Flight Safety Information May 16, 2011 - No. 100 In This Issue Mystery jet crash data recovered, investigators say Flight returns safely to New York after bird strike Cathay Pacific flight emergency lands in Singapore Emergency landing of American Airlines jet in Ark AirTran: Pilot removed from flight after suspicion he was 'impaired' Delta flight diverts to Orlando with engine worry Mystery jet crash data recovered, investigators say Paris (CNN) -- Investigators trying to determine why an Air France plane crashed mysteriously two years ago have recovered the complete contents of the flight data recorder and the last two hours of cockpit conversation, they announced Monday. It will take several weeks to analyze the data, French air accident experts said. All 228 people aboard Air France 447 were killed when the Airbus A330 belly-flopped into the ocean June 1, 2009, in stormy weather. The cause of the crash is still not known. The cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder were found at the beginning of May after an unprecedented series of submarine searches of a mountain range 3,900 meters (12,700 feet) under the ocean. They were brought to the surface and taken to Paris by ship and plane. The investigators also recovered two bodies from the fuselage -- after finding only about 50 bodies in the days immediately after the crash. They will not bring more bodies up from the ocean if they cannot identify the two they already have, they said Thursday. Those two bodies are being examined to see if there is enough DNA to identify them, investigators said, adding that they hope to have results by Wednesday. If they can identify the remains, they will consider bringing up other bodies from the wreckage. The bulk of the plane was located earlier this year and contains many more human remains, according to investigators from France's Bureau of Investigation and Analysis (BEA). Recovering more bodies will be a difficult task, with miles of cable required to bring each one up over a period of three hours, they said. Investigators also brought an engine and an avionics bay containing computers to the surface, they said. The pilots of Air France 447 lost contact with air traffic controllers on June 1, 2009, while flying across an area of the Atlantic known for severe turbulence, officials said. But exactly what caused the plane to plunge into the ocean remains a mystery. The plane slammed into the water while en route from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to Paris, falling so fast that air masks did not have time to deploy. The fuselage was discovered in April with bodies still inside, investigators said. Some relatives of those who died have expressed reservations about remains being brought to the surface. Last month Robert Soulas, head of a support group for families of flight victims, said: "For me, personally I would like to leave the bodies of my children, my two children, on the seabed." Other relatives have called for the bodies to be recovered. Back to Top Flight returns safely to New York after bird strike BOSTON (Reuters) - A bird strike forced a JetBlue flight bound for Aruba back to New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport shortly after takeoff on Saturday, officials said. JetBlue flight 757 landed safely back at the airport after a bird strike during the plane's late morning departure, said Alex Headrick, a spokesman for the airline. The Airbus A320 aircraft had 104 passengers and five flight crew aboard, he said. No injuries were reported and passengers were transferred to a airplane. Maintenance teams are evaluating any damage to the aircraft, Headrick said. In January 2009, a bird strike effectively disabled both engines of an Airbus A320 leaving New York's LaGuardia airport and forced an emergency landing in the Hudson River. Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger glided the crippled US Airways plane onto the water in what is known as the "Miracle on the Hudson." Back to Top Cathay Pacific flight emergency lands in Singapore SINGAPORE (AP) - The engine of a Cathay Pacific plane caught fire in mid-flight Monday, forcing the jet to make an emergency landing in Singapore. None of the 149 people on board was injured. The Airbus A330-300 took off from Singapore heading to the Indonesian capital of Jakarta in the early hours of Monday but was forced to turn around less than an hour into the flight after engine trouble, Singapore's Changi Airport said in a statement. Firefighters extinguished the fire and the runway was back in use about an hour later, the airport said. It was the second time in less than a year that an Airbus plane had to make an emergency landing in Singapore because of engine problems. A Qantas A380 turned around shortly after takeoff on Nov. 4 when one of its Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engines