We start the month and end the week with the following stories...
Of note, yesterday had the story of the new ARFF rig at KGJT, today has the story of the UA flight making an emergency landing there for an "odor". Wonder if that new rig got christened?
Have a safe weekend!
Tom
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United flight from Denver makes emergency landing due to ‘odor’ on board
Jacob Factor
DENVER (KDVR) — A United Airlines flight that left Denver
International Airport Wednesday afternoon made an emergency landing in Grand Junction due to an “odor” in the cabin.
The plane, United flight 493, left Denver at 3:19 p.m. Wednesday headed for Las Vegas but landed at Grand Junction Regional Airport just over an hour later.
Flight tracking site FlightAware shows the flight made a U-turn after crossing the Utah-Colorado border to come back into Colorado for the landing.
A United spokesperson confirmed to FOX31 the plane landed safely and no one on board was injured. There were 177 passengers on the plane and six crew members.
The spokesperson said the passengers deplaned normally at the gate so the airline could “address” the odor but did not say the cause or exactly what happened.
According to FlightAware, the plane was set to return to DIA Thursday morning and had scheduled upcoming flights.
https://www.aol.com/news/united-flight-denver-makes-emergency-162015954.html
Medical helicopter lands in Middle TN elementary school parking lot
The Cheatham County School District said teams are working to remove the aircraft.
By Chasity Maynard
CHAPMANSBORO, Tenn. (WSMV) - A Middle Tennessee
school district is working to remove a helicopter that was found Thursday morning in an elementary school’s parking lot.
The helicopter was reported outside of West Cheatham Elementary School shortly before 6 a.m., according to the post from the Cheatham County School District.
The Cheatham County Sheriff’s Office said the elementary school’s vacant parking lot was the best spot emergency responders could find to land the helicopter during an early-morning call.
After first responders loaded a patient into the helicopter, the edge of the empty gurney hit the chopper’s tail rotor, shearing off their edges and forcing the aircraft to be
grounded. Another medical helicopter was rushed to the scene, and the patient was transferred to that aircraft and taken to a hospital.
According to Sheriff Tim Binkley, teams are now waiting for a crew to come tow the damaged helicopter away from the school since it can no longer fly.
“It is in the process of being moved. We wanted our WCES families and employees to be aware as they arrive to school,” a post from the district said. “Thank you for your patience and understanding this morning as we will be working around it for bus transportation and student drop offs.”
The district did not announce any changes to the school’s schedule amid the helicopter removal.
https://www.wsmv.com/2026/04/30/helicopter-found-middle-tn-elementary-school-parking-lot/
RAT Alert: NTSB Investigating Triple "Ram Air Turbine" Deployments
The NTSB has officially opened investigations into three separate incidents involving Airbus aircraft where the Ram Air Turbine (RAT)- the "last resort" emergency wind turbine - was forced into action.
While the RAT is a brilliant piece of engineering designed to provide emergency power, seeing it deployed three times in such a short window has the industry talking.
American Airlines A321 (N556UW) | March 5, 2026
AA-1193 (Philadelphia to Salt Lake City)
While climbing through FL260, the crew faced electrical issues affecting their instruments. After a series of maneuvers and checklists, they diverted to Baltimore (BWI).
Residents under the approach path reported a "very strange sound" - the unmistakable high-pitched drone of the RAT spinning
The NTSB confirmed both generators failed, triggering the RAT deployment.
Delta Airlines A319 (N334NB) | March 19, 2026
DL-521 (Los Angeles to Dallas Ft. Worth)
Mid-flight, went dark as electrical power was temporarily lost. The crew declared an emergency but managed to restore partial power and land safely in Dallas.
Investigation reveals that despite power being restored, both primary generators had failed, causing the RAT to drop to keep critical systems alive for the 131 passengers on board.
American Airlines A319 (N9010R) | February 11, 2026
AA-3249 (Fort Lauderdale to DCA)
Cruising at FL270 south of Charlotte (CLT), the aircraft suffered a total loss of primary generator power.
The RAT deployed immediately, providing the hydraulic and electrical pressure needed to get the plane safely onto the ground in Charlotte 30 minutes later.
For those new to the page, the Ram Air Turbine is a small, retractable propeller that automatically deploys from the fuselage or wing to provide emergency hydraulic or electrical power if both engines fail or all primary power is lost. It uses the plane's speed and airflow to spin a propeller, allowing pilots to maintain control by powering critical instruments and flight controls.
Is this a string of bad luck, or is there a common thread behind these dual-generator failures?
We’ll be watching the reports closely.
NTSB Final Report: Titan T51
The Lower Right Landing Gear Weldment Failed On Landing Due To Fatigue Cracking
Location: Madisonville, Tennessee Accident Number: ERA24LA255
Date & Time: June 8, 2024, 10:08 Local Registration: N512JA
Aircraft: Titan T51 Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Defining Event: Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power) Injuries: 1 Minor
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Personal
Analysis: After landing, the pilot felt a violent tailwheel shimmy and the airplane veered left. He applied full right rudder and brakes, but the airplane continued to veer toward the left edge of the runway. The right main landing gear collapsed, followed by the left main landing gear, and the airplane departed the runway onto the grass. Postaccident examination found that both of the lower main landing gear weldments had fractured, in addition to the tailwheel attachment link.
Metallurgical analysis determined that the lower right landing gear weldment failed on landing due to fatigue cracking that originated at multiple locations on the weld and propagated over time. The remaining fracture surfaces on the right landing gear, left landing gear, and tailwheel link showed overstress, most likely due to the landing sequence.
According to the pilot, the weldment made to the right landing gear was not fabricated by the airplane’s kit supplier. It was fabricated about 12 years before the accident flight by a 3rd party welder whom he hired to repair damage from a previous accident. The pilot said that he did not observe any detectable issues with the weldment before the accident.
Probable Cause and Findings: The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be -- The failure of the right main landing gear weldment due to fatigue cracking.
FMI: www.ntsb.gov
Today in History
69 Years ago today: On 1 May 1957 An Eagle Aviation Vickers Viking crashed while returning to Blackbushe Airport, United Kingdom, with an engine failure, killing 34 occupants; one survived the accident.
| Date: | Wednesday 1 May 1957 |
| Time: | 21:20 |
| Type: | Vickers 610 Viking 1B |
| Owner/operator: | Eagle Aviation Ltd. |
| Registration: | G-AJBO |
| MSN: | 241 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1947 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 488 hours |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 34 / Occupants: 35 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed, written off |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Star Hill - United Kingdom |
| Phase: | Approach |
| Nature: | Passenger - Non-Scheduled/charter/Air Taxi |
| Departure airport: | Blackbushe Airport (BBS/EGLK) |
| Destination airport: | Tripoli-Idris Airport (TIP/HLLT) |
| Confidence Rating: | Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
Narrative:
An Eagle Aviation Vickers Viking crashed while returning to Blackbushe Airport, United Kingdom, with an engine failure, killing 34 occupants; one survived the accident.
Viking G-AJBO was on a trooping flight to Idris, Libya when it took off from Blackbushe (BBS) at 21:14 UTC. Two minutes after takeoff the crew reported .. "a port engine failure I am making a left-hand circuit to come in again". When the aircraft was turning to finals, at 1200yds from the threshold, the left wingtip struck the ground and the aircraft crashed inverted in a wood and caught fire.
PROBABLE CAUSE: "The failure of the captain to maintain height and a safe flying speed when approaching to land on one engine after the failure (or suspected failure) of the port engine for reasons unknown."
