Flight Safety Information July 20, 2012 - No. 148 In This Issue Smoke on Plane Causes Dramatic Emergency Landing Two Australians killed in Alaska air crash Helicopter crashes in Malaysian part of Borneo island Boeing 737-230 Landing Accident (Chile) ARGUS PROS Aviation Auditing Smoke on Plane Causes Dramatic Emergency Landing An American Eagle flight bound for Chicago was diverted first because of bad weather, but as the plane was about to land smoke began to fill the cabin, causing passengers to jump from the aircraft after it landed safely. All 53 people and four crew members on board made it out safely, although American Airlines reported one passenger injured an ankle. American Airlines Flight 3773 took off from Denver on Wednesday but was diverted to Peoria International Airport because of bad weather. As the plane approached for landing, smoke began pouring from the ceiling of the aircraft. Many frightened passengers believed something was burning above in the plane's ceiling, but American Airlines released a statement overnight saying there was no fire on board and "we have concluded that the smoke came from a house fire near the Peoria airport ... not from the aircraft." "Right as we are landing, we smelled burnt rubber," said passenger Rita Bentley after the emergency landing. "And I was sitting next to two flight attendants and we all said, something must be burning." Chris Pyle began shooting video of the smoke as it filled the cabin. "All of a sudden smoke started coming out of the ceiling." Pyle said his thoughts turned to his children while other passengers prayed. "It was eerily quiet on the plane. No one was screaming. Everyone was just very concerned about what was going on." After the plane landed, passengers were instructed by the flight crew to exit immediately via the emergency exits over the wings of the aircraft. Not wasting any time, the captain stopped the plane shortly after landing, and that's when the passengers began exiting the plane and jumping onto the runway. One passenger managed to take a cell phone video of the dramatic landing and upload it to YouTube. "This is how we just got off this freaking plane," he said on the video. "No joke." "I remember looking down at the wing thinking, 'Oh my gosh. Well this is something I have to do.' So I just jumped," said Bentley. All the passengers and flight crew on board made it out safely, though American Airlines reported one passenger injured an ankle. "It was an experience," said Bentley. "I've always been an adventurous person, but I never thought I'd have that kind of adventure." http://abcnews.go.com/US/smoke-plane-dramatic-emergency- landing/story?id=16817832 Back to Top Two Australians killed in Alaska air crash ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Reuters) - Two visitors from Australia were killed in a fiery small plane crash in Alaska's interior, the Alaska State Troopers said on Thursday. The Piper PA32 crashed on Wednesday about 39 miles north of Fairbanks, the troopers said. Searchers alerted to the plane's emergency located its burning wreckage late in the day and confirmed that both people aboard the plane were killed. Back to Top Helicopter crashes in Malaysian part of Borneo island; 3 passengers missing, pilot rescued KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) - A helicopter has crashed into a river in a Malaysian state on Borneo island, leaving three people missing. A Malaysian fire department official says the chopper with four people on board went down in Sarawak state early Friday. The official, who declined to be named because he does not have the authority to speak to the media, says the German pilot was rescued by local fishermen. Police could not be reached immediately for comment. The Star newspaper said on its website that the pilot, 35-year-old Rko Steger, swam for four hours before he was rescued. It said a rescue team was dispatched to the area to find the three missing passengers, who were believed to be engineers. Back to Top Boeing 737-230 Landing Accident (Chile) Status: Preliminary Date: 18 JUL 2012 Time: ca 17:00 Type: Boeing 737-230 Operator: Sky Airline Registration: CC-CRQ C/n / msn: 22135/781 First flight: 1981-07-13 (31 years ) Engines: 2 Pratt & Whitney JT8D-15 Crew: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: Passengers: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 84 Total: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: Airplane damage: Substantial Location: La Serena-La Florida Airport (LSC) (Chile) Phase: Landing (LDG) Nature: Domestic Scheduled Passenger Departure airport: Antofagasta-Cerro Moreno Airport (ANF) (ANF/SCFA), Chile Destination airport: La Serena-La Florida Airport (LSC) (LSC/SCSE), Chile Flightnumber: 101 Narrative: A Boeing 737-200 passenger jet, operated by Sky Airline, sustained substantial damage to the right hand wing in a landing accident at La Serena-La Florida Airport (LSC), Chile. There were no injuries. Sky Airline flight SKU-101 departed Antofagasta (ANF) at 15:35 on a domestic flight to La Serena (LSC). The visibility at La Serena was deteriorating but was still reported to be about 6000 m at the time of the approach. Just prior to touchdown the airplane banked right and the right hand wing tip contacted the runway. The pilot aborted the landing and executed a go around. It appeared that the right hand wing tip was deflected upwards and had sustained substantial damage. There was also some damage to a flap fairing. The crew decided to diverted to Copiapó- Chamonate Airport (CPO) where a safe landing was made. www.aviation-safety.net Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP, FRAeS, FISASI CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC