Plane makes emergency landing after reporting cracked windscreen, Dublin

A London bound flight was forced to make an emergency landing in Dublin early today after the crew reported smoke on board and a cracked windshield.

Cityjet flight WX-118 had taken off shortly after 7.30am on a scheduled service to London City airport with 48 passengers and a crew of 4 on board.

The Avro RJ-85 jet was still climbing to cruising altitude over the Irish Sea when the crew declared a “Pan Pan” emergency.

A Pan distress call differs from a May Day because, while it signifies an urgency on board, the aircraft or passengers are not in any immediate danger.

The pilot reported they had smoke in the cockpit and had to don their oxygen masks. The pilot advised controllers that he wished to return to Dublin Airport and requested priority clearance.

The crew also reported a cracked windshield. The flight made a u-turn and routed back to Dublin.

While returning to the airport, the crew said the smoke in the cockpit appeared to be dissipating but there was still a smell of smoke in the passenger cabin.

Emergency services at Dublin Airport were alerted and mobilised to locations along the runway in advance of the aircraft’s arrival.

The flight landed safely shortly before 8am and was quickly pursued by emergency crews who remained with the aircraft as it taxied to the terminal. The plane was grounded for inspection while the flight to London was cancelled.

The airline confirmed: “Flight WX118 from Dublin had to return to the airport shortly after take-off, where it landed safely. The crew noticed that there was some evidence of fumes in the aircraft. They followed their drills and procedures and returned to Dublin for a normal approach and landing.

“After landing, the aircraft was met by the Dublin Airport Fire and Rescue Services. Passengers were re-accommodated on the next flight, WX120 which departed at 8.55am,” the airline said.

Cityjet also said it was later confirmed there was no cracked screen but said an investigation into the cause of the incident is currently in progress.

The crew of an Aer Lingus flight from Boston that had been placed in a holding pattern east of Dublin opted to divert to Shannon instead before returning to Dublin about an hour later.

Last week, a Cityjet flight was forced to return to London City Airport after passengers noticed that a cover beneath the left wing have become partially detached.

The flight was on its way to Florence in Italy when the cover of the operating mechanism on the wing became partially detached. The flight returned to London City for a safe landing.

http://tinyurl.com/q2s5e3k

Plane crashes on Pennyrile Parkway in Christian County, USA

A small plane crashed on the Pennyrile Parkway Thursday afternoon shortly after takeoff from the local airport in Christian County.

 

According to a press release from Christian County Sheriff’s spokesman Detective Captain Chris M. Miller, deputies and emergency personnel were called to Mile Marker 9 on the parkway at around 1:50 p.m. Upon arrival, they discovered a 1943 Piper airplane that crashed on the right shoulder of the parkway, northbound. The deputies spoke with the occupants of the plane – Mike Creed, 58, and his son, Benjamin Creed, 20, both of Fairfax Drive in Hopkinsville – and determined the crash occurred just after the plane took off.

 

The plan had reached altitude, Miller said in the release, but then began losing altitude. The pilot decided to turn back to the airport but was unable to make it, Miller said, and he attempted an emergency landing on the parkway.

 

Mike Creed was transported from the scene by Lifeflight with unknown injuries, Miller said. Benjamin Creed was treated at the scene and released.

 

The FAA is en route to the scene to conduct its own investigation of the crash.

http://tinyurl.com/ng8vmvv

Landslide rattles Altinho neighbourhood, India

A minor landslide on Altinho hill slope on Thursday morning has rattled the entire neighbourhood and the vicinity beyond, as the slide occurred after the first few pre-monsoon showers.

 

The authorities have cautioned the occupants of four houses about the unsafe area around their decades-old houses.

 

The side of a steep slope, barely 300m south of Panaji church along the Altinho road, caved in after thunder showers around midnight, triggering an alarm among the nearby residents. The landslip covered an area of 20m at a height of about 15m and the debris barely filled a few trucks, but residents of nearby houses are living in fear, as heavy rains can further dislodge the boulders and loosen soil on the spot.

 

“We heard some noise and came out to find that the hill slope had given way,” Albert Vaz, a resident of the area said.

 

The debris which had spread out on a part of the road leading to Altinho had a few boulders. No immediate damage could be seen to any of the dwellings after the incident. “We live in fear every monsoon, as the slope in the area is weak,” Vaz added.

