Page 858 - Disaster Accident
8 dead in Nepal plane crash, toll may rise
At least eight people were killed when a US-Bangla airline crash-landed and caught fire at the Tribhuvan International Airport here on Monday.However, other unconfirmed reports have mentioned that the death toll could be as high as 30.According to The Himalayan Times, rescue operations were underway and passengers were being taken out from the burning plane.Emergency respondents and ambulances had reached the crash site when the incident took place.The plane was coming from Dhaka with 67 passengers on board.Many Kathmandu-bound flights have been asked to change the route or return, while flight operations have been suspended until further notice.Further details are awaited.
DGCA grounds 11 A320 neo planes on Pratt & Whitney engine woes
Aviation regulator DGCA today grounded 11 A320 neo aircraft powered by a certain series of Pratt & Whitney engines following instances of engine failures during flights. Of these, 8 are operated by IndiGo and 3 by GoAir. The decision comes hours after an A320 neo aircraft of IndiGo suffered engine failure mid-air and made an emergency landing at Ahmedabad airport. Citing safety of aircraft operations, the DGCA said, A320 neos fitted with PW1100 engines beyond ESN 450 have been grounded with immediate effect. "Both IndiGo and GoAir have been told not to refit these engines, which are spare with them in their inventory," the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said in a release. The regulator would be in touch with the stakeholders and review the situation in due course and when the issue is addressed by European regulator EASA and P&W, it added. Earlier in the day, Civil Aviation Secretary R N Choubey had said that an appropriate decision would be taken today. On ...
Temporary ban on trekking post Kurangani forest fire
In wake of the forest fire near Kurangani hills of Tamil Nadu, trekking in the area has been temporarily prohibited."The Kerala Chief Secretary and Chairman of State Disaster Management authority issued directions on Monday that trekking to the hills should be stopped until all fire lines are cleared," said Kerala's Principal Chief Conservator of Forest PK Kesavan.The fire that broke out in Theni district of the state on Sunday has claimed nine lives till now.The Indian Air Force (IAF) was pressed into action by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman after reports of the forest fire surfaced.On Monday morning, 16 commandos of the Garud Commando Force and four choppers from the IAF, with one of them at standby, arrived here to commence the search and rescue operation.As many as 27 people have been rescued, out of which ten suffered minor injuries while eight sustained serious injuries.
India aviation regulator orders grounding of 11 jets fitted with P&W engines
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India's aviation regulator on Monday ordered immediate grounding of certain Airbus A320neo aircraft operated by IndiGo Airlines and GoAir fitted with Pratt & Whitney engines made by United Technologies Corp.
Plane with 71 on board crashes at Kathmandu airport, 8 dead (Third Lead)
An aircraft of the US-Bangla Airlines with 67 passengers and four members on board crash-landed at the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) here on Monday, leaving casualties and injuring 17 people.
Over 50 killed in Nepal plane crash, says official
Over 50 people are feared dead after a US-Bangla Airlines aircraft today crashed and caught fire at Nepal's Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) here, a top Nepalese official said. The plane, a Bombardier Dash 8 Q400, with 67 passengers and four crew members caught fire after it careened off the runway during landing and crashed onto a football ground near the airport, TIA spokesperson Prem Nath Thakur said. "Over 50 people are feared dead. We are carrying out rescue work. We are collecting details," Raj Kumar Chhetri, TIA General Manager, was quoted as saying by My Republica. It said more than 20 injured were taken to Kathmandu Medical College for treatment of which seven were brought dead at the hospital. The remaining are undergoing treatment for serious burn injuries. The flight, UBG 211, was en route to Kathmandu from Dhaka, Bangladesh. The aircraft took off from Dhaka and landed at the airport at 2:20 pm (local time). Plumes of black smoke could be seen rising from the football
Plane with 71 on board crashes at Kathmandu airport
An aircraft of the US-Bangla Airlines with 67 passengers and four members crash-landed at the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) here on Monday, triggering fears of fatalities, officials said.
