Plane crash lands in Nigeria; no casualties
A B737 passenger airplane overshot a runway while landing in Nigeria and crashed nearby. An airport official who requested anonymity because he is not allowed to speak to the press said no one was hurt and that there was no structural damage to the aircraft. AP
Report of smoke odor returns plane to Logan
A Delta MD88 flying from Boston to New York LaGuardia was forced to return to Logan International Airport Friday night after a passenger reported smelling smoke, officials from the Massachusetts Port Authority and the FAA said. The emergency landing was uneventful.Boston Herald
Oberstar to introduce Aviation Safety Bill
Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman James L. Oberstar, D-Minn., will introduce an aviation safety bill Tuesday. The bipartisan bill is co-sponsored by ranking member John L. Mica, R-Fla., and Aviation Subcommittee Chairman Jerry F. Costello, D-Ill. Representative Oberstar's office said the bill is intended to push the Federal Aviation Administration away from what critics call a too cozy relationship with the airlines it regulates. The legislation follows from testimony delivered by FAA whistleblowers and others at the T&I Committee's April 3 hearing. Traffic World
Fuel costs continue to punish airlines
U.S. passenger airlines saw first-quarter 2008 costs grow at 31%, which is the fastest pace since the second quarter of 1980, according to the Air Transport Association of America. The cost increase is less than the 38.1% increase in the price for finished energy goods reported Tuesday by the U.S. Commerce Department for the first six months of the year, perhaps indicating that cost-containment measures by the airlines are helping somewhat. Fuel was, of course, the largest component of the index. The average price paid for fuel increased 50.8 percent and it accounted for 29.4 percent of first-quarter operating costs. Labor made up 20.9 percent of first quarter costs. Transport-related expenses were another 14 percent of the index. Traffic World
Soccer staffers subdue naked passenger at 30,000 feet
On an American flight bound from Boston to Los Angeles, three New England Revolution soccer team staffers subdued a disturbed man as he moved to possibly open an emergency exit at 30,000 feet. The flight was diverted to Oklahoma City, where the passenger was taken off the plane.
The unidentified passenger, who was reportedly crying in his seat, went to the restroom and emerged naked. Flight attendants covered the man with a blanket and escorted him back to his seat. He started to get dressed again, but then stood up and walked up the aisle. It appeared he was returning to the restroom until he swerved at the last minute and approached one of the doors, putting a hand on the emergency handle. At that moment, three Revolution staffers and another man wrestled him away from the door. The flight attendants then manacled him with plastic restraints. Goal.com
Airport continuity of operations papers published
Your attention is invited to a series of papers in the Journal of Emergency Management on the subject “Maintaining the functionality of airports during disaster responses.” The first paper, published in JEM’s November-December 2007 (vol. 5, no. 6), dealt with airports during responses to natural disasters and pandemics. The second paper, published this week (May-June 2008, vol. 6, no. 3), deals with airports during humanitarian responses to manmade disasters (wars, terrorism, civil wars, and riots) when the airport itself may be threatened. The final paper is scheduled for publication in the July-August 2008 (vol. 6, no. 4) issue of JEM. It will offer proposals for solutions to the problems analyzed in the case studies in the first two papers. The keys throughout depend on close coordination and cooperation between airports and emergency management agencies/multiagency coordination entities. The authors of the three papers are Sandy Waggoner, Arthur Rabjohn, Avi Bachar, and your blogger.
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