A passenger on Southwest Flight 737 from Baltimore to Nashville, which was forced to make an emergency landing after a football-sized hole developed in the fuselage, captured the scene with his cellphone.
Here’s the video by John Benson:
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Posts Tagged ‘plane’
Kenya seizes coffin-stashed ivory
July 14th, 2009 |
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Kenyan authorities have seized 300kg (660 lbs) of illegal ivory hidden in coffins on a plane bound for Laos.
The haul included 16 elephant tusks and black rhinoceros horns. Officials said the blood on the ivory suggested the animals had been killed very recently.
The flight – which stopped in Nairobi – originated in Mozambique and was bound for Thailand and then Laos.
The haul of ivory may have had a value of about one million dollars (£614,000,000), Reuters reports.
Officials from Kenya’s Wildlife Service said the ivory might have come from Tanzania or South Africa.
The black rhino is found only in eastern and southern Africa.
The international ivory trade has been banned since 1989. The sale of ivory is illegal if the ivory is not from pre-1989 stockpiles.
However, some countries have done little to enforce the ban. </p
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Bride’s bouquet brings down plane
July 14th, 2009 |
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Isidoro Pensieri threw bouquet from plane but flowers flew into engine causing an explosion and landing him in hospital
Of all wedding customs, the bouquet toss is arguably the most controversial. Described on marthastewart.com as the “suspenseful moment when the single women gather behind the bride – to see who will be the next to get married”, it is scarcely a favourite with feminists.
No one, though, has argued it could prompt life-threatening injuries. Until now.
Isidoro Pensieri, 44, was today recovering at a hospital in Pisa from serious facial and head injuries and two broken legs, sustained when the ultra-light aircraft in which he was travelling crashed near a restaurant at which a wedding reception was being held.
Martha Stewart recommends that to “get the blossoms to the wallflowers”, the bride should stand “on a balcony, the top of a staircase or a chair”. But at this particular wedding in the Tuscan countryside, it was decided to make what proved to be an imprudent break with tradition.
Pensieri was entrusted with the bouquet so that he could cast it dashingly into the outstretched arms of the unmarried female guests as the plane swooped by.
According to Italian news agency reports, however, the flowers disappeared into the tail rotor, causing an explosion in the motor and pitching the ultra-light into a dive. After just missing a hostel in which some 50 young people were gathered, the aircraft plunged to earth in a wood.
The pilot, 61 year-old Luciano Nannelli, escaped unhurt from the crash, which happened near the town of Suvereto, near Livorno.
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Bride’s bouquet brings down plane
July 14th, 2009 |
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The traditional throwing of a bride’s bouquet for luck ended in disaster at an Italian wedding when the flowers caused a plane to crash.
The bride and groom had hired a small plane to fly past and throw the bouquet to a line of women guests, Corriere della Sera reported.
However, the flowers were sucked into the plane’s engine causing it to catch fire and explode.
The aircraft plunged into a hostel. One passenger on the plane was badly hurt.
But about 50 people who had been in the hostel escaped unscathed, as did the pilot.
Entangled
The incident happened at Montioni park in Suvereto, near Livorno, where the wedding reception was being held, Corriere della Sera said.
A passenger on the aircraft, named as Isidoro Pensieri, 44, had the job of throwing the bouquet as pilot Luciano Nannelli flew past.
It is believed the bunch of flowers became entangled as it was thrown, and was sucked into one of the engines.
Ms Pensieri suffered multiple fractures and a head injury. She was taken to hospital in Grosseto by helicopter and then transferred to another in Pisa, Italian media reported.</p
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
British Airways jet evacuated
July 11th, 2009 |
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Passengers escape down emergency slides as flight BA288 prepares for take-off in Phoenix, Arizona
Hundreds of passengers have been evacuated from a British Airways jet after smoke filled the cabin just before take-off.
The Boeing 747 had been preparing to depart for Heathrow from Phoenix Airport in Arizona this morning when passengers reported an acrid smell. All on board escaped down the plane’s emergency slides.
A passenger on flight BA288, Corinne Casazza, said: “There was this really strong smell of fuel and I could hear people panicking behind me. They were upset and finding it hard to breathe because of the smell.
“People were coughing and choking and those with children were very worried and so they brought them to the front where they could breathe.
“We asked if we could open the doors but were told we couldn’t because we were still moving.
“There was a lot of pushing and shoving – everyone just wanted to get off the plane.”
Another passenger said the cabin filled with smoke and people had to cover their faces because of the smell.
“It was horrific – it smelt like rubber burning, or something like that,” she said.
No serious injuries were reported but about 15 people had minor cuts and bruises
A BA spokesman said: “The plane was being pushed back from the stand when there were reports of smoke. A decision was taken to evacuate the aircraft following the usual procedures.”
Fire crews found smoke in the cabin and in the cargo compartment, but no fire was discovered, said a spokeswoman for Phoenix fire department. Safety officials believed the smoke and smell were caused by an electrical problem.
BA has organised hotel rooms for the stranded passengers while engineers examine the plane.
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds