2008 All Yearl- Our Feature Page -- Current - See Pictures Below On This Page

"The Pirates of Peleliu" - the Gulf of Aden - Aug. 2008

"Not Just Another Day At The Office" - Incidents At LAX - Aug. 2008

"Airport 2008" - Hull Explosin At 30,000 Feet - July 2008

"Drug Sub" - Mexican Navy Intercept At Sea - July 2008

"Fallen Stars" - M/V Princess of The Stars - July 2008

"Italian Down" - June 2008

"A Bow To The Queen" - May 2008

"Kalitta Crash At Brussels" - May 2008

"Broken In Half" - May 2008

"4-3-2-1-Launch Piston!" - CN Railway - April 2008

"Caught At Three Rivers" - M/V MSC Sabrina - March 2008

"Do Not Tumble Dry" - M/V Courage - Jan. 2008

"Lumber Shift" - M/V Ice Prince - Jan. 2008

"Dr. Beach's Mystery Beer Tank" - Jan. 2008 - Mystery Solved!

2007 Second Half-- Our Feature Page For July. To Dec. 2007 Page #12

"Full Power Run Up" - Etihad Airways - Nov. 2007

"Just Scraping By" - M/V Cosco Busan - Nov. 2007

Somali Pirate SmackDown - USS Porter - Oct. 2007

Please Do Not Park On The Fuel Truck - Nov. 2007 - Østfold County, Norway

Irony - Oct. 2007 - Katowice, Poland

Oil Rig Vs. Drilling Platform - Oct. 2007 - Gulf of Mexico

Another Step For Mankind - Sept. 2007 - Panama Canal

Another Day At The Beach? - M/V Maersk Diaddema - Sept. 2007

Extinguishing The Flame? - 12 August 2007

Beach Detour - 17 July 2007

Shanghai Cutoff - 9 July 2007

2007 First Half- Our Feature Page For Jan. To June 2007 Page #11

M/V Empress of The North - Goes South - Again - 14 May 2004

IL-76 DOWN - the Congo - 10 MAY 2007

Did Pepito Need To Die? - M/V Astoria -5 April 2007

An Investigative Report

What's In A Name? - 22 March 2007

Rock Hunting Mine Hunter- M106 Grömitz -Feb. 2007

Out of Service - M/V Server- Feb. 2007

Ripped Reefer - M/V Sierra Neva - Jan. 2007

Family Feud - M/V APL Dubai - Jan. 2007

2006 Second Half- Our Feature Page for June to Dec. 2006 Page #10

Chips Ahoy! - A Cargo Law Mystery For You To Solve - Dec. 2006

Mystery Solved! "Legend of The The Great White Dorito"

Emirates Goes To Pieces - Nov. 2006

Fate of The Finnbirch - Nov. 2006

Brazil Mid-Air - Oct. 2006

Ultimate Transport Crisis - Sept. 2006

M/V Cougar Ace - Laying down on the job - July 2006

M/T Front Sunda - Exploded And Abandoned - July 2006

Powers of A Kansas Hoe - July 2006

Flying Fire Truck - June 2006

Loading Submarines - M/V RORO Star - June 2006

Indian Split - M/V Ocean Seraya - June 2006

2006 First Half Our Feature Page for Jan. to June.2006 - Page #9

B1 Wheels Up - May 2006

Resting The Mighty "O" -- May 2006

Quick Passing of M/V Alexandros T -- May 2006

The Reefer List - M/V Ivory Tirupati -- April 2006

Co-Loading -- human smuggling on the gamma -ray -- April 2006

Somali Pirate Patrol -- pirate miscalculation --March 2006

Water Bridge - EU engineering magic - March 2006

Alabama Crane Disaster - tragic loss - March 2006

New Feeder Service? - a new mystery - Feb. 2006

Loss of Pride - M/V Seabulk Pride -- Feb. 2006

M/T Ece -- to the bottom -- Feb. 2006

Split Personality For M/V Twin Star(s) -- Jan. 2006

DHL Meets JAL Over LHR -- Jan. 2006

Pirate Payback - USS Winstn Churchill - Jan. 2006

M/V APL Panama - Day At The Beach -- Jan. 2006

 

 

2005 All Year - Our Feature Page for Jan. to Dec. 2005 Page #8

M/V Oltenita - Danube Disaster -- Oct. 2005

Seven Mile Bridge - The Keys - Oct. 2005

Ghost Ship - Destruction at Biloxi - Sept. 2005

M/V Transmodal - Fire At Sea - July 2005

M/T Kyokuyo Maru -Collision& Fire At Sea - July 2005

Horsing Around - July 2005

Iwo Jim Fire - July 2005

The Queen Checkmates - June 2005

Coat Tails of The Queen - June 2005

Tip of The Iceberg - June 2005

Uplift To Down - March 2005

Mea Culpa, Mea Culpa, M/V Milicoma - Mar. 2005

Bridge Vs. Bridge - Mar. 2005

Red Rudder Riders - Feb. 2005

USS San Francisco In The Mountains - Jan. 2005

Dr. Beach's Mystery Buoy - Jan. 2005

Drowned Fox - Jan. 2005 

2004 Last Half - Our Feature Page for Jan. to June 2004 Page #7

Aomori Prefecture Stranding - Dec. 2004

Tsunami - Dec. 2004

Light-OUTse - Oct. 2004

Yield For Merging Traffic - Sept. 2004

When Unexpected Guests Drop In ... - Sept. 2004

Hang'n Out At Key West - July 2004

High Tide - June 2004

United Air Lines - Union Pacific Merger - June 2004

2004 First Half - Our Feature Page for Jan. to June 2004 Page #6

"Sit Down STRIKE At LAX" - May 2004

"Why We Fight Terrorism" - May 2004

"Belly Flop" - May 2004

"M/V Sealand Pride" - May 2004

"Earth - Upside Down For Caterina" - April 2004

"Now Boarding" - April 2004

"The Death of Frigate HMS Scylla" - March 2004

"General Motors Ocean Lines" - Feb. 2004

"Injured Pride" - Jan. 2004

"Follow That Car!" - Jan. 2004

"Cavity Search?" - Jan. 2004

"Happy New Year?" - Jan. 2004

2003 Second Half- Our Feature Page for July. to Dec. 2003 Page #5

"Encounter With Physics" M/V Stellamare - Dec. 2003

"DHL Airlines - On Time - On Target" - Nov. 2003

"M/V Purr Seaverance - Rock Chaser?" - Oct. 2003

"Hurricane Isabel -The Looming Storm" - Sept. 2003

"Typhoon Maemi-Busan Cranes" - Sept 2003

2003 First Half - Our Feature Page for Jan. to July. 2003 Page #4

"F-22 Stealth Fighter Bomber" - first photo! - June 2003

"Safety Lift" - June 2003

"Sinking M/V Fu Shan Hai" - May 2003

"Sinking M/V Sigitika Biru" - May 2003

"Fishing For Rabbits" - May 2003

"Not So M/V Jolly Rubino" - April 2003

"Forward Observer" - April 2003

"FedRex Vs. UP-ooopS" - April 2003

"Half Measures" - March 2003

2002 Last Half - Our Feature Page for July to Dec. 2002 Page #3

"Open Door Policy" - Dec. 2002

"Northwest Climbing" - Dec. 2002

"Anchors Away" - Dec. 2002

'Full Speed Ahead" - Oct. 2002

"Typhoon Rusa" - Sept. 2002

"Don't Park Here" - Aug. 2002

"Things You Should Not Drop!" - July 2002

2002 First Half - Our Feature Page For 2002 to June 2002 Page #2

"Unstealthy" - April 2002

"Moment of Disaster At Dubai" - March 2002

"All Aboard !" - Feb. 2002

"Container Pool" - Jan. 2002

"U.S. Air Force Crippled C-141-B Starlifter" - Dec. 2001

"Suggested Al-Qaida Solution" - Sept. 2001

M/V Gem of Kilakari Underway & Under Pirate Attack, Friday, Aug. 8, 2008, In The Gulf of Aden, Near Somalia.

Photo By U.S. Marine Cpl. Kevin McCall Shows One of Two Attacking Pirate Vessels

A Bad Sight In The Rear View Mirror -- If You Are A Pirate!

USS Peleliu -- "The Iron Nickel" -- Carries:

6 x AV-8B Harrier Attack Planes

4 x AH-1W Super Cobra Attack Helicopters

12 x CH-46 Sea Knight Helicopters

9 x CH-53 Sea Stallion Helicopters

4 x UH-1N Huey Helicopters

262 Officers, 2,543 Enlisted Sailors & 2,200 U.S. Marines

From The Cargo Letter - Aug. 8 2008

USS Peleliu (LHA 5) and embarked 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit (15th MEU) stopped a pirate attack of a civilian merchant vessel Aug. 8 approximately 80 miles north of Somalia while conducting Maritime Security Operations (MSO).

