We close out the week with the following stories...
Have a safe weekend!
Tom
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Greek F-16 Emergency Landing Forces Closure of Zakynthos Airport
By Stella Mazonakis
A Hellenic Air Force F-16 fighter jet made a dramatic 
emergency landing at Zakynthos International Airport on Thursday after experiencing a technical malfunction, shutting down the airport’s sole runway and disrupting flights at one of Greece’s most popular tourist destinations.
The aircraft, belonging to the 335 Squadron of the 116th Combat Wing based at Araxos Air Base, was on a training mission when the incident occurred around 13:45 local time.
The pilot managed to land safely and was unharmed. The Hellenic Air Force confirmed that an investigation is underway to determine the cause of the malfunction.
According to Greek media reports, the pilot received an onboard fire warning prior to landing. The jet reportedly touched down without its landing gear deployed, slid along the runway, and caught fire after coming to a stop. These details have not been officially confirmed by the Air Force.
Videos shared on social media captured firefighters quickly extinguishing flames around the aircraft shortly after it halted. 
The emergency prompted authorities to immediately close runway 16/34 — the airport’s only runway. A Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) was issued, limiting operations to government, military, and emergency medical helicopter flights until the jet could be removed.
The closure caused widespread delays for both arriving and departing flights throughout the day, with some services pushed into the evening.
Zakynthos International Airport is a key seasonal hub that handles heavy charter and scheduled traffic during the summer months, particularly from the United Kingdom and other European countries. The incident occurred just as the island entered its peak tourist season.
https://greekcitytimes.com/2026/07/10/greek-f-16-emergency-landing-zakynthos-airport/amp/
Ryanair Passenger ‘Sucked Out of Window’ as Boeing 737 Suffers Explosive Decompression Shortly After Takeoff
by Mateusz Maszczynski
A passenger on a Ryanair flight from the Greek holiday resort of Thessaloniki was reportedly partially sucked out of the plane’s window when it suffered an explosive decompression on Friday morning.
The incident involved Ryanair flight FR-1879 from 
Thessaloniki (SKG) to the German town of Memmingen (FMM) in Bavaria.
The flight was operated by an 18-year-old Boeing 737-800 which is painted in Ryanair’s normally livery but operated by the Irish low-cost carrier’s Maltese subsidiary Malta Air.
According to flight tracking website Flight Radar 24, the aircraft departed Thessaloniki at 6:12 am on July 10, climbing to a maximum altitude of approximately 16,400 feet before the pilots started a sudden descent to just 6,000 feet.
The reason for the sudden descent was that a cabin window had completely shattered causing a male passenger to be reportedly partially sucked out of the window.
Eyewitnesses described how other passengers clung onto the man and pulled him back inside the aircraft.
Flight tracking logs show that the plane was then put into a holding pattern before being cleared to land back at Thessaloniki Airport around 50 minutes after takeoff.
The male passenger, a 61-year-old from Serbia was rushed to hospital. He is believed to have sustained non-life threatening injuries.
The cause of the accident is yet to be established but initial reports suggest that part of the right hand engine detached during the plane’s initial ascent and struck the window, causing it to completely shatter.
The damage caused an explosive decompression in the cabin and oxygen masks dropped from the ceiling.
The incident appears to be eerily similar to Southwest Airlines flight WN-1380 in April 2018 in which part of the engine cowling (the outer metal cover) detached and struck a cabin window.
One passenger was partially sucked out of the cabin and later died from their injuries. It is the only fatal aircraft-related accident in Southwest Airlines history.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recommended design changes to the engine cowlings of the CFM manufactured engines on Boeing 737 Nextgen aircraft.
Airlines have until July 2028, however, to implement these changes.
Ryanair has been contacted for comment. More follows
Thick smoke just filled the cabin! The flight attendants urgently called the fire department, and the culprit was once again a power bank.
Civil Aviation Tea Party
A Thai Lion Air flight was parked on the international
tarmac at New Chitose International Airport in Hokkaido, Japan, when thick smoke suddenly billowed from the cabin. Flight attendants immediately notified the fire department, shouting, "The power bank is smoking!" Fortunately, none of the approximately 50 passengers on board were injured, and the fire was quickly extinguished.
incident occurred at 1:50 p.m. today (10th) at the New Chitose Airport International Terminal in Hokkaido. A Thai Lion Air flight that was parked on the tarmac suddenly emitted thick smoke from the cabin for unknown reasons.
After noticing the anomaly, the crew realized it was a passenger's portable power bank emitting smoke and immediately notified the fire department and airport authorities.
Local fire departments and Hokkaido Airport Corporation (HAP) stated that there were approximately 50 passengers on board at the time of the incident. Fortunately, the flight attendants reacted quickly, and firefighters arrived promptly to extinguish the fire. No injuries were reported.
https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/LOKXW8uduUbTgn6oIFYW3w
Air Canada plane veers off runway at Montreal airport after landing, no injuries
Officials at Montreal's Trudeau airport warning of operational delays
CBC News
Officials at Montreal's Trudeau airport are warning of operational delays Thursday evening after an incident involving an Air Canada aircraft resulted in a temporary runway closure.
