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Thursday the 5th of June, 2025

These are the stories for today...

Out in the Bay area with family for a few days, so the timing may seem off in getting the Morning Report published.

Be safe out there!

Tom

Ryanair passengers are 'thrown against the ceiling' with nine injured as extreme turbulence hits flight from hell over Europe, leaving terrified air crew in tears

By ELENA SALVONI

Nine people have been injured after a Ryanair flight was hit by severe turbulence, with crew and passengers left in tears and the plane forced to make an emergency landing.

The Berlin to Milan flight encountered thunderstorms over southern Germany, with reports that people were thrown from their seats into the cabin ceiling as the plane was buffeted.

One terrified passenger recounted to German outlet BILD: 'I've never been scared before - but at that moment, I thought the plane was going to break apart or roll over!'

Several passengers are reported to have been out of their seats when the plane was struck by the turbulence, with a mother and baby said to have been on the toilet when the plane was shaken.

Some passengers claimed that they were not sufficiently warned to put their safety belts on, according to BILD.

The severe conditions forced an unscheduled landing in Memmingen, southern Germany, where pictures show the passenger jet on the tarmac alongside emergency vehicles.

Passengers were reportedly kept on the plane for several hours leaving the shaken travellers 'irritable' and 'agitated'.

Emergency services met passengers off the plane after the flight's captain requested medical assistance ahead of landing.

The landing in Memmingen is said to have been 'safe and without incident'. There were 179 passengers on the plane and six crew members.

Three of those who were injured were reportedly hospitalised, including a two-year-old who suffered bruises, a woman who sustained a head laceration and another passenger who had back pain.

Other passengers were treated for injuries at the scene, police said.

Pictures shared online by one passenger show medics and emergency responders on board, and later assisting people in the Memmingen airport waiting room.

Ryanair said last night that a replacement flight had been arranged to take passengers to Milan and apologised to those affected.

Police, however, had said in their Wednesday statement that the airline was organising a bus transfer because local aviation authorities did not immediately clear onwards flights.

In a statement today the airline said: 'FR8 from Berlin to Milan on 4th June diverted to Memmingen after experiencing some air turbulence.

'To get passengers to their final destination as quickly as possible, we arranged for alternative transport from Memmingen to Milan that night, as well as a replacement flight this morning. We sincerely apologise to passengers affected by this diversion.'

Ryanair warned of possible disruptions to its service to and from Germany due to severe weather on Wednesday.

Storms battered the region last night, with strong winds ripping the roofs off multiple homes and causing damage to others, leaving some inhabitable.

Officials believe that a small tornado could have struck the area, with Germany's weather service said to be investigating what caused the destruction.

Last month, footage showed terrified passengers screaming as severe turbulence, a hail storm and a bird strike struck a flight over India.

The flight bound for Srinagar departing from the capital, New Delhi, was subjected to extreme weather conditions on Wednesday.

Videos taken from inside the cabin show the moment panic spread, with people heard screaming as flashes of lightning illuminated the inside of the plane.

In March, five passengers were injured by extreme turbulence that forced a United Express flight to make an emergency landing in Texas.

And in November, extreme turbulence threw people into the cabin ceiling when it hit a passenger jet flying from Stockholm to Miami, forcing the plane to turn around and head back to Europe.

The Scandinavian Airlines flight, which was supposed to take over nine hours, was almost at its destination when it had to make a U-turn and head all the way back.

After experiencing the turbulence over Greenland, the packed aircraft returned to a base in Copenhagen to undergo checks over concerns about technical issues.

A passenger on the flight, who was travelling with his wife, posted footage showing screaming passengers as the plane was rattled by the turbulence.

A woman sitting in his row is then flung upwards. 'Look at her feet touching the [ceiling]!' he wrote. 'I thought we were going to [die]'.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14782691/Ryanair-passengers-ceiling-nine-injured-turbulence-flight-Europe-terrified-air-crew.html

Two people, dog rescued from Indian River after crash of small plane off Melbourne Beach

J.D. Gallop

Two people were rescued from the Indian River after a small twin engine Piper airplane crash landed just offshore of Melbourne Beach June 4, Brevard County Fire-Rescue officials reported.

