AVIATION NEWS BRIEFS

*An AIR FRANCE Boeing 777 had to make an emergency landing at Sao Paulo, Brazil, yesterday. Flight 454 was on International Service from Paris, France, to Sao Paulo, with 259 passengers and 16 crew members onboard. While on approach to Sao Paulo, the crew declared an emergency, reporting a hydraulics failure. The crew requested the longest runway at Guarulhos Airport, and the 777 landed without incident. The aircraft was removed from service for inspection and repairs.

*A VLADIVOSTOK AVIA A330 had to divert while enroute over Russia yesterday. Flight 459 was on Domestic Service from Vladivostok to Moscow, with 163 passengers and crew onboard, when the incident took place. The crew requested diversion shortly after departure, reporing possible problems with the retraction of the landing gear. The A330 was diverted to Khabarovsk, Russia, where it landed without incident. The aircraft was removed from service for inspection and possible repairs.

*An AMERICAN AIRLINES Boeing 777 had to divert while enroute over Japan yesterday. Flight 167 was on International Service from New York JFK to Tokyo, Japan, with 196 passengers and crew onboard, when the incident took place. While inflight near Sapparo, Japan, the crew requested emergency diversion after a female Flight Attendant showed symptoms of a heart attack. Flight 167 was diverted to Sapparo, where it landed without incident. The F/A was transported to a local hospital via helicopter, however died a short time later. Flight 167 later departed for Tokyo, where the 777 landed without incident.

*A GARUDA INDONESIA Boeing 737 had to reject takeoff at high speed yesteday, at Medan, Indonesia. Flight 183 was on Domestic Service from Medan to Jakarta, Indonesia, with 134 passengers and crew onboard, when the incident took place. The crew rejected takeoff after severe vibrations were felt from the entire airframe. The crew was able to stop the aircraft on the runway, however several tires did deftate. The Medan Airport was shut down for several hours in order to tow the aircraft and clean up the debris from the runway. Garuda said that the tires were not the cause of the vibrations, thus the aircraft has been removed from service for a full inspection.

*A TRANSAERO Boeing 737 had to divert while enroute over Kazakhstan, on Tuesday, December 8. Flight 255 was on Domestic Service from Atyrau to Almaty, Kazakhstan, with 81 passengers and 9 crew members onboard, when the incident took place. While inflight, the crew requested diversion, reporting different fuel flows by the engines, which can signal a fuel leak. The 737 was diverted to Kzyal-Orda, Kazakhstan, where it landed without incident. In a brief statement, Transaero said that Flight 255 had originated in Moscow, Russia. They reported that post flight inspection revealed the problem was due to a faulty sensor, which was replaced. The 737 returned to service later the same day.

*An AIR CANADA A319 had to make an emergency landing in Ottawa, Canada, on November 25. Flight 458 was on Domestic Service from Toronto to Ottawa, with 125 passengers and crew onboard. The crew declared an emergency about 2 miles from landing at Ottawa, reporting the failure of the green hydraulics system. The aircraft was able to land without incident. In a brief statment, the Canadian TSB said the aircraft had lost all fluid from green hydraulics system. The A319 has since been repaired to returned to service.