In an email statement to CBC, Air Canada officials said Flight AC774 arriving from Los Angeles around 4 p.m. exited the taxiway after landing.
"No injuries are reported," the statement reads.
The Boeing 737 Max aircraft, carrying 156 passengers and six crew members, landed normally but "sustained a runway excursion and travelled through the grass when exiting the main runway."
By 7:45 p.m., Air Canada confirmed all passengers and crew had disembarked the plane and been transported to the terminal via buses.
Passenger details terrifying ordeal
Barbara Edelston Peterson, a passenger on the flight, told CBC's Ian Hanomansing in a live interview from the airport that she was still shaken by the experience.
Edelston Peterson said it was pouring rain at the time, and she felt something was wrong the moment the plane hit the runway.
"We were going very fast and suddenly there was a big smoke smell and the next thing I knew, we were tumbling on the grass," she said.
"There was smoke, dirt and grass right at my window so I couldn't see outside."
The moments that followed were terrifying, she said. "We didn't know if [it] was going to blow up."
Edelston Peterson said she and the other passengers were stuck in the plane for about three hours before they were able to disembark.
She described the crew as a "class act" for how they handled the aftermath.
Air Canada said it would be towing the plane to a hangar for a "full inspection."
The carrier said it is launching a detailed investigation into the incident and will work with relevant authorities to determine the cause.
Check flight schedules
A spokesperson for Montreal's Trudeau airport said the temporary closure of the runway — one of the airport's two — is causing delays of around 30 minutes for domestic and international flights. Flights to the United States are seeing longer delays of around 45 minutes to an hour, but there were no flight cancellations as a result of the incident.
The runway reopened just before 10 p.m., but passengers should check their flight schedules before travelling to the airport. 
Nav Canada, the non-profit that runs the country's civil air navigation system, told CBC it implemented traffic management measures at the airport, including a temporary ground stop and subsequent flow restrictions.
The measures were put in place "to safely manage arrivals and departures."
Nav Canada said the weather in the region is "also contributing to operational complexity and delays."
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada confirmed it has opened an investigation.
"We are deploying investigators to the scene to gather information and assess the accident," a spokesperson said in an email to CBC.
Written by Annabelle Olivier
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/air-canada-flight-from-los-angeles-exits-taxiway-9.7265017
Three expected to be okay after plane flips after landing at Riverside Airport
By: KJRH Digital , Samson Tamijani, Stef Manchen
TULSA, Okla. — Three people were injured after a plane flipped over at Tulsa Riverside Airport July 9. 
All airport operations were temporarily suspended after the crash, according to Tulsa Riverside Airport, but reopened a little over an hour later.
“A 911 call from the airport let us know that the plane had crashed out here. And actually, the call was somebody from inside the plane," Tulsa Police Department Lt. Joe Gamboa said. "They were able to make the phone call.”
First responders reportedly immediately shut down Runway L as all three inside were taken to a hospital but are expected to fully recover, police said. Some fuel also spilled onto the runway kept air traffic shut down while Tulsa police, fire, and Jenks Fire & Rescue were on scene.
Officials said the plane reportedly had difficulty landing, bounced, then nosedived before flipping over.
“We get calls of what they call an Alert 3," Lt. Gamboa said. "But this was the first time...that we found a plane that was crashed.”
Tulsa Riverside Airport said in a Facebook post, "The safety of everyone involved remains our top priority. Airport personnel are working alongside local first responders to safely resolve the situation, and we appreciate their quick response. At this time, we do not have an estimated timeline for when operations will resume. We will continue to provide updates as more information becomes available."
The FAA and the NTSB will investigate how the plane flipped over, airport officials said.
Pilot injured in plane crash near Lewiston
By Kevin Millard
The pilot of a single engine plane is hurt when it crash landed near Lewiston Thursday evening. 
The Winona County Sheriff’s Office said the plane, a Glasair I RG, went down near the intersection of Winona County Road 33 and Winona County Road 6 at around 6:52 p.m.
Early information from the sheriff’s office said the plane was experiencing engine trouble and the pilot, a 62-year-old man, was trying to make an emergency landing.
The pilot was the only one aboard. He was able to get out of the aircraft on his own.
The sheriff’s office said the man went by ambulance to Mayo Clinic Hospital-St. Mary’s in Rochester for treatment.
The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board are assisting with the investigation.