Under the direction of Combined Task Force 51 (CTF 51), USS Peleliu responded to a call for help from the merchant vessel Gem of Kilakarai at approximately 7 a.m. when the ship reported it was under attack from armed pirates in two small boats with weapons and rifle-launched grenades.

Operating approximately 10 miles away from the merchant vessel when the distress call was received, USS Peleliu altered her course to intercept the suspected pirate vessels and launched three helicopters.

The two suspected pirate vessels then fled the scene.

M/V Gem of Kilakari reported one grenade landed on the ship's bridge wing during the attack, but failed to detonate. No injuries were reported. Explosive ordnance personnel from the 15th MEU are currently assisting the M/V Gem of Kilakari in an effort to defuse the unexploded grenade. The merchant vessel was reportedly traveling towards the Suez Canal when the attack took place in the Gulf of Aden.

USS Peleliu is the flag ship of the Peleliu Strike Group and the 15th MEU which is currently deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations to conduct MSO. MSO help develop security in the maritime environment, which promotes stability and global prosperity. These operations complement the counterterrorism and security efforts of regional nations and seek to disrupt violent extremists' use of the maritime environment as a venue for attack or to transport personnel, weapons or other material.

Index For This Feature:  

USS Peleliu (LHA 5)

Wikipedia

15th Marine Expeditionary Unit

Official Site

Somali Pirate SmackDown - USS Porter - Oct. 2007

American Airlines Flight 31 Evacuates Her Passengers On Inflatable Emergency Chutes

While The First A-380 Commercial Flight To LAX -- Emerites Air -- Berths -- To Right of Screen

All of This Takes Place Under Our Windows & Captured On Our LAX Web Cam #2 - "Across The Pacific"

From The Cargo Letter - Aug. 5 2008

American Airlines Flight 31 to Honolulu, carrying 150 passengers & 7 crew, took off on Aug. 5 from LAX at 8:48 a.m. -- but the Boeing 757 turned back for LAX after the pilot reported the smoke in the aircraft.

The Boeing 757 made an over water approach to LAX, opposite to the traffic pattern at the time.

Flight 31 made an emergency landing about 9:30 a.m. & was evacuated at Los Angeles International Aiport.

The Law Offices of Countryman & McDaniel alerted to this emergency & trained our LAX Web Cams on the incident. The scenes shown above & below are from our LAX Web Cams -- which you are invited to view every day in real time.

All 157 people on board had evacuated by sliding down inflatable emergency chutes as Los Angeles Fire Department units surrounded the aircraft on the tarmac. No smoke or flames could be seen. There were no injuries. L.A. firefighters were using thermal imaging equipment but did not detect a fire on the aircraft.

Television images showed the passengers evacuating the plane by sliding down inflatable emergency chutes -- a rare event at LAX

The Los Angeles Fire Department said two minor injuries have been reported among the 7 crew &150 passengers onboard.

L.A. Firefighters were already on the tarmac to assist with the evacuation of Flight 31 -- because LAX had previously turned out to greet the first commercial airline visit of the A-380 aircraft of Emerates Air to the U.S. West Coast. A prio the A-380 aircraft visited on behalf of Airbus.

Our LAX Web Cam #1 - "Cargo City" -- Captures Departure of The Emerates Air A-380

Under our Countryman & McDaniel Windows on Runway 25-Left.

August 5 2008 Was Not Just Another Day At The Office! But No Day Is!

From The Cargo Letter - Aug. 5 2008

Emirates Airlines today invited travel industry and city officials to check out its version of the Airbus A-380 at LAX.

The 489-seat aircraft, the largest passenger plane in the world, landed at Los Angeles International Airport around 10 a.m., shortly after a American Airlines Flight 31 made an emergency landing.

Fire crews that had been awaiting the plane's arrival scrambled to the scene of the 757 landing, which left Airbus without the water-cannon salute it had been expecting on arrival.

About 200 to 250 invited guests were given a two-hour "familiarization" flight -- which is code for "cocktail party" -- aboard the A-380. The plane remained at LAX overnight before heading back to New York.

"The A380 familiarization flights will give guests from San Francisco & Los Angeles a chance to feel and experience the new aircraft as well as learn more about Emirates' world-class amenities and comforts," Nigel Page, senior vice president of commercial operations for Emirates Airlines, said last month in announcing the flight.

Emirates Airlines will begin service between LAX and Dubai on Oct. 1. The airline is not currently slated to operate an A-380 out of LAX.

Index For This Feature:  

Los Angeles International Airport

Video of Amererian Airlines Evacuation Under Our Windows

Airbus A-380

Wikipedia

Boeing 757

Emirates Airlines

It Was 1970 And People Waited In Line For Hours On Hollywood Blvd.& Other Streets Across America

They Wanted To Be Among The First To See The First Blockbuster Movie "Airport" -- The First Big Hollywod Disaster Movie In History

"Airport" Stared Burt Lancaster, Dean Martin, Helen Hayes, George Kennedy & others. It Earned Over US$100M In 1970 Dollars!

A Key Moment of The "Airport" Movie Is When George Kennedy Opines As The Aircraft Expert --

--To Burt Lancaster As The Airport Execututive --

-- That The Boeing 707 Fuselage Can Likely Withstand The Bomb Planted By A Mad Bomber.

Can The Aircraft Survive An Explosion & Loss Of Pressure At 30,000 Feet?

This Same Question Is Now Posesd On July 25 2008 For Qantas Flight QF30.

Editor Note:

In the 38 years since the movie "Airport" we don't recall such an event as that of Qantas Flight QF30. Cargo doors have failed, but not hulls, except the Aloha Airlines incident for reasons other than explosion. Aircraft do not usually survive a major explosion & decompression at 30,000 feet.

An explosion has now blown an automobile sized hole through the hull of a Boeing 747-400 at 30,00 feet! The movie for this would be "Airport 2008".

Survival alone for Flight QF30 - would be a movie!

The 1970 Movie "Airport" Concludes When Cigar Chopping George Kennedy Slaps The Boeing 707 Hull And States ........

"Nice Going -- Sweetheart!"

........ Because The Boeing 707 Of The 1970's Has Survived The Bomb Blast At 30,000 Feet& Returned Her Passengers & Crew To Earth.

But Here In Real Present Time -- Captian John Bartels of Qantas Reprises The George Kennedy Role As He Inspects His Flight QF30.

So Again ---

"Nice Going -- Sweetheart!"

From The Cargo Letter - July 25 2008  

A passenger plane en route from London to Melbourne has made an emergency landing in the Philippines after a large hole appeared in its fuselage. Qantas Airways said its Boeing 747-400, with 346 passengers and 19 crew, diverted to Manila shortly after leaving Hong Kong and landed safely. Engineers are investigating what caused the hole - about 2.5m to 3m in diameter - which led to cabin pressure problems. An airport official said passengers looked scared & some were sick.

Airport authority spokesman Octavio Lina said part of the flooring near the affected section gave way, exposing some of the cargo below, and part of the ceiling also collapsed. "Upon disembarkation, there were some passengers who vomited. You can see in their faces that they were really scared," he said.

Passengers described hearing a large bang and feeling a rush of wind and debris through the cabin about an hour after Flight QF30 left Hong Kong at 0900 local time (0100 GMT).

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau said the aircraft made an emergency descent from 29,000ft to 10,000ft. It said initial information indicated that a section of the fuselage had separated in the area of the forward cargo compartment.

WHY QF30 DESCENDED 20,000FT -- Planes are pressurised as cruising altitudes are freezing and lack sufficient oxygen to breathe. The hole causes decompression, rapidly reducing air pressure and risking exposure. Oxygen masks were deployed and pilot makes emergency descent to breathable altitude. The pilot then told passengers they were going to land in Manila to have a look at the damage.

Passengers reported seeing items flying out of the aircraft.

Dr David Newman, of Flight Medicine Systems, says forcing the plane into a rapid descent after a sudden loss of pressure is a standard emergency procedure. He says that when cruising, the internal cabin is pressurised to a much lower altitude than outside the aircraft, which is also extremely cold.

The flight, which had been due to arrive in Melbourne at 1145 GMT, landed in Manila just after 0300 GMT (1100 local time ).

Qantas CEO Geoff Dixon said engineers were investigating what might have caused the hole in the fuselage. He said Qantas had provided all passengers with accommodation and a replacement aircraft had been arranged.

Qantas boasts of never having lost a jet.

Update From The Cargo Letter - July 26 2008

An oxygen cylinder is missing from the Qantas 747-400 jumbo that was forced to make an emergency landing after a mid-air explosion punched a hole in its fuselage, an Australian investigator said in Manila. The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) is investigating whether an exploding oxygen container was responsible for ripping a jagged hole in the fuselage of flight QF30 from London to Melbourne July 25.