The pilot, a passenger and a dog were pulled aboard a water rescue vessel but did not need further medical attention, the agency reported. The pilot was not identified.

The incident happened about 1:50 p.m. in the 3100 block of River Villa Way. Several fire rescue units responded to the scene.

The four-seater aircraft, described as a Piper PA-23, sank beneath the river with only its tail sticking up above the water, according to the FAA.

The plane's point of departure and destination were not immediately known.

The FAA will investigate the crash.

https://www.floridatoday.com/story/news/2025/06/04/two-rescued-from-indian-river-following-plane-crash-off-melbourne-beach/84032798007/

Spokane International Airport conducts emergency drill with staged actors for first-responder training

Tori Luecking, Derek Strom

SPOKANE, Wash. -- The Spokane International Airport is making sure it is prepared for potential crisis situations with a full-scale emergency exercise.

On Wednesday, GEG hosted a drill to allow first responders and the airport's Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting department to practice their emergency preparedness.

The exercise staged a mock aircraft incident and included 65 actor 'victims' to help simulate a real emergency.

The drill was designed to mimic a 2024 situation at Toronto Airport in which a plane left the runway after landing.

COO of Spokane International Airport said the number of actors used is close to what they would expect to have on a regional flight to or from Spokane.

Actors portrayed a variety of injuries and called for attention from ambulances, prompting EMTs to figure out who needed to be treated first and how.

"Looking at that we can see how many injuries there were, what types of injuries they were and we can ballpark that. We always want to make sure we have enough injuries and types of injuries to make it a valuable exercise for our participants," Sheehan said.

He said it is also important to see how long it takes non-airport first responders to arrive on the scene.

"We rely on other agencies responding to assist us in emergencies like this. So, seeing the length of time it takes them to arrive is really important so we can adequately prepare for that gap," Sheehan said.

Overall, he said he was impressed and pleased with the drill and that GEG will continue to look to other airports to see how they prepare for emergencies.

"The preparation never ends. So fortunately, we don’t have a lot of real-world incidents that we have to respond to of this type. So we do a lot of practice, we do a lot of discussion and a lot of table-top exercises.”

The Federal Aviation Administration requires the airport conduct a full-scale drill every three years.

The training did not interfere with the airport's normal operations.

https://www.kxly.com/news/spokane-international-airport-conducts-emergency-drill-with-staged-actors-for-first-responder-training/article_7e18414b-4b99-4d41-bea3-6a7248d6978d.html

NTSB Final Report: Cessna U206

Jumper’s Emergency Parachute Deployed Out Of The Airplane And Subsequently Drug Him Into The Horizontal Stabilizer

Location: Butler, Missouri Accident Number: CEN24LA197
Date & Time: May 25, 2024, 13:00 Local Registration: N29173
Aircraft: Cessna U206 Aircraft Damage: Destroyed
Defining Event: AC/prop/rotor contact w person Injuries: 1 Serious, 6 None
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Skydiving

Analysis: The pilot reported that during a skydiving flight, the first jumper scraped his emergency parachute handle while moving toward the jump door. The jumper’s emergency parachute deployed out of the airplane and subsequently drug him into the horizontal stabilizer. The pilot stated that he heard a loud “bang” and focused on maintaining control of the airplane. After the remaining jumpers exited the airplane, the nose of the airplane “dropped straight down.”

The pilot was able to release his seat restraints, open a cargo door and exit the airplane. The pilot noticed the airplane’s empennage was bent as it spiraled into a field. The pilot opened his emergency parachute and landed safely with the other jumpers. The first jumper sustained serious injuries. The airplane was destroyed when it impacted a field near the departure airport. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

According to the first jumper, his D-ring style emergency parachute handle was unknowingly caught on something. While he was positioning himself to the aft door, still unaware of the handle being caught, the ripcord was pulled about 4 inches causing the emergency parachute to deploy and subsequently pulled him into the airplane’s empennage.

