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Burns Announces Promotions of Aviation Leaders Brian Phillips and Kevin Shertz

Burns announces the promotions of Senior Vice President Brian Phillips, P.E. and Vice President Kevin Shertz, P.E. Burns continues expanding the specialized design and consulting firm’s aviation practice. Burns currently delivers engineering services at more than 100 airports across the United States. Phillips leads the firm’s aviation unit, guiding design…

7 November U. S. Airspace

The co-pilot of a Delta commercial flight threatened to shoot the captain during a flight in August 2022. He has now been federally charged with threatening to shoot the plane’s captain. The threat was prompted by a disagreement over a passenger’s medical event and the need to divert the aircraft…

4 November Hamburg Airport, Germany

A hostage situation occurred at Hamburg Airport Saturday and Sunday November 4 and 5 and lasted almost 18 hours. The tense situation began when a man drove his vehicle through the gates of the airport according to airport authorities. The man had his 4-year-old daughter with him in the car.…

30 October Makhachkala, Russia

An angry crowd numbering the hundreds was shown on video footage posted to social media shouting “Allahu Akbar” and waving Palestinian flags at the Russian airport in Makhachkala, a predominantly Muslim area in the Russian republic of Dagestan. The crowd was reportedly searching for people arriving on a flight from…

22 October En Route From Everette Wash. to San Francisco, Calif.

A flight operated by Horizon Air, a subsidiary of Alaska Airlines, diverted to Portland International Airport in Oregon on Sunday, October 22. The carrier said, and ATC recordings confirmed, the diversion occurred because of a security threat related to an authorized occupant in the cockpit jump seat. “On Oct. 22,…

10 September En Route to Fort Lauderdale, Florida

A chaotic situation arose on a JetBlue flight from New York’s LaGuardia Airport to Fort Lauderdale Airport in Florida. The passengers were on a tight schedule with their connections for an international flight to Quito, Ecuador. The flight attendants asked the other passengers to let those with the tight connections…

1 September (posted to Reddit)

An American Airlines passenger was kicked off a flight after getting angry and complaining about another person’s baggage in the overhead bin above his seat. Another passenger captured the confrontation between the man and a flight attendant and it was posted on social media. The man became irate, threatened to…

18 August Denver, Colorado

A United Airlines pilot was caught on camera chopping down a parking gate with an ax. Pilot Kenneth H. Jones was filmed at the exit of an employee parking lot at Denver International Airport, chopping the gate numerous times before it falls off the stanchion. Jones was approached by airport…

14 August Sidney, Australia

A 45-year-old man was arrested by Australian Federal Police (AFP) and other passengers on MH122 Airbus-A330 flight from Sydney to Kuala Lumpur were safely evacuated from a flight after the aircraft turned around and flew back to its departure point due to the man’s erratic behavior. The passenger on board…

8 August Denver, Colorado

A Caucasian mother who was suspected of trafficking her biracial daughter back in 2021 by Southwest Airlines employees has filed a racial discrimination suit against the company. Mary MacCarthy was traveling to Denver from Los Angeles with her 10-year-old daughter to attend her brother’s funeral according to an NBC News…

7 August Dubai, United Arab Emirates

An investigation into how a bear escaped from its crate in the cargo hold of an Iraqi aircraft as it was due to depart from Dubai airport was ordered by the Iraqi prime minister. Passengers became disgruntled over the delay. Iraqi Airways said in a statement that it was not…

6 August Ft. Lauderdale Airport

A suspicious package resulted in the evacuation of a large part of the Fort Lauderdale Airport Sunday, August 6. Reports said the Terminal 1 check-in area was evacuated for a little over an hour while an investigation into a suspicious package was conducted. The airport’s social media account said there…

4 August Phoenix, Arizona

An American Airlines ramp worker stripped naked and did push-ups in baggage claim at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX). In a video posted to Reddit, the man is shown walking through the baggage area while tossing each item of clothing that he had been wearing. Airport police and another…

3 August

A man identifying as a comedian with Jammer TV named Jamie DeGeorge uploaded a 45-second video to TikTok, showing his interaction with a Southwest Airlines captain prior to a recent flight. The man was walking down the jet bridge and passed the captain. Here’s how the interaction goes: Passenger: “Are…

2 August Atlanta, Georgia

Emergency trucks swarmed a Delta Air Lines jet on the airport Wednesday evening, August 2, at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. A tweet by the Atlanta airport said, “Atlanta fire and airport emergency operations responded to an incident involving an aircraft on arrival this afternoon. The aircraft landed safety and passengers…

26 November The Aegean Sea

A cargo ship sank off the coast of Greece near the island of Lesbos Sunday, November 26. One person was rescued, one body was recovered but twelve crewmembers were still missing according to Greek authorities. The ship was en route from Alexandria, Egypt, to Istanbul with a 6,000-ton load of…

20 November The Red Sea

Houthi rebels from Yemen seized what they referred to as an Israeli cargo ship in the Red Sea. The group then warned that all vessels connected to Israel “will become a legitimate target for armed forces.” The Houthi rebels released a video showing what they say is the attack and…

9 November

The captain of a dive boat has been convicted of criminal negligence after 34 people were killed on board the boat. Jerry Boylan, the captain, was found guilty of misconduct/neglect of a ship officer in a trial in Los Angeles, Calif. The fire occurred in 2019 on the commercial scuba…

24 October The North Sea

One person died and four others went missing after two cargo ships collided in an incident that took place in the North Sea off the coast of Germany. An additional two crewmembers were rescued, according to German officials. The British-flagged Verity is said to have collided with the Bahamian-registered Polesie.…

14 September Alpefjord, Greenland

The cruise ship MV Ocean Explorer was pulled free three days after running aground in Greenland. The cruise ship ran aground above the Arctic Circle in Alpefjord in Northeast Greenland National Park, the northernmost national park in the world. The ship had 206 people on board at the time of…

12 September Lampedusa, Italy

Early on September 12, a group of unseaworthy, overcrowded iron boats came into Italian island Lampedusa, a fishing and tourist hub south of Sicily. 6,800 migrants came in about 24 hours, more people than the full-time population of Lampedusa. The boats and migrants launched from Tunisia. The flotilla taxed the…

7 September Loiza, Puerto Rico

Marine interdiction agents of U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Air and Marine Operations (AMO) intercepted a vessel with three men from the Dominican Republic transporting 723 pounds (328 kilos) of cocaine, north of Loiza, Puerto Rico. The estimated value of the seized narcotics is approximately $7.9 million. A CAMB Multi-role…

27 August Mallorca, Spain

A P&O Cruise vessel broke free from moorings in a storm in Mallorca and collided with another ship. Inspections showed one of the lifeboats was damaged and could not be repaired on board, according to the cruise company. Some passengers were told they’d have to fly home. A total of…

11 August Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri

An investigation ensued after a boat exploded at a marina at Lake of the Ozarks. It is thought that the explosion was caused by a buildup of gas fumes in the engine area and a spark that set off the explosion. A group of 16 people were injured (15 on…

3 August

Two U.S. Navy sailors were indicted and arrested for allegedly sending sensitive U.S. military information to Chinese intelligence officers. Jinchao Wei was arrested as he arrived for work at Naval Base San Diego, according to a statement released Thursday by the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California. The…

2 August Off the Brazilian Coast

Brazilian federal police rescued four Nigerian migrants who spent 14 days at sea on a ship’s rudder. The four had hoped to reach Europe from Nigeria but were shocked to learn they’d landed thousands of miles away in Brazil. Roman Giomene Friday, one of the four, was quoted as saying,…

18 July Lagos, Nigeria

The leaders of a global wildlife trafficking ring have been convicted after a four-year investigation and a trial in Nigeria. They pleaded guilty in July to smuggling the scales of endangered African pangolins. These traffickers are considered the top-of-the-pyramid and responsible for half the illegal trade in pangolin scales. Phan…

5 July Gulf of Oman

U.S. forces prevented two attempted commercial tanker seizures by the Iranian Navy after the Iranians had opened fire in one of the incidents near the coast of Oman. Both of these incidents occurred in international waters. At 1 a.m. local time, one Iranian naval vessel approached the Marshall Islands-flagged oil…

15 March South Pacific Ocean

In mid-March a small submarine was intercepted by the Colombian navy in the South Pacific Ocean. The submarine was discovered carrying thousands of pounds of cocaine and two dead bodies. The vessel was a 50-foot-long, low-profile, semi-submersible carrying more than 2,643 kilograms of cocaine worth more than $87 million, according…

25 March 2023: Gulf of Guinea

Six members of a 16-person crew on a Liberia-flagged tanker were held hostage by pirates who boarded the ship in West Africa’s Gulf of Guinea last week, according to the Danish shipper that owns the vessel. Pirates reportedly boarded the Monjasa Reformer near Port Pointe-Noire, Congo, on March 25 and…

22 November Rockcastle County, Kentucky

A chemical fire caused by a train derailment in Kentucky has been extinguished. People had been encouraged to evacuate but now are able to return to their homes, according to rail operator CSX late last week. “The fire is completely out,” CSX spokesperson Bryan Tucker said in a statement. The…

8 September Aberdeen, Scotland

Network Rail was fined £6.7m in the high court in Aberdeen after admitting guilt over a rail crash in which three people died. The driver of the train, Brett McCullough, 45, Donald Dinnie, 58 (the conductor), and a passenger, Christopher Stuchbury, 62, died in the derailment near Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire, on…