Bangla plane crashes in Nepal, 8 killed
A US-Bangla Airlines aircraft with 67 passengers and four crew members on board today overshot the runway and crashed at Nepal's international airport here, killing at least eight people, officials said. The plane caught fire after it careened off the runway during landing and crashed onto a football ground near the airport, the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) spokesperson, Prem Nath Thakur, was quoted as saying by the Kathmandu Post. Thakur said 25 people were rescued and taken to Kathmandu Medical College, Teaching Hospital in Sinamangal. However, eight of those rescued were pronounced dead upon arrival, he added. Plumes of black smoke could be seen rising from the football ground where the plane crashed. "The plane shoot off the runway while it was about to crash into the hanger and immediately caught fire," an airport official was quoted as saying by the Himalayan Times. The officials, however, have suspected technical glitch as the cause of the incident. The aircraft took ..
Practical test for vehicle licence to be videographed: Delhi govt to HC
The AAP government has decided to videograph the practical test for motor vehicle licences to bring more transparency in the process of issuing driving permits, the Delhi High Court was informed today. The Delhi government told a bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar that the entire exercise has been put into operation, starting today, in all the 13 zonal offices of the transport department, and an agency has been appointed to record the video. The transport department also apprised the high court that the video of driving tests would be uploaded on its website. Noting the submissions, the court said the step would bring in more transparency in the entire mechanism and would go a long way in allaying apprehensions of corruption. It directed the Delhi government to file a compliance status report in eight weeks and posted the matter for next hearing on May 22. The government had earlier told the high court that it has taken steps to control the issuance ..
Govt to take decision on P&W engine issue today: Choubey
The Civil Aviation Ministry will take a decision today on the safety aspects of certain Pratt & Whitney engines powering A320 neo planes, a senior official said today amid instances of problems with such engines during flight. The possibility of aircraft having such engines being grounded till the issues are resolved has not been ruled out. In the latest incident, an IndiGo flight operated with A320 neo aircraft today suffered engine failure and made an emergency landing at Ahmedabad airport. "We will take an appropriate decision by evening today," Civil Aviation Secretary R N Choubey said here. Responding to queries related to P&W engine problems, he said the decision would basically be on safety aspects. The aspects of "how to fly, when to fly, under what conditions to fly, not to fly", would be taken into consideration, he said. When asked whether aircraft with such engines would be grounded, Choubey said, "I would not go into the details." He added: "Aircraft with one ...
Bangla plane carrying 67 passengers crashes in Nepal
A US-Bangla Airlines plane carrying 67 passengers today crash landed after catching fire at Nepal's international airport here, officials said. It was not immediately clear if there were fatalities. The plane carrying 67 passengers and four crew skidded off the runway while landing at the Tribhuvan International Airport. At least 17 people on board had been rescued, authorities said. The plane caught fire after it careened off the runway during landing and crashed onto a football ground near the airport, the TIA spokesperson Prem Nath Thakur was quoted as saying by the Kathmandu Post. The aircraft took off from Dhaka and landed at the airport at 2:20 pm (local time). All the flights to and from TIA have been halted after the crash.
Plane crashes at Kathmandu airport
An aircraft of the US-Bangla Airlines from Dhaka to Kathmandu crash landed at the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) here on Monday, officials said.
Ker temporarily bans trekking in forest areas after TN fire incident
The Kerala government today temporarily banned trekking in state forest areas in the backdrop of the fire at Kurangani hills in neighbouring Tamil Nadu, in which nine people were killed. A decision to this effect was taken by the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority, a statement issued by the chief minister's office said. As many as nine people, who were part of a trekking expedition were killed in the forest fire at Kurngani hills near Theni district, about 500 km from Chennai, yesterday. The State Forest Department has been directed to take all necessary precautions to prevent forest fires, the statement quoted Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan as saying. He added that the Authority was closely monitoring the situation. The Idukki district collector and police superintendent were given instructions to assist the rescue operations undertaken by Tamil Nadu officials immediately when it was known that the fire had broken out in Theni district on the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border, ...
