUV and transported to a local hospital for medical evaluations.
Video taken from the balcony of a nearby hotel by Miami resident Alex Huberman showed the small, wrecked plane on fire, with dark smoke rising from it.
Several feet away from the plane was a maroon-colored SUV, which appeared to have sustained extensive damage, the video shows, suggesting it may be the vehicle the plane struck when attempting to land.
Huberman said he saw at least two people get out of the plane, adding several people were put on stretchers by emergency personnel.

Source: Small plane crashes into Florida bridge, killing one person and injuring 5, officials say – CNN

Boeing 737-800: What we know about the plane that crashed in China – CNN

A Boeing 737 carrying 132 people crashed early Monday in China. Although Boeing’s 737 has faced extraordinarily high-profile safety concerns over the past three years, the plane that crashed Monday was a different version of the aircraft than the embattled 737 Max that shook Boeing to its core.

The crashed China Eastern Airlines plane was a Boeing 737-800. It’s the most common version of Boeing’s jets now in service, and it is the workhorse of many airlines’ fleets.
Tracking services FlightAware and Flightradar24 reported this plane is the China Eastern Airlines Boeing 737-800 aircraft that crashed Monday with 132 people on board. This is a file photo taken on a Chinese tarmac in February 2022.

There are 4,502 of the 737-800s now in service worldwide, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium, making it by far the most common Boeing aircraft in use today. It is the most common plane model in the United States, where there are 795 in service, as well as in China, which has 1,177 in service. And it’s the second-most-common plane in use worldwide, behind only the A320 made by Boeing (BA) rival Airbus (EADSF).

Source: Boeing 737-800: What we know about the plane that crashed in China – CNN

Helicopter crashes into waves off crowded Miami beach

Federal agencies are investigating the crash of a helicopter with three passengers into the Atlantic Ocean close to swimmers and sun bathers in Miami Beach, Florida, on Saturday.

Source: Helicopter crashes into waves off crowded Miami beach | Reuters

A helicopter crashed into the ocean near a crowded beach in Miami on Saturday afternoon, according to the Miami Beach Police Department.

Source: Florida helicopter crashes into ocean near crowded beach | Fox News

4 people survive medical helicopter crash in Pennsylvania after “miracle” landing

All four passengers on a medical helicopter carrying a 2-month-old baby girl to a hospital in Pennsylvania survived when that helicopter crashed next to a church on Tuesday afternoon, CBS Philly reported. Officials called the landing, which also did not injure anyone on the ground, a “miracle.”

A pilot, a crew member, a nurse and the infant were taken to local hospitals and are in stable condition with non-life threatening injuries, Upper Darby Fire Chief Derrick Sawyer said at a press conference Tuesday afternoon.

The medical chopper was heading to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia from Maryland when it crashed near the Drexel Hill United Methodist Church in Delaware County just before 1 p.m., CBS Philly reports. According to FlightAware, the helicopter took off from Hagerstown, Maryland, at 10:29 a.m. Tuesday and landed in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, less than 10 minutes later. Then at 12:06 p.m. the helicopter took off from Chambersburg before crashing 47 minutes after that. The helicopter appears to have maintained its speed while rapidly dropping in altitude.

All four victims were out of the aircraft by the time authorities arrived, Upper Darby Police Department Superintendent Timothy M. Bernhardt said.

Source: 4 people survive medical helicopter crash in Pennsylvania after “miracle” landing

Officers pull pilot from crashed plane seconds before train slams into it

Los Angeles police at the scene of a plane crash Sunday pulled a bloodied pilot to safety seconds before a train smashed into the wreckage.

The crash of the single-engine Cessna 172 on tracks near county-run Whiteman Airport, a one-runway facility in L.A.’s northeastern San Fernando Valley, put its injured pilot in a precarious position as a double-decker commuter train barreled in its direction shortly after 2 p.m., authorities said.

Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said in a statement that the plane went down at a busy intersection after taking off from Whiteman. “The pilot was the only person on board,” he said.

Multiple officers from the Los Angeles Police Department’s Foothill Division, based about a half-block away, blocked the roadway with their SUVs as one officer stood at the tracks in the direction of the oncoming train in an apparent attempt to warn the conductor, according to body camera footage released by the LAPD.

But the train from taxpayer-supported Metrolink, which says it’s the nation’s third-largest commuter rail system in miles covered, roared ahead, its horn as crossing arms were down and warning bells rang.

Two officers yanked at the pilot out of the upright plane as a third and fourth tried to help and warn them that the train was near.

