AVIATION NEWS BRIEFS

*A LUFTHANSA CITYLINE Avro RJ85 had to make an emergency return yesterday, due to smoke in the cockpit. Flight 3529 was on International Service from Linz, Austria, to Frankfurt, Germany, with 61 passengers and 4 crew members onboard. The crew declared an emergency shortly after departure, reporting smoke in the cockpit. The crew also reported smoke was developing in the front of the passenger cabin. The Avro landed back to Linz without incident, and was met by Emergency Services. According to media reports, 1 passenger was treated on scene for unspecified injuries. In a brief statement, the Airline reported that de-icing fluid had entered the air conditioning system, which caused the smoke. The incident is under investigation.

*A VUELING A320 had to perform a go-around yesterday, due to a runway incursion at Milan, Italy. Flight 6394 was on International Service from Barcelona, Spain, to Milan, Italy, with 130 passengers and crew onboard when the incident took place. According to local media, Flight 6394 was on finals for landing at Milan, when ATC noticed a service car on the runway. ATC ordered the A320 to perform an immediate go-around, however the flight crew had already seen the car and had already begun the go-around. Flight 6394 landed without incident about 10 minutes later. Milan Airport Police stopped the car and took the driver into custody for questioning. In a brief statement, Italy's Civil Aviation Authority has opened an investigtion into the incident.

*A SAUDI ARABIAN Boeing 777 had to make an emergency return to New York JFK on Saturday, November 28, after having gear problems. Flight 22, on International Service to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, was on its initial climb out of JFK, when the crew requested to level at 7000 feet. The crew reported that the left main gear door would not close and requested to circle while they attempted to troubleshoot the problem. Unable to fix the problem, the crew climbed to 11000 feet and circled for another 20 minutes in order to dump fuel. The Photo above was taken while the 777 was dumping fuel. Flight 22 landed back at JFK without incident, about 50 minutes after its initial departure.

*A CHINA WEST Boeing 737 was damaged after suffering a bird strike, on Friday, November 27. Flight 6105 was on Domestic Service from Chongqing to Kunming, China, when it struck a bird on finals into Kunming. The 737 landed without incident. Post flight inspection revealed damage to the aircraft, the extent of which is unknown.