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Friday, 1 May 2015

Researchers have found a way to modify blood types

© Thinkstock

    
There's a serious supply-and-demand problem when it comes to blood transfusions: Patients are in constant need of the bodily fluid, which delivers oxygen and nutrients to the cells, but because they need a specific type, hospitals and blood banks often experience shortages.

Fortunately, chemists from the University of British Columbia and colleagues from the Center for Blood Research have created an enzyme that could potentially solve this problem by cutting off the antigens (sugars) found in Type A and Type B blood to make it more like Type O, which is universal and can be given to patients regardless of their blood types.

UBC postdoctoral fellow David Kwan, lead author of a new study detailing the research, explained in a statement that their "mutant enzyme" is "very efficient" at cutting off antigens in A and B blood, and "much more proficient" at removing the A-antigen subtypes that the parent enzymes tend to struggle with.

Using directed evolution to remove blood antigens

Kwan, associate professor Jayachandran Kizhakkedathu, chemistry professor Steve Withers and their fellow researchers created the enzyme using a new technology known as directed evolution. In this method, mutations are inserted into the gene which codes for the enzymes, then selecting the mutants which are the most effective at cutting the antigens.

"The defining difference between A, B and O blood types is the presence of slightly different sugar structures on the outside of the red blood cells of each type. Type A and B blood cells each have a single additional sugar attached to their surface (N-acetylgalactosamine and galactose respectively) beyond that present on O type red blood cells," co-author Stephen G. Withers, a professor in the UBC Department of Chemistry, explained to redOrbit via email.

"The idea of converting blood types by enzymatic removal of blood group antigens using specific sugar hydrolysing enzymes (glycosidases) has been around since the early 1980s, but a major limitation has always been the efficiency of the enzymes that can do this: impractically large amounts of enzyme were needed," he added. "Our lab specializes in the mechanistic analysis and the engineering of glycosidases and has had considerable success at increasing rates of several of these enzymes through directed evolution."

Withers added that this directed evolution is a process that essentially "evolves" enzymes in the laboratory, doing the same thing that can be accomplished through natural selection, but doing it far more quickly than would ordinarily happen. He and his colleagues decided to apply this approach to increasing the activities of enzymes capable of removing A and B antigens.

Promising research, but not quite ready for clinical use

Over the span of five generations, the enzyme become 170 times more effective, the authors said. Using the enzyme, they were able to remove most of the antigens in A and B blood, but they emphasize that before the technique can be used in clinical settings, the enzyme would have to capable of removing all of the antigens. This is due to the sensitivity of the immune system, and the fact that even trace amounts of residual antigens could trigger a response.

"As O-type blood is the universal donor type, there is high demand for O-type blood resulting in a shortage of supply. It's possible to alleviate this demand and the resulting shortage if we have a means of converting A, B, and AB-type blood into a universal donor type," Withers said, noting that "before our enzyme can be used clinically... further improvements by directed evolution will be necessary to effect complete removal of antigens."

"In this way we hope to be able to generate one or more enzymes that can be used to efficiently convert A or B blood to a generally acceptable type just like O. In practical terms this will take some time to come to fruition," he said. "What we have done so far is to show that it is feasible to make these enzymes more efficient. We now need to broaden their abilities a little more so that they can handle all A-types. If we can do this, then the process will have to go through the lengthy and very important safety approval process."

Ultimately, Withers said that he envisions using the technique to pre-treat A or B type blood on an as-needed basis whenever hospitals or blood banks are faced with a shortage of compatible blood. However, he noted that it has taken a long time to this point, as he and his colleagues have been working on this specific process for roughly five years, and their work was built upon a foundation of more than three decades of basic research in the field.

"I think the main take-home message is that it should be feasible to substantially improve the activities of enzymes to be used in antigen removal through methods of directed evolution, thereby decreasing the cost of the process," he said. "We are not quite there yet, but the route forward is clear and that involves the evolution of the enzyme further to better cleave the other major sub-types of A blood."

Jane Goodall on GMO's: "I truly believe we're poisoning ourselves"

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© ANDREA SMARDON
Jane Goodall speaks in support of Steven Druker's book, "Altered Genes, Twisted Truth".

    
Primatologist Jane Goodall was speaking in Salt Lake City at a sold-out event Friday evening about her work and the future of chimpanzees. But in the afternoon, she lent her fame and clout to a more controversial cause. Goodall appeared with Steven Druker, the author of a book that aims to wipe out genetically modified organisms from the world's food supply.

In a talk sponsored by the Pax Natura Foundation, Jane Goodall thanked Steven Druker for writing his book, . She herself wrote the forward and she said the book substantiated her concerns that genetically engineered foods were dangerous.

"We're poisoning the land, we're poisoning animals, and I truly believe we're poisoning ourselves," Goodall said. She pointed to superbugs that have become resistant to pesticides, weeds resistant to herbicides, and isolated animal studies in Europe and Australia where she said rats and pigs suffered from a variety of health issues when consuming genetically engineered crops.


"Have we been affected? What about the rise of certain illnesses and complaints in the human community, what about the increase in allergies, what about the increase of some kinds of mental disorders?" she asked.
Randy Parker, CEO of the Utah Farm Bureau Federation, says Goodall and Druker are doing a disservice to the people of Utah and around the world.

"To me this is all about extremism and scaring people," Parker says. He says without genetically modified crops, we would not have the levels of food productivity that we have today.


"I've never heard in all of the literature that I've reviewed of one single case of a GMO related plant or animal causing a health problem for a human being or for an animal for that matter," he says. "I think this is an activist, radical viewpoint."
The 80-year-old Goodall apologized at the end of her talk for a few stumbles where she lost her train of thought, but she says she's hopeful that as the young people of today become more aware of the dangers of genetic engineering, they will eliminate GMO's from the food supply.

Why NATO is terrified of Russia

© RT.com

    
The twin-pronged attack - oil price war/raid on the ruble - aimed at destroying the Russian economy and place it into a form of Western natural resource vassalage has failed.

Natural resources were also essentially the reason for reducing Iran to a Western vassalage. That never had anything to do with Tehran developing a nuclear weapon, which was banned by both the leader of the Islamic revolution, Ayatollah Khomeini, and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei.

The 'New Great Game' in Eurasia was always about control of the Eurasian land mass. Minor setbacks to the American elite project do not mean the game will be restricted to a mere "war of attrition". Rather the contrary.

All about PGS

In Ukraine, the Kremlin has been more than explicit there are two definitive red lines. Ukraine won't join NATO. And Moscow won't allow the popular republics of Donetsk and Lugansk to be crushed.

We are coming closer to a potentially explosive deadline - when EU sanctions expire in July. An EU in turmoil but still enslaved to NATO - see the pathetic "Dragoon Ride" convoy from the Baltics to Poland or the "Atlantic Resolve" NATO show-off exercise - may decide to expand them, and even try to exclude Russia from SWIFT.

Only fools believe Washington is going to risk American lives over Ukraine or even Poland. Yet let's plan a few steps ahead. If it ever comes to the unthinkable - a war between NATO and Russia in Ukraine - Russian defense circles are sure of conventional and nuclear superiority on sea and land. And the Pentagon knows it. Russia would reduce NATO forces to smithereens in a matter of hours. And then would come Washington's stark choice: accept ignominious defeat or escalate to tactical nuclear weapons.

The Pentagon knows that Russia has the air and missile defense capabilities to counter anything embedded in the US Prompt Global Strike (PGS). Simultaneously though, Moscow is saying it would rather not use these capabilities.

Major General Kirill Makarov, Russia's Aerospace Defense Forces' deputy chief, has been very clear about the PGS threat. Moscow's December 2014 new military doctrine qualifies PGS as well as NATO's current military buildup as the top two security threats to Russia.

Unlike non-stop Pentagon/NATO bragging/demonizing, what Russian defense circles don't need to advertise is how they are now a couple of generations ahead of the US in their advanced weaponry.

The bottom line is that while the Pentagon was mired in the Afghanistan and Iraq quagmires, they completely missed Russia's technological jump ahead. The same applies to China's ability to hit US satellites and thus pulverize American ICBM satellite guidance systems.

The current privileged scenario is Russia playing for time until it has totally sealed Russia's air space to American ICBMs, stealth aircraft and cruise missiles - via the S-500 system.

© Reuters/Francois Lenoir
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

    
This has not escaped the attention of the British Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC) - as it gamed sometime ago whether Washington might launch a first strike against Russia.

According to the JIC, Washington might go rogue if "a) an extreme government were to take over in the United States, b) and there was increased lack of confidence by the United States in some if not all of her Western allies owing to political developments in their countries, c) and there was some sudden advance in the USA in the sphere of weapons, etc. that the counsels of impatience may get the upper hand."

US 'Think Tankland' spinning that Russian military planners should take advantage of their superiority to launch a first strike nuclear attack against the US is bogus; the Russian doctrine is eminently defensive.

Yet that does not exclude Washington doing the unthinkable the next time the Pentagon thinks of itself to be in the position Russia is now in.