“Go, go, go!” one of the officers yelled as the pilot was dragged along the ground and away from the wreckage.

The span of time between the video’s focus on officers tugging on the pilot in his seat and the collision is roughly 6 seconds. The only thing missing for a Hollywood ending was an exaggerated, unrealistic explosion.

The pilot, who has not been identified, was taken to a trauma center for treatment of unknown injuries, the Los Angeles Fire Department said. No other injuries were reported.

The intersection was closed and the plane, seen on video of the crash site as a crumpled hulk, remained at the scene, the department said. The Metrolink line, which runs to the Antelope Valley in the high desert, was suspended.

Source: Officers pull pilot from crashed plane seconds before train slams into it

El Cajon: Airplane crashes near San Diego, California, authorities report no survivors – CNN

An airplane crashed Monday evening in the El Cajon area of Southern California, leaving no survivors, authorities said.

(CNN)An airplane crashed Monday evening in the El Cajon area of Southern California, leaving no survivors, authorities said.

The plane was scheduled to land at a local airfield when it went down just after 7 p.m, according to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department.
Firefighters found no survivors at the scene, authorities said in a news release, but they did not specify how many victims were found.
No one was hurt on the ground, the Sheriff’s Department confirmed. The medical examiner will investigate and identify the victims once family members have been notified, the release added.
The Sheriff’s Department said the plane was a Learjet, and authorities are uncertain how many people were on board, CNN affiliate KGTV reported.
“When firefighters arrived at the scene there was significant rain occurring and there was a large debris field that stretched about 200 feet,” Lakeside Fire Protection District Chief Don Butz told CNN.

Source: El Cajon: Airplane crashes near San Diego, California, authorities report no survivors – CNN

Michigan plane crash leaves child as only survivor | Fox News

A plane crash on an island off the coast of Michigan killed four passengers and left a child as the lone survivor.

The plane took off from Charlevoix on the state’s lower peninsula and headed for Welke Airport when it crashed on Beaver Island at around 1:30 p.m. on Saturday.

The identities of the passengers weren’t immediately released, and no clear cause was identified immediately following the crash, but on Sunday passengers were identified as realtor Mike Perdue and residents Kate Leese and Adam Kendall, who were developing a vineyard in the area, the Petoskey News-Review reported.

Source: Michigan plane crash leaves child as only survivor | Fox News

Haitian deportees assaulted U.S. pilots, injured three ICE officers

WASHINGTON — Haitians deported from the U.S. on Tuesday assaulted the pilots on board one of the flights when it arrived in Port-au-Prince and injured three U.S. immigration officers, according to a source familiar with internal reports of the incident.

Unrest broke out shortly after a flight carrying single adult men arrived and released the men to Haitian authorities on the airport tarmac. Then, according to the source, several of the men stormed another recently arrived flight carrying families.

The men assaulted the pilots of that plane, who work for a government contractor licensed to fly deportation flights for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, while the families were still on board. Three ICE officers were also attacked on that airplane, each suffering non-life-threatening injuries, the source said.

The attacks come as the United States ramps up its deportations of Haitians after more than 15,000 overwhelmed the U.S. border by congregating under one bridge in Del Rio, Texas in just a matter of days. As of Tuesday, just over 1,000 of the Haitian migrants had been deported to Haiti, according to two sources familiar with the operations.

A total of 4,000 have been either deported or moved to other processing centers along the border, the Department of Homeland Security said.

Source: Haitian deportees assaulted U.S. pilots, injured three ICE officers

Military plane crashes into Texas neighborhood, ejecting crew and damaging multiple homes

A military aircraft crashed in a Texas neighborhood Sunday afternoon, damaging several homes, police said.

The crash happened between the 4000 blocks of Tejas and Dakota in Lake Worth Texas, about 10 miles northwest of Fort Worth.

Source: Military plane crashes into Texas neighborhood, ejecting crew and damaging multiple homes

Spirit flight from Las Vegas to Pittsburgh rejects takeoff

A Spirit Airlines flight from Las Vegas to Pittsburgh ended up with a flat tire a short time after rejecting takeoff because of technical issues.

Spirit said the plane braked safely but while taxiing back to the gate, it experienced a flat tire.

Guests were taken off the plane and given hotel and meal accommodations.

A McCarran International Airport Spokesperson said there were 186 people on board.

No injuries were reported.

Source: Spirit flight from Las Vegas to Pittsburgh rejects takeoff

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