Recently, a series of plane-related incidents around the world, particularly crashes, has sparked alarm among various communities about the safety of air-travel. Let’s take a look into some of these incidents:
On December 25th, 2024, flight J2-8243 of Azerbaijan Airlines tragically crashed near Aktau, Kazakhstan. During the flight from Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, to Grozny, Russia, the Embraer 190 was forced to change course, after which it was forced to undertake an emergency landing and crashed. The causes of the route switch are still unconfirmed, although various hypotheses have been developed. Some authorities say that the weather caused the plane to change directions while others attribute the adjustment in path to a collision with birds. Other sources have also speculated about the possibility of recent drone strikes in southern Russia causing airports to close or GPS jamming interfering with aircraft communications and transmission. Of the 62 passengers and five flight members on board, only 29 survived, with others injured and requiring medical attention. Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev declared December 26th a day of mourning in Azerbaijan thereafter.
Barely a week later, on January 2, 2025, a small private plane crashed in Fullerton, California, killing two and injuring 19. Soon after takeoff from the Orange County Fullerton Municipal Airport, the pilot requested a quick landing back at the airport, although while turning, the low-flying plane soon crashed into a warehouse owned by Michael Nicholas Design. While the cause of pilot’s request and the sudden nosedive is still unknown, some witnesses have reported one of the Van’s RV-10’s doors being left open, possibly contributing to the tragedy.
Within a week, on January 7th, across the world, on Rottnest Island, Australia, a Cessna 208 Caravan crashed, killing three, including two tourists, and injuring three others. The small seaplane, returning to its base in Perth, unfortunately wrecked after taking off from the popular tourist island. While the cause of the accident has not yet been determined, some have claimed that the plane collided with a rock on the west portion of the island, plausibly causing some type of damage and leading to the wreck.
While unrelated to a crash, two bodies were found in the landing gear compartment of an airplane on January 6th, 2025. The aircraft, owned by JetBlue, had left from New York Kennedy Airport and landed in Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Florida later that day, after which the victims were found during a maintenance check and declared deceased. Although landing gear compartments have been used by stowaways trying to travel on planes without being caught, the New York and New Jersey Port Authority have not yet revealed how the people were able to gain access to the landing gear compartment or if they were truly trying to fly undetected, nor have the Florida police released cause or time of death.
The recent spate in aviation-related disasters has sparked concern into aerial safety and protocol. Stay tuned for more in Part 2.
