In addition to the tragic accidents of Azerbaijan Airlines and Jeju Air, three other unfortunate events marked the end of 2024.
On the evening of 28 December 2024, a Boeing 737-800 of KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (registration PH-BXM) skidded off the runway at Oslo Torp Sandefjord Airport. Namely, the aircraft on flight 1204 took off from Gardermoen Airport in Oslo to Amsterdam. Shortly after takeoff, and after a loud noise was heard on the aircraft, a hydraulic system failure was detected and the aircraft was diverted to Oslo Torp Sandefjord Airport. After landing, the pilots lost control of the aircraft and the aircraft skidded off the runway onto a grassy surface at a lower speed. All 176 passengers and six crew members were evacuated via stairs and none of them were injured. Passengers were taken by bus to hotel accommodation in Oslo, and a replacement aircraft was arranged the following day. The Norwegian Accident Investigation Board has launched an investigation into the cause of the accident.
On the same day, 28 December 2024, a PAL Airlines DHC 8-400 (registration C-GPNA) flying for Air Canada skidded off the runway at Halifax Airport due to a landing gear failure and caught fire. The aircraft was operating Flight 2259 from St. John’s Airport to Halifax. According to an Air Canada spokesperson, the aircraft experienced a “suspected landing gear problem” during landing. A passenger on the flight told CBC News that the landing gear did not lower properly before landing, causing the aircraft to bank to the left and scrape the runway with its wing, which caused the aircraft to catch fire. All 73 passengers and crew were evacuated, with some passengers suffering minor injuries. The aviation authorities are investigating what caused the landing gear to fail.
The next accident occurred on 23 December 2024. A Swiss Air Airbus A220-300 on flight 1885 from Bucharest to Zurich was diverted to Graz Airport just over an hour after takeoff due to smoke in the cabin. Swiss Air said it was working intensively to determine the cause of the smoke in the cabin and that preliminary investigations indicated a technical problem with one of the Airbus A220’s two Pratt & Whitney engines. After the emergency landing in Graz, all 74 passengers and five crew members were evacuated from the aircraft. About a dozen passengers sought medical attention for complications caused by smoke exposure, and two cabin crew members were treated, including one flight attendant who was kept in the intensive care unit. On 30 December, Swiss Air Lines announced that a cabin crew member had succumbed to his injuries and passed away.
Another fact in this tragic series of aviation incidents is that the three accidents (Jeju Air, PAL Airlines, and KLM) occurred within just 12 hours.