SWIFT changes

The whole game used to be about who ruled the waves - the geopolitical gift the US inherited from Great Britain. Control of the seas meant the US inheriting five empires; Japan, Germany, Great Britain, France, the Netherlands. All those massive US carrier task forces patrolling the oceans to guarantee "free trade" - as the hegemonic propaganda machine goes - could be turned against China in a flash. It's a mechanism similar to the carefully choreographed "leading from behind" financial op to simultaneously crash the ruble/launch an oil war and thus smash Russia into submission.

Washington's master plan remains deceptively simple; to "neutralize" China by Japan, and Russia by Germany, with the US backing its two anchors, Germany and Japan. Russia is the de facto only BRICS nation blocking the master plan.

This was the case until Beijing launched the New Silk Road(s), which essentially mean the linking of all Eurasia into a "win-win" trade/commerce bonanza on high-speed rail, and in the process diverting freight tonnage overland and away from the seas.

So NATO's non-stop Russia demonizing is in fact quaint. Think about NATO picking a fight against the constantly evolving, complex Russia-China strategic partnership. And in a not so remote future, as I indicated here, Germany, Russia and China have what it takes to be the essential pillars of a fully integrated Eurasia.

As it stands, the key shadow play is Moscow and Beijing silently preparing their own SWIFT system while Russia prepares to seal its air space with S-500s. Western Ukraine is doomed; leave it to the austerity-ravaged EU - which, by the way, doesn't want it. And all this while the same EU tries to handicap the US commercially with a rigged euro that still doesn't allow it to penetrate more US markets.

Mysterious Nazca line geoglyphs formed ancient pilgrimage route

© adwo/Shutterstock.com
The Nazca Lines, a group of hundreds of mysterious geoglyphs etched into the desert in Peru, have mystified archaeologists and scientists for decades. Now researchers analyzing the style and type of geoglyphs say they were made by two different groups of people taking different pilgrimage routes to an ancient temple. Here, one of the most famous of the geoglyphs, an enigmatic supernatural creature called "The Astronaut".

    
San Francisco — The Nazca Lines, a series of fantastical geoglyphs etched into the desert in Peru, may have been used by two separate groups of people to make pilgrimage to an ancient temple, new research suggests.

But the purpose of the desert etchings may have changed over time.

The earliest Nazca Lines were created so pilgrims could view the markings along a ritual processional route, the researchers said. But later people may have smashed ceramic pots on the ground where the lines intersected as part of an ancient religious rite, according to a study presented here on April 16 at the 80th annual meeting of the Society for American Archeology.

What's more, the Nazca Lines may have been created by at least two different groups of people who lived in different regions of the desert plateau, researchers said.

Mysterious carvings

In one of the driest places on Earth, locked between the Andes Mountains and the coast, more than a thousand geoglyphs dot the landscape. People from an ancient civilization created the shapes between 200 B.C. and A.D. 600, by removing the reddish rocks on the surface of the desert, revealing the white-hued earth beneath.

The strange shapes in the desert include animals such as camelids, dogs and monkeys, as well as fanciful supernatural beings, scenes of decapitation and trophy heads, and geometric designs such as trapezoids, lines and triangles. Though the mysterious shapes gained widespread attention in the 1920s, when plane passengers saw them from above, people who lived there likely saw them even earlier while walking the hilltops in the Nazca plateau.

Archaeologists have long puzzled over the purpose of the Nazca Lines. Some researchers have argued the Nazca lines form a labyrinth. Others have said the lines and figures matched up with the constellations in the sky or with subterranean water routes. And still others have said the Nazca Lines were part of an ancient pilgrimage route.

Two cultures?

In recent years, researchers at Yamagata University in Japan have uncovered 100 geoglpyhs, as well as shards of broken ceramics at the intersection points of some of the lines.

To understand exactly how all of these images fit together, Masato Sakai of Yamagata University and his colleagues analyzed the location, style and method of construction for some of these newfound geoglpyhs. Sakai found that about four different styles of geoglyphs tended to be clustered together along different routes leading to a vast pre-Incan temple complex in Peru known as Cahuachi. Archaeological evidence, such as several temples and pyramids, as well as a trove of severed heads, suggests that Cahuachi was once a religious center where pilgrims brought offerings.

In addition to showing different content, the geoglyphs were also constructed differently from each other, made by removing rocks from the interior of the images in some cases and the border in others, Sakai said. For instance, images of animals such as condors and camelids were found along a route that started from the Ingenio River, which the team roughly categorized as type A and type B, respectively.

"The geoglyphs of type A and B are located not only in the area adjacent to the Ingenio Valley but along the pathway to Cahuachi. Therefore it seems reasonable to assume that type A and B geoglyphs were drawn by the group from the Ingenio Valley," Sakai told Live Science.

Meanwhile, a separate style of images, such as the supernatural beings and the trophy heads, were concentrated in the Nazca Valley and its route to Cahuachi, likely made by a distinct group of people who lived in that region. A third group of geoglyphs, likely made by both groups, was found in the Nazca Plateau between the two cultures.

Changing uses

The purpose of the geoglyphs may have also changed over time from what archaeologists call the final Formative period, which spanned until A.D. 200, to the early Nazca period, which ended in A.D. 450. The smashed ceramics dated to the later period.

"Our research revealed that the Formative geoglyphs were placed to be seen from the ritual pathways, while those of the early Nazca period were used as the loci of ritual activities such as intentional destructions of ceramic vessels," Sakai said.

And the ancient desert inhabitants continued making the lines beyond that time, Sakai said.

"Even after the collapse of the Cahuachi temple, trapezoids and straight lines continued to be made and used," Sakai said.

USGS: Earthquake Magnitude 6.8 - 106km SSW of Kokopo, Papua New Guinea

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SOTT Exclusive: What's going down? The latest batch of aircraft crashes, accidents, glitches and mishaps

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Crash: The male pilot died in the crash on Autobahn 28 near Hatten, Oldenburg, Germany on April 12

    
This summary is a continuation of this list which detailed various aircraft accidents and mishaps that occurred recently (a catalogue of 54 such events over 16 days from the 18 March to 3 April).

This latest update logs 123 incidents in 27 days from April 4 to the 30 April from across the globe. (Although no doubt some reports will have been missed or overlooked.)

Below is again a somewhat dry litany of incidents by headlines (with links), but fear not, it's sprinkled with a series of arresting images and videos of crashed planes, aircraft on fire and forced emergency landings.

It's worth noting that although some sort of mechanical failures were involved in many of these accidents, perhaps more tellingly other reports yet again contain testimony about smoke being detected on board. According to this website there have been 53 reports of aircraft smoking or burning so far in 2015 (up to 29 April).

Not to put a finer point on it, what the bloody hell is going on?

April 4

Germanwings plane diverted to Stuttgart due to suspected oil loss

Helicopter exploded mid air before crashing, witnesses tell rescuers

Vehicle Incident in Germany on Saturday, 04 April, 2015 at 15:26 (03:26 PM) UTC.

76-year-old injured in Wetumpka plane crash

Small plane crashes in Orcutt strawberry field with three people on board

Small airplane makes crash landing in Arizona

April 5

Two found dead after light aircraft crash in Argyll

Vehicle Incident in USA on Sunday, 05 April, 2015 at 12:05 (12:05 PM) UTC

A Mumbai-bound Air India flight from Newark Liberty International Airport with over 250 people on board was forced to return and make an emergency landing on Sunday due to a serious engine problem, sources said. The pilot, however, made a safe landing, they said. "The flight had taken off for Mumbai at around 1650 hours (US time) and landed back at Newark (US) after being airborne for about two hours due to violent vibrations in one of the engines of the Boeing 777-300 ER aircraft", Air India sources told PTI here. An Air India spokesperson confirmed the incident and said the passengers are being adjusted in its Delhi flight. The aircraft was at a height of 29,000 feet when the vibrations occurred, the sources said. "After landing one of the blades of the engine was found fractured due to stress and this resulted in violent vibrations,"

April 6

FAA investigating two Lehigh County plane accidents

Teams search for aircraft that crashed in the Tennessee River in Colbert County

Small plane crashes near Portland airport; pilot has minor injuries

Ultralight plane crashes near C.R. 18 and C.R. 1

No injuries after small plane crash on Mackinac Island:

Police say the pilot was the only person aboard the plane, which was flying from St. Igance to the island when the plane's landing gear didn't deploy.

The crash happened around midday Saturday at Mackinac Island Airport, which was closed for several hours afterward. Police say the plane skidded to a stop.

Spectacular images from classic airshow in New Zealand show vintage planes being taken to their limits... and one being blown to bits when its brakes failed
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According to the Marlborough Express, pilot Frank Parker walked away unharmed, while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair

    
K9 units brought in as search for missing pilot continues

April 7

Newtownards Airfield plane crash victim was 'highly experienced pilot'

Tourist Plane Crashes in Meribel

Jordan military plane crash kills pilot, trainee

Victims of West Goshen plane crash still not identified

BAF's plane crashes at Dhaka airport

April 8

7 die in plane crash returning from NCAA final

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© David Proeber, The Pantagraph
Investigators work in a thick fog at the site of small plane crash near Bloomington, Ill., on April 7, 2015.