blew apart. Qantas grounded all six of its A380s for 19 days after the accident. Cathay Pacific and Rolls Royce - who made the Trent 700 engine - are investigating the incident, the carrier said in a statement. "We can appreciate the concern and anxiety felt by the passengers during the incident, but our captain and his crew were in control of the situation at all times," the Hong Kong-based airline said. "They reacted exactly as they are trained to do, shut down the affected engine and returned the aircraft safely to Singapore." ******* Date: 16-MAY-2011 Time: 01.32 Type: Airbus A330-343X Operator: Cathay Pacific Registration: B-HLM C/n / msn: 386 Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 136 Other fatalities: 0 Airplane damage: Minor Location: Near the Island of Paula Singkep - Indonesia Phase: En route Nature: International Scheduled Passenger Departure airport: Singapore Destination airport: Jakarta Narrative: SINGAPORE - Singapore's international airport says a Cathay Pacific Airbus A330-300 made an emergency landing after an engine caught fire. Changi Airport said in a statement that flight CX715 took off from Singapore heading to Jakarta at 1:12 a.m. Approx. 20 minutes after takeoff there was a loud bang from one of the engines. The plane returned to Singapore and landed at 1:57 a.m. The airport said firefighters extinguished the fire and normal flight operations resumed on the runway about an hour later. The airport would not say how many passengers were on board the flight. A Cathay Pacific spokesman was not immediately available to comment. Sources: http://www.anhourago.in/show.aspx?l=8536006&d=502 Back to Top Emergency landing of American Airlines jet in Ark. LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) -- A report of an engine fire forced an American Airlines flight to make an emergency landing Sunday, though no fire was found when the plane safely landed in Arkansas, authorities said. Little Rock National Airport officials said Flight 1720 landed at 4:08 p.m., about 15 minutes after the pilot declared an emergency. The twin-engine MD 80 jet was traveling from Dallas to Washington. The plane was carrying 136 passengers and five crew members. No injuries were reported, Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Elizabeth Isham Corey said. Corey said no fire was found on the flight but declined further comment, saying she couldn't discuss ongoing FAA investigations. Such investigations can take several weeks, she said. Airport officials said the plane taxied to a ramp under its own power and was tugged to a gate. Mechanics were being called in to troubleshoot, and the airport was working to make sure passengers got to their final destination of Dulles International Airport in Washington. American Airlines officials did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment. Back to Top AirTran: Pilot removed from flight after suspicion he was 'impaired' (CNN) -- The captain of an AirTran Airways flight was removed from his aircraft after he was suspected of being impaired, the airline said Sunday. The incident occurred at Minneapolis-St. Paul International airport Saturday as AirTran Flight 501 was preparing to take off for Milwaukee, the airline said in a brief statement. The pilot was not identified by the airline, which did not elaborate in its statement on the pilot's condition beyond describing him as "allegedly impaired." CNN affiliate KARE quoted airport spokesman Pat Hogan as saying a Transportation Security Administration manager smelled alcohol on the pilot at a security checkpoint. Airport police performed a breath test, KARE reported, and the test indicated the pilot's blood alcohol content was .05% -- above the Federal Aviation Administration commercial airline limit of .04%. In its statement, AirTran said the captain was "quickly replaced" and the flight left after a 35-minute delay. "We are coordinating with local officials to determine appropriate next steps regarding this allegation," AirTran said. "The captain involved in this incident will not fly for AirTran Airways during the investigation." KARE reported that the pilot was taken into custody by police and later released. Back to Top Delta flight diverts to Orlando with engine worry ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- An engine problem forced a Delta Air Lines pilot to divert a flight to Orlando. Atlanta-bound Flight 1402 departed from Daytona Beach International Airport Sunday evening. Delta spokesman Trebor Banstetter tells the Orlando Sentinel that the captain diverted to Orlando "out of an abundance of caution after detecting an engine issue." Banstetter says the flight landed safely in Orlando. The passengers were put on a new airplane and flown to Atlanta. Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC