*Today, October 1, is the 44th anniversary of the 1st fatal crash of a DC9 aircraft. On October 1, 1966, WEST COAST AIRLINES Flight 956 was on Domestic DC9 Service from San Francisco, California, to Seattle, Washington, with stops in Eugene and Portland, Oregon. The DC9, which has just been delivered to West Coast Airlines 2 weeks previous, arrived in Eugene from SFO at 7:34pm. At 7:52pm, the aircraft departed Eugene, bound for Portland, with 13 passengers and 5 crew members onboard. At 8:04pm, Flight 956 was cleared to descend from 14000 to 9000 feet. While turning to a new heading, the airliner descended below the clearance altitude and struck the Eastern slope of Salmon Mountain at 4090 feet, at 8:10pm. All 18 passengers and crew onboard were killed in the crash. Despite an intensive investigation, the cause of the crash was never determined. No evidence of in-flight structural failure, fire, or explosion was found. The DC9 was equipped with a FDT and a CVR. Although both were recovered from the wreckage, only the FDR was able to be analyzed. Among the data recovered from the FDR, investigators learned that at the time of the crash, the aircraft was being flown by autopilot. After being cleared to descend to 9000 feet, the aircraft descended in a normal manner to 4000 feet and then leveled off. Finally, just 2 seconds before impact, an abrupt climb was initiated which led investigators to believe that at the last moment, the crew saw the Mountain in front of them.
*ROYAL JORDANIAN Flight 175, on International ERJ190 Service from Amman, Jordan, to Kiev, Ukraine, with 77 passengers and crew onboard, had to return to Amman, yesterday, September 30. While inflight overhead Syria, the crew reported an unspecified engine malfunction and requested return. The ERJ landed back at Amman 70 minutes later without incident. The aircraft was repaired and was able to complete its flight to Kiev later in the day.
*SOUTHWEST AIRLINES Flight 2730, on Domestic Boeing 737 Service from San Francisco to Los Angeles, California, encountered turbulence of unreported strength while on approach to LAX, on Wednesday, September 29. The 737 landed without incident, however the FAA reported that a Flight Attendant suffered minor injuries in the incident. The FAA is investigating.
*UPS Flight 2954, on Domestic A300 Cargo Service from Dallas/Ft Worth, Texas, to San Jose, California, with 2 crew members onboard, had to make an emergency landing, on Wednesday, September 29. While descending from 9000 to 6000 feet, on approach to San Jose, the crew reported issues with the spoilers which were causing uncommanded rolls. After turning the systems off, the crew was able to regain control of the A300 and make a safe landing in San Jose. The aircraft was removed from service for a full inspection. An investigation has also been launched into the incident due to the possibility that the spoilers deployed uncommanded.
*CANADIAN NORTH Flight 438, on Domestic Boeing 737 Service from Iqaluit, NU, to Ottawa, ON, Canada, with 34 passengers and crew onboard, had to make an emergency return, on Wednesday, September 29. The crew shut down the left hand engine while on their initial climb out of Iqaluit, due to technical problems. The crew then leveled off at 6000 feet and returned to Iqaluit, where they landed without incident, about 20 minutes after their initial departure. The 737 was removed from service for repairs.
*CHENGDU AIRLINES, formerly UNITED EAGLE AIRLINES, Flight 2768, on Domestic A320 Service from Wenzhou to Chengdu, with 100 passengers and crew onboard, had to make an emergency diversion, on Wednesday, September 29. While inflight near Wuhan, China, the cockpit windshield cracked with a loud bang, followed by a slow loss of cabin pressure. Passengers began to complain of ear pain and shortness of breath. The A320 was diverted to Wuhan, where it landed without incident. The aircraft was removed from service for inspection and repairs. In a brief statement, the Airline said the windshield may have cracked due to a possible bird strike. The incident is under investigation.
*AMERICAN AIRLINES Flight 51, on International Boeing 777 Service from London Heathrow to Dallas/Ft Worth, had to reject takeoff, on Monday, September 27. The crew rejected takeoff at low speed after hearing a loud bang from an engine. The crew was able to stop the aircraft on the runway and later taxi to the apron. The 777 was removed from service for repairs.
*THOMAS COOK SCANDANAVIA Flight 965, was on International A321 Service from Helsinki, Finland, to Chania, Greece, when a passenger was injured, on Thursday, September 23. Upon arrival in Chania, a passenger tripped and fell down the stairs and was knocked unconscious as the passenger was exiting the aircraft. The passenger was transported to hospital with serious injuries. The Danish Havarikommission is investigating.
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