    
Vehicle Incident in Japan on Wednesday, 08 April, 2015 at 14:40 (02:40 PM) UTC:

A domestic Japan Airlines flight made an emergency landing at Tokyo's Haneda airport Wednesday due to suspected engine trouble, according to the company and local media. A pilot on JAL flight 521, a twin-engine Boeing 777 travelling from Haneda to Hokkaido in northern Japan, noticed an alarm indicating a possible problem with the right engine shortly after takeoff, according to the Mainichi Shimbun newspaper.

April 9

Vehicle Incident in Egypt on Thursday, 09 April, 2015 at 12:49 (12:49 PM) UTC:

A Russian passenger plane en route to Ufa made a forced landing in Egypt's Sharm El-Sheikh early on Thursday after suffering engine failure, Al-Ahram Arabic reported. The 232-passenger plane returned to Sharm El-Sheikh International Airport, from where it took off at dawn, landing at around 7am, an emergency official in the South Sinai governorate said. The plane, which also had nine crew members, landed safely with no injuries reported. Four passengers suffering stress-like symptoms were aided by airport authorities. Twenty ambulances were dispatched to the scene as a precaution. The cause of the engine shutdown was not yet known.

One man dies in sports plane crash in Hungary

Lightning strike leaves massive HOLE in the nose of plane.

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It wasn't until after landing that the passengers and crew found out the lightning strike caused a gaping hole at the nose of the plane

    
Vehicle Incident in USA on Thursday, 09 April, 2015 at 14:16 (02:16 PM) UTC.

An American Airlines jetliner made a safe emergency landing late Wednesday night at Salt Lake City International Airport. The airline's Flight 504, en route from Phoenix to Vancouver, reportedly experienced a warning light related to its hydraulics systems as it entered Utah air space and the pilot decided to make an unscheduled landing at Salt Lake City.

April 10

Light plane crashes, kills all

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The fixed-wing South African-registered plane that crashed in Mazabuka.

    
Vehicle Incident in France on Friday, 10 April, 2015 at 16:50 (04:50 PM) UTC

April 11

Pilot suffers minor injury in small plane crash in Campbell County

SA pilot dies in light plane crash

Hero pilot pulls plane out of terrifying North Sea nosedive with just SEVEN SECONDS to spare

Vehicle Incident in Azerbaijan on Saturday, 11 April, 2015 at 04:29 (04:29 AM) UTC

Plane crash at Cambridge Municipal Airport; no injuries reported

Melbourne plane crash: Two light aircraft collide on runway at Moorabbin Airport

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© ABC News
Emergency crews said both planes were severely damaged in the collision.

    
Indiana police issue alert on pilot missing since April 5

Pilot dies in crash of ultralight plane in western Wisconsin; cause under investigation

Smoke in cockpit forces emergency landing in Peosta:

The pilot of a small plane had to make an emergency landing on a Dubuque County road on Saturday morning. The plane was en route from California to Illinois and made a stopover in Independence on Friday night.

While West of Dubuque on Saturday morning, the pilot noticed low oil pressure and requested an emergency landing at the Dubuque Regional Airport. The pilot was cleared to land, but had to adjust his plans after he noticed smoke in the cockpit. After losing contact with the plane, the airport alerted emergency responders who responded to the scene.

April 12

Name released in Chippewa Co. plane crash

Pilot killed and three passengers injured as plane crashes on German motorway just feet away from passing cars

Small Plane Makes Emergency Sea Landing in Rio

EasyJet plane surrounded by emergency vehicles after report of smoke in cockpit forces emergency landing in Germany

Pilot killed in light plane crash in mid-north may have hit power lines

Park City businessman and educator killed in plane crash

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Small engine plane crash in Idaho, 4 people dead

    
UPDATE: Missing airplane found crashed in Boone County farm field

April 13

Vehicle Incident in USA on Monday, 13 April, 2015 at 12:58 (12:58 PM) UTC:

A Boeing 727-200 cargo plane was forced to make an emergency landing at Fort Wayne International Airport Sunday night . The plane which had taken off from Oakland County International Airport, Pontiac. MI, at 10:10 p.m. landed safely in Fort Wayne at 10:39 p.m. The FWA called in the Fort Wayne Fire Department because of their concern for the large amount of fuel on board and the possibility of a fire. According to Scott Hinderman, executive director of airports, when the crew turned on the air conditioning system they began to notice smoke which is when they requested an emergency landing. The plane and crew of three landed safely. No fire was found on board.

Four killed as plane crashes during attempt to land at Fort Lauderdale executive airport
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A 'fireball' exploded after the twin-engine plane crashed in Florida, 4 people dead

    
Two killed in microlight plane crash near Glen Innes

Plane crash on Texada Island

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Plane crash on Texada Island

    
Vehicle Incident in India on Monday, 13 April, 2015 at 13:10 (01:10 PM) UTC

Bodies of 2 pilots found after plane crashes near Vancouver

Plane skids off the runway at IAH

April 14

Small plane crash reported at Sault Airport

Three injured in single-engine plane crash at Hilo airport

Plane Skids off Runway in Japan; About 20 Injured

Air France Flight 6738 makes emergency landing in Halifax

Vehicle Incident in Japan on Tuesday, 14 April, 2015 at 14:44 (02:44 PM) UTC

April 15

Missing pilot found dead in Prince William Sound

Airplane wreckage found on Tejon Ranch

Pilot Uninjured in Lancaster Plane Crash

Marine Helicopter Makes Emergency Beach Landing

April 17

Vietnamese fighter jets, pilots reported missing in Ninh Thuan

Small plane makes emergency landing on La Quinta golf course

Twin-Engine Plane Makes Crash Landing Along Texas Highway

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© TxDOT Twitter
A plane crashed in the median of US 59 near Diboll.

    
April 18

Small aircraft flips over at Newport State Airport, Pilot escapes

Man taken to hospital after plane crash in Garvin County

5 Injured When Mooney Crashes After Takeoff:

Authorities confirmed a Mooney carrying a pilot and four passengers crashed just after takeoff at the Winchester Municipal Airport.

Officials said the small plane went down about 500 yards after taking off. All five on board were taken by helicopter to a nearby hospital.

Those with the Franklin County Sheriff's Office said they were expected to survive.

The pilot told officials the plane lost power during takeoff, but authorities said that would have to be confirmed through an investigation.

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A Mooney crashed after takeoff.

    
Small plane crashes in field after takeoff in Puyallup

Small plane catches fire during emergency landing, Titusville officials say

April 19

Vehicle Incident in India on Sunday, 19 April, 2015 at 11:48 (11:48 AM) UTC

April 20

Algerian Air Force Plane Crashes in Country's South, Both Pilots Dead

Two people killed after plane crash in Panama

Pilot Rob Pavan believed dead as authorities find plane wreckage north-west of Gympie

Pilot Totally Cool Watching His Plane Burn After Crashing Into Boat

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Plane crashes into boat in Central Florida

    

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Tourists among 7 killed in small plane crash in Dominican Republic
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Plane crash at Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

    
Helicopter of purse seiner caught fire - two crew members injured

April 21

Military Chinook helicopter lands in N. Nevada field:

A Nevada National Guard Chinook helicopter traveling from Reno to North Las Vegas made a precautionary landing in a field in Lyon County on Tuesday, a Guard spokesman said.

No one was hurt, and no damage occurred.

The landing occurred about 4:15 p.m., Maj. Mickey Kirschenbaum said.

The Lyon County Sheriff's Office said the site was near Highway 208 and East Walker Road.

While traveling from Stead to the Las Vegas Aviation Center at North Las Vegas, crew members heard and smelled something they thought was unusual, Kirschenbaum said.

Vehicle Incident in United Kingdom on Tuesday, 21 April, 2015 at 09:56 (09:56 AM) UTC

Shaheen Air flight lands safely after engine catches fire

Plane Makes Emergency Landing After Wheel Fault

Vehicle Incident in Israel on Tuesday, 21 April, 2015 at 10:39 (10:39 AM) UTC

April 22

Plane crash at Fife Airport

Terror in the air as passengers start to pass-out on airliner: Pilot plunges jet into 7,000ft-a-minute dive and lands

Small plane crash-lands on busy B.C. highway

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© CTV Vancouver
Firefighters and police respond to a crash landing on Highway 91 in Delta, B.C., on Wednesday, April 22, 2015.

    
Norfolk plane crash: Pilot dies in aerobatics display over Old Buckenham airfield:

A "highly skilled" pilot has died after crashing in a light aircraft during an aerobatics display in Norfolk.

The man, named locally as David Jenkins, came down in the plane close to the Old Buckenham airfield, near Attleborough, at about 2.40pm on Wednesday.

He is understood to have been taking part in an aerobatics display in the Edge 360 plane as part of a media launch for the Old Buckenham Airshow.

Witnesses said the aircraft appeared in catch fire mid-display, before falling to the ground in plumes of smoke

Plane crashes short of runway in Troup Co.

April 23

Vehicle Accident in South Africa on Thursday, 23 April, 2015 at 00:28 (12:28 AM) UTC

AFZ jet crashes

Plane crash at Port Lincoln

Plane runs off runway in Deer Valley airport

Delta flight returns to Buffalo over possible engine issue

Signal was false alarm; missing plane search continues

Moment a plane touched down without deploying landing gear forcing it to skid along the runway on its belly is caught on camera:

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April 24

No injuries after plane skids off runway at Sun 'n Fun Fly-In

Lion Air Plane Cancels Flight Following Loud Explosion

Wiring issue causes CCSO helicopter to make emergency landing:

It was a frightening day for the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office air unit. A helicopter responding to brush fires in the El Jobean area started smoking during the operation. The pilots smelled something burning in the cockpit and knew they had to act fast.

We tracked down the pilots and they walked us through their split-second decision to safely land.

Both pilots touched down at Punta Gorda Airport with no injuries, but not before contacting the control tower about an emergency under the hood of their helicopter.

Military plane crashes in Syria's As-Suwayda Governorate

Wreckage of small plane piloted by Washington man found in Cascade foothills in Oregon

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© Oregon Civil Air Patrol via KPTV/Portland
Wreckage of missing small plane found in Oregon.

    
April 25

Turkish Airlines plane makes emergency landing in Istanbul after engine fire:

A Turkish Airlines plane returning from Milan made an emergency landing in Istanbul on Saturday after one of its engines caught fire.

Footage on NTV television showed smoke and flames coming from plane's right engine as firefighters rushed to meet the Airbus 320 as it touched down.

It was the latest in a string of such incidents in recent weeks that have forced Turkey's national flag-carrier to make emergency landings or divert flights.

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Southwest Airlines flight diverted to Denver after pressurization problem

Military plane crashes after hitting another at Mexico Aerospace Fair

Small plane makes unexpected landing at Page Field:

A small plane made an unexpected landing at Page Field Airport in Fort Myers Saturday afternoon.

The pilot of the plane tells us he left the Key West Airport around 3 p.m. He was on his way to Tampa. After being in the air for 50 minutes, the Miami Approach called him saying there was a lot of smoke coming from the bottom of the plane.

The plane landed without incident at Page Field around 4:40 p.m. Only one person was on board.

April 26

Plane carrying 187 people makes emergency landing in Des Moines:

A plane carrying 187 people made an emergency landing in Des Moines Sunday afternoon.

An Alert 2 was issued after United Airlines pilots reported smelling a strange odor in the Boeing 737 cockpit. An Alert 2 is issued anytime an in-flight emergency is reported.

The plane was traveling from Chicago to Denver when it was re-routed to make an emergency landing at the Des Moines International Airport. The Boeing safely landed at about 3:45 p.m.

Saudi Arabia: Military training aircraft crashes, killing 2

Plane crash-lands at Whenuapai Airport:

A plane has crash landed at Whenuapai Airport in Auckland tonight after its landing gear would not come down.

Two pilots safe after rough landing in Debert, N.S.
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A picture of an air cadet tow plane, which was published on Twitter, shows the aircraft tipped over on its nose following an incident that occurred while landing around noon on Saturday.

    
April 27

Emergency landing reported at Abilene Regional Airport

Allegiant jet returns to Las Vegas after concern about engine

Small plane lands in motel parking lot

Pilot makes emergency landing in eastern Kansas field

April 28

Plane Makes Crash Landing Near Grand Mound

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© Pete Caster
Emergency responders attempt to remove a pilot from a plane that crash-landed near Grand mound.

    
Holiday jet carrying Brits makes dramatic North Sea U-turn after declaring 'mystery' emergency

April 29

Pilot hurt in plane crash outside Preeceville airlifted to Regina hospital

Passengers report 'smoke and fire' on diverted flight from RD:

Passengers on a plane en route from Raleigh-Durham to Newark on Tuesday say one of the propellers stopped spinning, forcing it to make an emergency landing in Philadelphia.

"Midway through the flight we heard a loud sound," passenger Everett Cunningham told NBC Philadelphia. "I was on the left side of the plane and looked off to the right side -- the propeller stopped. People in the back of the plane reported smoke and fire."

UAL Flight No. 4882, which was carrying 71 passengers and a crew of four, left Raleigh-Durham International Airport at 2:33 p.m. and was due to land at Newark Liberty International Airport at 4:29 p.m.

But the plane had to make an emergency landing at Philadelphia International Airport an hour and a half into the flight when the cockpit received an overheat indication and a fire broke out in one of the No. 2 engines.

Pilot suffers minor injuries in plane crash

Plane crash-lands at St. Marys airport; pilot OK:

A plane crash landed at the St. Marys airport on Wednesday afternoon. The pilot was reported to be OK, according to the St. Marys Police Department.

The plane had to crash land due to landing gear failure, according to SMPD.

Firefighters from St. Marys and Camden County are laying a foam layer as a precaution.

Reportedly Missing US Air Force Jet Lands Safely at British Base:

A US Air Force refueling jet, Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker, has reportedly disappeared off the radar over the English Channel.

The jet left Amiens in northern France at 0.05am local time and was last reported by a flight tracking website to be flying between Dover and Calais.

Fifteen minutes after take-off, at 0.20am, the aircraft fell off the tracking website and apparently off the radar.

The military aircraft, which is based at Mildenhall in Suffolk, was using the call sign QID72.

The Boeing plane is used to refuel jets mid-flight and can carry up to 31,000 gallons of fuel.

The US Air Force has not yet issued any information about the whereabouts of the plane, but the British media claims that it may have experienced an in-flight emergency over the Channel.

The Ministry of Defense said it did not have any information on the apparent vanishing of the jet.

Smoke condition on plane cancels flight at Newark Airport

Plane carrying Bill Clinton diverted after partial engine failure

Cessna pilot makes belly-landing at Montgomery

April 30

Two Survive Plane Crash In Black Forest

Image

© Black Forest Fire Rescue
The plane crashed in a large gully.

    
Pilot calls police after crashing ultra light in paddock near Toodyay in WA

Pilot Makes Emergency Landing in Muddy Pilot Point Field

Image


Plane in mud.

    
Pilot killed in plane crash near Trinidad

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Two strange moving objects spotted over Vancouver BC


UFOs buzzing the Canadian skies of British Columbia left residents amazed and thrilled in wonder.

    
A strange object has been caught on video flying across the night sky in Esquimalt, B.C., and the people who filmed it insist it's a UFO.

Brian Cooper and his wife Melissa were relaxing in bed watching a movie on Monday night when all of a sudden they saw something outside their window: two strange objects darting around the night sky.

"At that point we were at a loss for words and we were like 'what the hell is that?'" Brian Cooper told CTV Vancouver Island.

Cooper and his wife leapt out to their second-storey balcony and used their cell phone to film what he claims is likely a secret military vehicle, or maybe even proof of alien life.

"I have never seen anything like this in my life. I'm a very skeptical person," he said.

Cooper said the objects first appeared around 8:30 p.m. While one soon vanished, the other kept flying over the area - including over Esquimalt's Navy base.

He describes it as being as big as a Volkswagen, flying like a drone, except much faster. He said the circular craft had lights that "spun in all different directions."

The couple weren't the only ones to witness the strange phenomenon. Veralynn Weaver, who lives upstairs, says she also saw the UFOs, and can't explain what they are either.

"I have no idea," she said. "I've grown up on military bases and I've never seen anything like that."

The Navy base declined to view the cell phone footage, but confirmed there were no military flights of any kind near the base on Monday. No reports were filed to either the Victoria or Saanich police either.

CTV Vancouver Island showed the footage to Dr. John Willis, a professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Victoria. He said with grainy and shaky cell phone video - with no audio - it's impossible to determine exactly what's in the sky.

"These are taken on the spur of the moment," he said, adding that 99 per cent of the time there's a UFO sighting there is also a simple explanation.

As for whether he believes it could be an alien life form?

"I can't definitely rule it out on the basis of that evidence. But I'm going to put my eggs in one basket and say no," he said.

Willis said a more likely explanation is that the flying object is a drone, but "with evidence of this quality you can't make a 100 per cent call every time."

After being shown the video, an expert in drones said it's likely that what the Coopers saw was a phantom aircraft.

"That's a UAV drone. Multi-rotar, electric air vehicle," said David Carlos of Victoria Air Photos & Survey.

But much like Willis, the expert was careful not to rule everything out.

"I would say absolutely not an alien life form. But never 100 percent," Carlos said.

As for the Coopers, they're still would like to definitively know what they saw outside their apartment - and aren't satisfied with the explanation.

"Myself personally, I do not have a rational explanation of what is was," said Brian Cooper.

here.