AVIATION NEWS BRIEFS

*An AIR BERLIN Boeing 737 was damaged on takeoff from Dusseldorf, Germany, yesterday, November 28. Flight 6438, on Domestic Service to Berlin, reported a bump just after passing V1 while on their takeoff roll. The crew continued its takeoff, and decided to continue on to Berlin after receiving no abnormal indications. The 737 landed without incident in Berlin. A post flight inspection revealed that 1 of the main gear tires had burst, most likely while on the takeoff roll in Dusseldorf. The 737 was then removed from service for repairs.

*On Friday, November 27, just days after beginning scheduled service, an AIR FRANCE A380 had to return to New York JFK. AF Flight 7, on International Service to Paris, France, was climbing out of JFK, when the crew reported they could not accept clearance to climb above 28000 feet due to problems with the autopilot. The crew leveled at 28000 feet, and continued to fly E, while attempting to troubleshoot the problem. About 30 minutes later, the crew reported they were unable to fix the autopilot and requested return. The A380 landed back at JFK without incident, about 2 hours after its initial departure. After 4 hours on the ground, the aircraft was cleared to resume its flight to Paris.

*A SWISS A340 had to return 2 days in a row to Zurich, Switzerland, due to problems after takeoff. On Thursday, November 26, Swiss Flight 188 was on International Service from Zurich to Shanghai, China, when the crew reported engine problems while overhead Austria. After shutting down the inner right hand engine, the crew returned to Zurich, where they landed without incident. The A340 was removed from service for repair, and was released for a flight on Friday, November 27. Flight 92 was on International Service from Zurich to Sao Paulo, Brazil, with 220 passengers and crew onboard. While climbing thru 15000 feet on departure, the crew reported that they could not retract the flaps, and requested return. Flight 92 then circled for 90 minutes to dump fuel, and then landed back at Zurich without incident. The aircraft in question, pictured above, was once again removed from service for repairs.