 

The face of the Altinho hill in this section below the high court of Bombay at Goa and the main PWD office is dotted with many old heritage houses and a few newer constructions, some seemingly precariously perched one above the other. “The collapse has occurred during one of the first pre-monsoon showers and not at the peak of the season,” a worried resident said, fearing more such accidents in the monsoon months.

 

A police team promptly rushed to the spot in the wee hours to inspect the area of the landslip and take stock of the situation.

 

The residents were informed by the police to be cautious after the landslide, as a precautionary measure, though not specifically asked to vacate their houses. Four residential dwellings are in the immediate vicinity of the accident. One of the houses is in a dilapidated condition and looked after by a caretaker.

 

“At this stage, I am not leaving my house,” a resident said.

 

Residents said they had been repeatedly petitioning the town and country planning department, PWD and Corporation of the City of Panaji regarding the rampant activity of hill cutting above their houses. “The excavations carried out above by using heavy machinery may have destabilized the slope,” a resident alleged.

 

A CCP official said a retaining wall of one of the houses above the unstable spot had collapsed last year and the owner had been asked to reconstruct it. The official declined to comment about the excavation activity, which the residents have complained about.

http://tinyurl.com/q7ze59j

Landslide wrecks beach hut in Dumpton Gap, UK

A LANDSLIDE at Dumpton Gap has ruined a beach hut.

Another beach hut was also moved towards the beach as grassland fell from the cliff dislodging the two huts.

The landslide comes after more than two inches of rain fell from 4pm on Wednesday until midnight.

Peter Overton, from Thanet Coastguard, said: “We have advised people to be mindful about it. There have been several falls at Dumpton in the past few months. We have not had an opportunity yet to assess the quantity of the cliffall and will be out later today or tomorrow to do this. People should be aware of cliffall there and keep away from the base of the cliff.

http://tinyurl.com/psb48pt

Severe hailstorm damages 13 planes in Denver, USA

Frontier Airlines says 13 of its flights from Denver International Airport have been cancelled because its aircraft were damaged by hail.

All flights were grounded yesterday (May 21) because of a tornado warning and severe thunderstorms that brought hail and strong winds to the area. There were delays of about an hour and a half after operations resumed.

At least one tornado touched down in the town of Watkins, south-east of the airport, but no injuries were reported.

Hail the size of ping pong balls sent pedestrians running for cover in Colorado Springs, and cars slid on the hail on Interstate 70 in Aurora.

The hail piled up several inches deep, dented cars and broke windows out of some homes.

Officials used snow plows to clear the hail from the main airport access road. 

http://tinyurl.com/q2cw54h

Severe lightning storm causes 3 fires in Indianapolis, USA

Thunderstorms packing hail, gusty winds and dangerous lightning have swept across central and southern Indiana.

An Indianapolis Fire Department spokeswoman says lightning strikes Wednesday were blamed for three fires, including a two-alarm blaze that caused an estimated $250,000 damage to 16 units at an apartment complex.

The National Weather Service reported hail measuring as much as 1 inch in diameter fell in Frankfort, Indianapolis and Jeffersonville. An emergency manager in Indianapolis estimated a wind gust at 60 mph.

The storm downed some tree branches and power lines. Indianapolis Power & Light Co. reported more than 6,000 customers without electricity at one point.

Earlier, a line of thunderstorms that raked northern Indiana Wednesday morning caused some hail damage in Steuben (stoo-BEN’) County and scattered power outages in Elkhart County and elsewhere.

http://tinyurl.com/ogofups

Severe hailstorm causes mayhem in Colorado, USA

Parts of Colorado got hammered Wednesday with a powerful storm that dumped several inches of hail. 

 

That didn’t stop soccer fans from coming out to cheer their team in the state high school girls soccer championship game.

 

Field crews spent hours clearing away all the piles and piles of hail. Plows and shovels were brought out to clear the field. 

 

Hail also did some damage to nearby homes. The wind and hail ripped apart screens and siding and left holes in drain pipes. There were reports of funnel clouds as well.

http://tinyurl.com/ok8qml9

Severe flooding traps 100’s of motorists in parts of Ohio, USA

Flooded interstates caused hundreds of drivers to be trapped in their cars on I-75 and I-70 Wednesday. Motorists were without food, water and restroom facilities for hours. The flooded interstates kept emergency crews busy.

By 12:30 a.m., traffic on the interstates was flowing again as the roads were reopened.

