We feature 3 recent incidents in this post: Ryanair B737 and Azores Airlines A321neo narrowly avoid collision in Porto, while Lufthansa’s Buenos Aires-Frankfurt B747-8 flight faced diversions twice. In addition, twelve passengers and crew members were injured on a Hawaiian flight to Sydney due to turbulence.
Close Call: Ryanair B737 Almost Lands on a Departing Azores A321neo
A Ryanair Boeing 737 and an Azores Airlines Airbus A321neo had a close call at Porto Airport in Portugal, raising concerns about a potential incident.
The close call involved a Ryanair Boeing 737-800, with registration EI-DLX, which was operating flight FR4585 from Barcelona to Porto and an Azores Airlines Airbus A321-200N, registered as CS-TSI, operating flight S46473 from Porto to Madeira.
At approximately 16:46 local time (15:46Z), Flight FR4585 was cleared to land on runway 35. However, as the Ryanair aircraft was on a short final to runway 35, descending about 250 feet above ground level and about 1 nautical mile short of the runway threshold, the crew noticed that the Azores Airlines aircraft was positioned on the runway.
The Azores Airlines A321neo had been cleared to line up on runway 35 earlier but was still awaiting takeoff clearance at the time of the incident. Approximately four minutes after the Ryanair go-around, the Azores Airlines aircraft became airborne.
To avoid a potential collision, the Ryanair crew initiated a go-around and promptly informed the tower of the situation. The aircraft subsequently positioned for another approach and landed safely approximately 17 minutes later.
The incident that took place on 26th June, has triggered investigations by Portugal’s ATC organization (NAV) and the Accident Investigation GPIAAF.
Turbulence Injures Twelve on Hawaiian Airlines Flight to Sydney
On 30th June 2023, twelve passengers and crew members on board a Hawaiian flight from Honolulu to Sydney were injured after it encountered severe turbulence over the Pacific Ocean. The turbulence sent passengers flying out of their seats.
The Hawaiian Airlines Airbus A330-200, with registration N393HA, was performing flight HA451 from Honolulu to Sydney with 163 passengers and 12 crew members on board. However, while the aircraft was en route over the Pacific Ocean about 5 hours into the flight, it encountered severe turbulence causing injuries to a number of cabin crew and passengers.
Footage shared on the internet shows the damage sustained to the aircraft and the oxygen masks that were deployed as well.
There was a doctor on board who provided first aid to the injured, initially 4 passengers and 3 cabin crew. The aircraft continued to Sydney for a safe landing about 10.5 hours after departure from Honolulu, as reported by the Aviation Herald.
“(The) service from Honolulu to Sydney encountered unexpected severe turbulence. Four passengers and three flight attendants were initially treated by a doctor onboard and our crew members, in consultation with physicians on the ground.”
Hawaiian Airlines Spokesperson
Upon arrival in Sydney, 12 people were assessed by paramedics. Some of the passengers were reportedly lifted out of their seats and hit the cabin ceiling. One passenger and three staff members were taken to hospital with injuries and back pain.
“There were a lot of people who weren’t wearing seatbelts, and so they just flew up. I did see a couple of crew running back and forth with sick bags, probably because of the shock and the adrenaline rush of it.” one of the passengers said.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is currently investigating the incident.
Unlucky Lufthansa Boeing 747 Diverts Twice
On 27th June 2023, a Lufthansa Boeing 747 flying from Buenos Aires to Frankfurt was forced to divert twice, prolonging the flight time to 21 hours, instead of the usual 13 hours.
The Boeing 747-8 with registration D-ABYU was performing flight LH511 from Buenos Aires to Frankfurt.
The first diversion occurred about five hours into the flight when a passenger on board suffered a medical emergency. The plane diverted to Natal Airport in Brazil, where the passenger was taken to a hospital.
Flight LH511 then resumed its flight to Frankfurt, but it was forced to divert again. This time, the diversion was due to the fact that the crew had reached their maximum duty time. The 747 diverted to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, where the crew was replaced and the flight continued on to Frankfurt.
“Lufthansa flight LH511, a daily scheduled flight from Buenos Aires to Frankfurt, was diverted to Natal due to a medical emergency with one of the passengers on board requiring medical attention upon landing. The flight departed from Natal and headed to Frankfurt via Paris for a crew change.”
Lufthansa Spokesperson