Probable Cause and Findings: The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be -- The jumper’s unintentional deployment of his emergency parachute and subsequent impact with the airplane’s horizontal stabilizer.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov

Today in History

75 Years ago today: On 5 June 1950 A Westair Transport Curtiss C-46 ditched into the sea off Florida, USA, after both engines lost power, killing 28 occupants; 37 survived the accident.

Date: Monday 5 June 1950
Time: 22:03
Type: Curtiss C-46F-1-CU Commando
Owner/operator: Westair Transport
Registration: N1248N
MSN: 22496
Year of manufacture: 1945
Total airframe hrs: 2890 hours
Engine model: P&W R-2800-75
Fatalities: Fatalities: 28 / Occupants: 65
Other fatalities: 0
Aircraft damage: Destroyed, written off
Category: Accident
Location: 480 km E off Melbourne, FL, USA -    Atlantic Ocean
Phase: En route
Nature: Passenger - Non-Scheduled/charter/Air Taxi
Departure airport: San Juan-Isla Grande Airport (SIG/TJIG)
Destination airport: Wilmington-New Hanover County Airport, NC (ILM/KILM)
Investigating agency:  CAB
Confidence Rating:  Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:
A Westair Transport Curtiss C-46 ditched into the sea off Florida, USA, after both engines lost power, killing 28 occupants; 37 survived the accident.

The fully laden Curtiss C-46, which was 258 pounds in excess of the mtow, departed from San Juan, Puerto Rico, at 17:24 for Wilmington. Approx. 21:45 the crew noticed that the indicated right engine oil quantity had fallen from 32 gallons to 20. Immediately after this was observed, the left engine backfired and lost power. Application of carburetor heat and adjustment of fuel mixture and other engine controls were ineffectual, so the left propeller was feathered. The aircraft was headed toward Nassau, the closest island with an adequate landing field. Power settings for the right engine were increased to 2400 rpm and 30 in manifold pressure. The cruising altitude of 6,500 feet was maintained for about five minutes. Shortly afterwards the crew observed that the indicated oil quantity for the right engine had fallen from 20 to 15 gallons. At about the same time the crew also observed that the right engine was overheating with an indicated cylinder head temperature of nearly 300 degrees centigrade. Because of this condition, the captain began a voluntary descent to ditch before complete right engine failure occurred. An attempt was made to hold altitude at 200 feet above the water until shore stations could obtain radio bearings. The right engine speed decreased from 2400 to 2250 rpm and could not he increased. Airspeed was then reduced to between 100 and 110 mph by retarding the right throttle, and the aircraft was ditched about 20 minutes after the malfunctioning of the left engine began. The wing flaps and landing lights were not used. At the time, the weather was clear and the wind was from the southwest at approximately 10 miles per hour.
As soon as the aircraft came to rest in the water, the crew entered the cabin where they opened the main cabin door and the emergency exits. The emergency exits were not opened prior to the ditching as prescribed in the company's Operation Manual. Some of the passengers then climbed out onto the wings, and others jumped into the sea. All seven of the 10-man life rafts were thrown overboard, five floated away in the darkness because their retaining ropes were not held, two were inflated The three crew members and 34 of the 62 passengers were able to swim to and board the two life rafts. During the night five flares were fired at intervals but were not observed. A company C-46, which had remained in the search area, reported at 23:21, one hour and eighteen minutes after the ditching, that they saw a blinking light on the water. A fix was established and the following morning a Coast Guard aircraft located the survivors, and shortly afterwards the USS Saufley, a US Navy destroyer, drew alongside and rescued those in the two life rafts. The position of the rescue was 27 degrees 51'north latitude and 75 degrees 22'west longitude.

PROBABLE CAUSE: "The malfunctioning of both engines from causes unknown."

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