Monday Was a Strange Day in the Skies
Jeff Edwards September 23, 2014
Monday witnessed a slew of inflight mechanical issues, emergency landings and odd coincidences in the air.
Monday was an unusual day for air travel in the United States.
Four American Airlines flights either originating in or headed to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) were forced to make emergency landings due to mechanical issues. Two flights were forced to return to DFW only five minutes apart. Two other American flights bound for DFW were forced to divert and make emergency landings, one because of smoke in the cockpit and another due to a cracked windshield.
Also on Monday, a Logan International (BOS) to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) Virgin America flight was forced to make an emergency landing in Omaha (OMA) after an unstable passenger repeatedly attempted to open the plane’s cabin door. There was also late word from the Honolulu Star Advertiser that Hawaiian Airlines pulled several planes from service to perform emergency inspections after damage was found to the cabin door of one of the airline’s Airbus 330-200s.
Monday’s busy day for investigators followed two dramatic emergency landings late last week, including a Southwest flight that made a high-speed, emergency landing at LAX following a wing-flap failure and a JetBlue plane that was forced to return to Long Beach Airport (LGB) after an engine issue inflight caused the aircraft’s cabin to fill with smoke.
It is worth noting that there were no serious injuries associated with Monday’s incidents. Commercial air travel is and remains the safest mode of transportation by a wide margin. The safety protocols that govern when and how emergency actions occur is one of the reasons the airline industry boasts such an envied safety record.
[Photo: iStock]
Just say what you are trying to say. Statistically these incidents shouldn't happen that many that often together in such a short span of time. Might this be the work of terrorists testing new ways to bring terror to a nation? It is no secret they are among us now, working at everyday jobs, it's only a matter of time when they can do some seriously damage if they have the right job with the right access and the right tools.