"It is too early to say whether this was the cause of the explosion," Neville Blyth from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) told a media briefing in Manila. "But one of the cylinders which provides back up oxygen is missing." The oxygen cylinder is roughly the size of a diver's scuba tank.

Meanwhile, Blyth told the conference investigators had found no sign a bomb caused the hole. He said tests for bomb residue were negative and Philippine officials had bomb-sniffing dogs go through the hold, finding no indication of explosives.

Editor Note:

The Queensland And Northern Territories Air Service (Qantas) Has Never Lost An Aircraft.

Qantas Flight QF30 could easily have been an absolute catastrophe. This was surely a miracle flight.

Most of the passengers claimed their luggage at Baggage Carousel 7 at Ninoy Aquino Int'l Airport, Manila --- while others were directed to an ocean search area off Cebu.

"Remind me to send a thankyou note to Mr. Boeing." -- The closing "Airport" movie line of actor Barry Sullivan rings true today.

These Passengers of Qantas Flight QF30 have no idea how lucky they were. Thanks Mr. Boeing.

Your Editor Michael S. McDaniel

Index For This Feature:

Qantas

Qantas Flight QF30 - videdo from the actual event

More Video

Airpot 1970 - the movie

Movie Title Sequence & Main Theme - music by Alfred Newman -- don't miss these video clips

Airport Opening Theme - music only - have good speakers

Airport Love Theme

Movie Trailer - Airport - the story

Airport - fan trailer - the better one - see the explosion

George Kennedy & The Boeing 707-300 - will he clear the runway of the stuck B-707 aircraft -- before the bombed & disabled B-707 has to land?

George Kennedy

Ending Titles & "Nice Going -- Sweetheart!" - dealing with a large hole in the plane

Boeing 747-400

Ninoy Aquino Int'l Airport

The Mexican Navy Intercepts Columbian Drug Submarine

Mexican Special Forces Waited Until The Vessel Surfaced Before Rappelling From Helicopters

From The Cargo Letter - July 18 2008

Mexico's drug wars sank to new depths July 17 2008, as the Mexican Navy announced it had seized a submarine that was transporting cocaine off the southern coast. The navy intercepted the 33-foot vessel about 125 miles south of Puerto de Salina Cruz in Oaxaca state.

Jose Luis Vergara, a navy spokesman, said in a radio interview that Mexican Special Forces waited until the vessel surfaced before rappelling from helicopters and overpowering the four-man crew. Vergara called the submarine bust unprecedented for the Mexican Navy.

"There were a lot of packages," he said. "It appears to be cocaine."

The Mexican authorities arrested the 4 Colombian crew claiming to be fishermen forced by drug cartels to move the cargo and drop it off on the Mexican shores. The sub left the Colombian port of Buenaventura about a week before.

The Mexican Navy provided no information on the identities or nationalities of the suspects. Colombian authorities have captured more than a dozen such vessels over the last couple of years. Law enforcement experts say the homemade subs are becoming ever more sophisticated. Meanwhile, Mexico's drug wars claimed another high-ranking law enforcement official.

U.S. officials say that traffickers frequently use vessels to smuggle 32% of the cocaine from South America to the U.S. These boats are capable of carrying more than 10 tons of cocaine and can be controlled by a remote control from hundreds of miles away. U.S. Coast Guard Cmdr.Thad Allen, told reporters in Washington on July 18, that the boats costing about US$1M each, are usually painted to blend in with the color of the water.

Salomon Diaz, a Sinaloa State Police Commander, was shot dead by suspected drug gang hit men in the troubled western state, where more than 300 people have died in drug-related violence this year.

Mexican Navy Special Forces (F.R.A. - Forces of Amphibious Reaction) Inspect Submarine Seized In Salina Cruz Port In Oaxaca. The 10-Meter-Long Submarine Was Carrying Cocaine And Is An Example of The Growing Sophistication of Drug Smugglers. "It's Not A Military Submarine, It's 10 Meters [33 Feet] Long And From What We Know They're Made In The Colombian Jungle To Carry Drugs," Said Navy Spokesman Capt. Benjamin Mar After The Vessel Was Intercepted.

Index For This Feature:

Mexican Navy

Mexican Navy Special Ops Forces (Video)

Salina Cruz Port