This is the second aircraft crash in the county in two weeks. On June 25, a single engine aircraft crashed near the Winona Municipal Airport. The pilot died in the crash.
https://www.wizmnews.com/2026/07/09/pilot-injured-in-plane-crash-near-lewiston/
NTSB Final Report: Admore International Jets LLC AIRCAM
Uncommanded Movement Of The Left Propeller Into Reverse During Approach For Undetermined Reasons
Location: DeLand, Florida Accident Number: ERA24LA208
Date & Time: May 2, 2024, 14:04 Local Registration: N848HP
Aircraft: Admore International Jets LLC AIRCAM Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Defining Event: Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power) Injuries: 1 Serious
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Personal
Analysis: The pilot proceeded toward the destination airport in the experimental, amateur-built, twinengine airplane that was equipped with a customized propeller pitch control system consisting of a standard electronically controlled propeller pitch device, plus various selectors and other limit switches, enabling the propellers to provide reverse thrust capability. After reducing power while on a base leg of the airport traffic pattern with both engines operating within about 30 rpm of each other, the pilot believed the propeller for the right engine went uncommanded into reverse. He said that he had not moved the propeller control guarded switches (which would have been one of several steps required to command the propeller to reverse) and that he did not see any propeller mode light illuminate on the instrument panel.
Within 1 to 3 seconds, the airplane was uncontrollable and entered a spin, which, according to a witness, was to the left, and the airplane quickly lost altitude and impacted the ground. Based on recorded data for various airplane parameters, about the time and location where the pilot likely reduced power, the left engine’s speed increased within 1 second from 4,630 rpm to about 5,330 rpm, consistent with propeller blade angle decreasing toward fine or low pitch, while the right engine’s speed remained about 4,660 rpm to 4,680 rpm. During the next 21 seconds, the left engine’s speed decreased and remained below 3,360 rpm, while the right engine’s speed increased to a maximum of 5,370 rpm, consistent with the maximum value recorded at takeoff.
During that time, the airplane rolled left briefly before rolling to and remaining in a right roll, the maximum extent of which was about 8°. During the next 13 seconds (to the end of the recorded data), the airplane’s indicated airspeed decreased to the lowest value of 47 kts, the left engine rpm values increased slightly while the right engine rpm decreased then stabilized, with both engines ending within 90 rpm of each other. The airplane’s bank angle values and directions changed, continuing in a left bank that increased during the last 4 seconds of the recorded data.
Postaccident examination of the wreckage revealed that the left propeller actuator was retracted, consistent with the propeller being in reverse, which matched the position of the left propeller blades, and the right propeller actuator was extended, consistent with the propeller being in cruise, which matched the position of the right propeller blades. Both propeller control guarded switches were found closed, consistent with the pilot’s statement.
Thus, based on the engine data parameters and the wreckage evidence, when the pilot reduced the throttles in preparation for landing, the variable-pitch left propeller moved uncommanded to, and likely past, the fine or low pitch position into reverse range. The reason for the uncommanded pitch change was not determined. Although the pilot mistakenly perceived that the issue was with the right propeller and responded by applying left rudder (which would have exacerbated a spin to the left), given the airplane’s low altitude, the pilot had little time to assess and address the condition and likely could not have successfully regained control of the airplane before the airplane impacted the ground.
Probable Cause and Findings: The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be -- The uncommanded movement of the left propeller into reverse during approach for undetermined reasons, resulting in an in-flight loss of control of the airplane at low altitude during approach.
FMI: www.ntsb.gov
Today in History
41 Years ago today: On 10 July 1985 Aeroflot flight SU5143, a Tupolev Tu-154, crashed near Uchkuduk, Uzbekistan, after entering a flat spin, killing all 200 occupants.
| Date: | Wednesday 10 July 1985 |
| Time: | 23:46 |
| Type: | Tupolev Tu-154B-2 |
| Owner/operator: | Aeroflot / Uzbekistan |
| Registration: | CCCP-85311 |
| MSN: | 78A311 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1978 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 12443 hours |
| Cycles: | 5660 flights |
| Engine model: | Kuznetsov NK-8-2U |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 200 / Occupants: 200 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed, written off |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | near Uchkuduk - Uzbekistan |
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Passenger - Scheduled |
| Departure airport: | Karshi Airport (KSQ/UTSL) |
| Destination airport: | Ufa Airport (UFA/UWUU) |
| Confidence Rating: | Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
Narrative:
Aeroflot flight SU5143, a Tupolev Tu-154, crashed near Uchkuduk, Uzbekistan, after entering a flat spin, killing all 200 occupants.
Aeroflot flight 5143, a Tupolev Tu-154, departed Karshi (KSQ) on a flight to Leningrad (LED) via Ufa (UFA).
The flight climbed to the cruising altitude of 11.600 m and maintained an airspeed of 400 km/h, which was close to stall speed under the given conditions. During cruise flight vibrations started because of the low airspeed. The crew assumed that the vibrations were caused by engine surges. They reduced power to flight idle, causing the airspeed to drop to 290 km/h. Trying to maintain altitude, the angle of attack increased until the airplane eventually stalled. The Tu-154 went into a flat spin and crashed.
Cause (translated from Russian):
The cause of the accident was the aircraft entering a flat spin during the flight at a jet stream altitude with a high aircraft weight, influenced by high non-standard outside air temperature, low margin of angle of attack, and engine thrust. In these flight conditions and rapidly developing catastrophic situation, the crew deviated from the requirements of the flight manual, lost speed, and failed to maintain control of the aircraft.