New York plane crash: 3 more lost lives
Three more people lost their lives in the New York plane crash that happened on Sunday, taking the total death toll to five.The pilot of Eurocopter AS350, who managed to go down the New York's East River during the clash, remained to be the sole survivor in the incident, authorities say.According to media reports, a preliminary investigation revealed an audio recording of the pilot to LaGuardia Airport informing about an engine failure in the helicopter.Earlier it had been reported that the Liberty Helicopters chopper was chartered for a private photo shoot.According to police, the chopper is in the water around 23rd Street, New York and it has put in a request for a barge with a crane to pull it outOne of the eyewitnesses to the incident informed an emergency CPR was performed on one of the victims."Emergency responders pull one person out of the water, wrapped him in a white blanket and placed him in an ambulance at about 8 p.m. About an hour later, three people were taken out of ...
Nine die in TN forest fire, probe ordered
Nine trekkers have died in a massive forest fire on the Kurangani Hills here in Tamil Nadu, an official said on Monday. Chief Minister K. Palaniswami ordered a probe into the incident.
Indigo-neo aircraft suffers engine failure in Ahmedabad
Engine faliure on an Indigo Airbus-neo aircraft caused emergencies to be declared at the Ahmedabad airport on Monday morning.The airport director reassured that all passengers were safe.Engine problems on the recently acquired Airbus A-320 neo aircrafts, powered by Pratt and Whitney engines, had reportedly caused the airlines to ground three such aircrafts, as they reportedly had mid-air shutdowns.
Engine failure forces IndiGo flight to return to Ahmedabad
A mid-air engine failure forced an IndiGo flight bound for Lucknow to return to Ahmedabad, where it made an emergency landing this morning, an official said. The Airbus A320 Neo plane, which had 186 passengers on board, landed safely, Ahmedabad Airport director Manoj Gangal said. The aircraft, powered by Pratt & Whitney Neo engines, returned to Ahmedabad after being airborne for over 40 minutes, he said. "At around 9.38 am...the pilot of the aircraft reported failure of the second engine and requested for returning the flight to the Ahmedabad airport," Gangal said. Subsequently, a full emergency was declared to enable the aircraft to land safely, he said. There were 186 passengers on board, he added. A response on the incident was awaited from IndiGo.
Forest Fire: Garud commandos, helicopters pressed into service
Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman today said an advanced light helicopter (ALH) will be pressed into service for rescuing those trapped in the forest fire in Tamil Nadu, due to the hostile terrain. Nine people, who were part of a trekking expedition, have been killed so far in the fire, that started yesterday in the state's Theni district and has engulfed long stretches of forest area. Several people are feared to be trapped inside the forest. Citing the difficult terrain as a major hindrance in conducting operations seamlessly, Sitharaman said, "We are also bringing in an ALH, which is a light helicopter so that the manoeuvrability will be better because this cliff is almost a vertical hillock, which goes up very sharply and there is not much not of a level ground where they can land." Therefore, the operation has to be done winching the survivor or the dead, she told reporters here. The defence minister said 16 Garud commandos -- a special force of the Indian Air Force -- have ...
Five killed in New York chopper crash
At least five people were killed when a helicopter plunged into New York City's East River, authorities said on Monday.
No survivors in Turkish private plane crash: Iran media
All 11 people on board a private Turkish plane that crashed in southwestern Iran died in the incident, Iranian state media reported today. Turkish and Iranian officials said there were eight passengers and three crew aboard the plane, which crashed in the Zagros Mountains on Sunday evening during a flight from Sharjah to Istanbul. Turkish media reports said the eight passengers were Mina Basaran, the daughter of a leading Turkish businessman, and seven of her friends who had spent the past days in the United Arab Emirates to celebrate her marriage. The crew, including the two pilots, were also all female, the reports said. There was no immediate indication as to the cause of the crash. Iran's state news agency IRNA said rescuers at the site had found 10 bodies, which were to be taken by helicopter to the Shahr-e Kord airport, about 400 kilometres (250 miles) south of Tehran. Rescue workers are continuing to search for the eleventh body, it said, adding that all the corpses so far ...