 

Flood waters covered all lanes of I-70 near State Route 201 (Brandt Pike) in Huber Heights. Ohio Department of Transportation traffic cameras showed frustrated drivers began making u-turns and driving in the wrong direction on the interstate to exit and find another route. Other motorists could be seen exiting their cars and walking on the interstate. State Route 4 southbound became an escape route for some drivers.

 

Huber Heights Battalion Chief Keith Knisley said a swollen creek caused the flooding on the interstate. He said it was over a retaining wall that is over 4 feet high. Knisley said emergency crews were concentrating on rescuing people trapped in high water who were at risk of being swept away. Drivers who were trapped but safe on I-70 were a secondary priority. After several hours, authorities did devise a plan to help motorists exit the interstate.

The situation was similar in Miami County on Interstate 75 between Tipp City and Piqua. High water and disabled vehicles made the interstate impassable in the north and southbound lanes near State Route 36 and Farrington where the Great Miami River runs near the interstate. Traffic was also at a standstill on both sides of I-75 just north of Tipp city. Again, traffic cameras showed a long line of vehicles unable to move for hours.

 

Diana Roepcke, a trucker for Cordell, remained mired in the standstill on !-75 north, just above State Route 41. She’s headed to Canada and is supposed to be there by 3 a.m. Thursday.

 

“Drivers are just pulled over and sleeping,” the Fairborn resident said. “I gotta keep moving forward.”

 

Just after 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, Ohio Department of Transportation crews used snow plows to push water and debris out of the way to allow cars to move again on I-75.

 

News Center 7’s John Bedell reports that traffic on southbound I-75 began flowing at about 10:30 p.m. and traffic is being diverted off the interstate at County Road 25A (exit 78).

 

The water will take several hours to recede according to Storm Center 7 Chief Meteorologist Jamie Simpson. He said no more rain is expected to fall after Wednesday’s storms.

 

In Clark County, at height of flooding, county Engineer Johnathan Burr said water was 2-1/2 feet deep across Ridgewood Road east.

 

“I could see the very tip top of a fire hydrant. People were driving around our county vehicles that were blocking the roadway, even when we had our lights. on.”

 

At 9:30 p.m., Burr said water has since receded, as has the high water in the Northridge area that left several people stranded atop their vehicles. There are several sections of Upper Valley Pike, north of Tremont City Road, because of high water.

 

The 3100 block of Dayton Road remains shut down because of high water, he said Wednesday night. Those spots are closed to the Champaign County line, Burr said.

 

The county has two crews out checking road conditions and assessing any high water hazards. Crews also are sweeping debris off roadways, debris that was carried onto the roads by the water.

 

“The rain just came down so fast and so hard, the roads were overwhelmed,” Burr said.

http://tinyurl.com/p34lco9

Severe storms cause damage in Franklin County, USA

In Franklin County trees are down, the power is out and debris is covering parts of the roadway.

 

The Franklin County Sheriff says for the past few hours they’ve received several reports of trees down and as of about 10:00 p.m. Wednesday night firefighters were still out trying to clear them from the roadways.

 

There have also been many reports of traffic lights out including at the junction of US 127 and 1665.

 

Officials with Franklin County Emergency Management reported around 1400 customers between KU and Bluegrass Electric were without power but power has been restored to folks living in the US 127 area.

 

Officials also tell us a few houses were struck by lightning and a transformer caught on fire, which was the main reason for the power outage along US 127.

 

Emergency management officials say they have not received reports of flooding on any roadways but they say they’ll keep a close eye on it throughout the night.

http://tinyurl.com/pk8kapm

Power outages hit water supply, residents fume in Arera Colony, India

Contrary to Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) claims that water supply has been restored to optimal level, residents continued to face water problem. This time, power outage compounded the problem.

 

Unscheduled power cut by power discom in Arera Colony on Wednesday morning came at a time when residents were desperately waiting for resumption of regular water supply. When contacted, discom officials it was a minor disruption for maintenance works.

 

“We got up early to store water, but only a few buckets later there was a power cut,” said members of the Dhok family. “I took half a day’s leave to fill and store water. With no electricity it was wasted,” said eldest son of the family.

 

“We are facing searing temperature. With no electricity and water, things cannot get worse than this,” said Shraddha Patnaik, a resident of Savoy Complex. Patnaik said discom helpline was of no help as the telephone was constantly busy. Ankit Tyagi, a resident of Green Park Colony Road, said calling helpline number is useless as phone keeps ringing, but no one bothers to pick up. First, they don’t tell you about power cut and if you question, they don’t bother to answer queries.

http://tinyurl.com/o77brtp