10 September Geseke, Germany

A train derailment occurred on September 10 near Geseke, Germany, when one train collided with another train operating on the same track. The impact caused multiple carriages to derail, and passengers and cargo spilled out onto the tracks. The initial reports indicate that a communication breakdown between railway control centers…

8 September Across Nebraska

The head of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) wrote a letter saying inspectors found an alarming number of defects in Union Pacific’s freight cars and locomotives during a focused inspection in Nebraska this summer. The FRA performed focused inspections and “identified a concerning number of locomotives and freight cars with…

11 August Bedford Park, Illinois

The Belt Railway Company of Chicago — based in Bedford Park, Illinois, which is the largest switching and terminal railroad in the U. S. — is investigating a ransomware data theft by the Akira Ransomware gang. The ransomware gang claimed to have stolen 85 GB of data. Christopher Steinway, general…

6 August Near Multan, Pakistan

Thirty people were killed and at least 90 others were injured when the Hazara Express train derailed in Pakistan on Sunday, August 6, near the town of Multan. The train departed Karachi in the southern part of the country and was traveling to Havelian in the northern part of the…

26 July Brussels, Belgium

The Brussels Airport bombers were found guilty of terrorist murder seven years after suicide bomb attacks that killed 32 people at the airport and also at a metro station. The attacks occurred in March 2016 and were perpetrated by a group of six men, several of whom were already convicted…

24 June Stillwater County, Montana

A train derailed into the Yellowstone River in Montana on June 24 leading state agencies to warn people not to eat fish caught in the Yellowstone River in the area where the train, which was carrying chemicals, went off the tracks, according to the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and…

1 May New York City

A New York City subway rider allegedly put another man in a chokehold which ultimately resulted in the man’s death. Daniel J. Penny, 24, a U.S. Marine veteran said he was acting to protect himself and other riders and never intended harm. Jordan Neely began acting strangely according to passengers…

Securing and Tracking Train Cargo in Kenya

Rail freights trains have as many as 100 containers for storing cargo, so it is often used to transport tons of cargo over long distances, making it very cost effective for long-distance freight. However, the long transport routes make it easy to lose cargo and make the workflow difficult to…

2 June 2023: Odisha, India

More than 280 people were killed and hundreds more injured when a passenger train derailed and struck two other trains in eastern India on June 1. The crash, in the state of Odisha, has renewed long-standing questions about safety problems in the system. Odisha’s chief secretary, Pradeep Jena, said that…

25 May 2023: New York City

Emine Yilmaz Ozsoy was shoved against a speeding subway train on her way to work. A man pushed her head into the train as it pulled out of the Lexington Avenue/63rd Street station. She underwent two surgeries, after being violently battered by the rushing train. Ozsoy remained partially paralyzed, but…

17 June 2023

As many as 12 French police officers were injured during protests against the rail link in the Alps. Around 2,000 protesters were in the Maurienne Valley protesting the construction of a rail link that includes a tunnel between Lyon and the Italian city of Turin. There were reportedly “300 dark-clad…

1 March 2023: Tempe, Greece

Dozens of passengers were killed near Tempe, Greece, when two trains collided at high speed, head on. One train was carrying freight and the other carried passengers. Rescue crews searched for survivors through flattened cars as the wreckage smoked Wednesday, March 1. There were many additional passengers injured in the…

3 February 2023: Near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

A large train of about 50 cars derailed in Ohio near the Pennsylvania state line. The train was carrying a freight from Madison, Ill., to Conway, Penn., according to the operator, Norfolk Southern. At the time, no information was released about what caused the derailment. Officials in the area issued…

30 November Jerusalem, Israel

Two gunmen shot and killed three people waiting at a bus stop in Jerusalem during the morning commute on November 30. Eight others were wounded during the attack. The attackers were Palestinians and were shot dead by off-duty soldiers and an armed civilian, according to local police. “The terrorists arrived…

22 November Niagara Falls, New York

A vehicle exploded Wednesday, November 22 at the Niagara Falls International Rainbow Bridge border crossing between the United States and Canada raising concerns of terrorism. The two people in the car died and a border patrol officer was injured. Video from an eyewitness at the scene shows an inspection booth…

21 November, Uttarakhand, India

Forty-one workers were trapped in a collapsed road tunnel in northern India and were there for 17 days. The number of trapped workers was revised up from 40 to 41, according to Anshu Manish, a director at the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited, an agency overseeing the rescue.…

3 October Ankara Türkiye

A suicide bomber detonated a bomb after arriving near the entrance of the Ministry of Interior Affairs in Ankara Sunday, October 1. A second person was killed later in a shootout with police, according to Ali Yerlikaya, interior minister. The bombing happened just hours prior to the Turkish Parliament’s opening…

2 October

An investigation into the crash of a truck that killed five people and injured seven others, is ongoing. The crash occurred Saturday, September 30. The incident caused a toxic chemical leak as the tanker truck was carrying anhydrous ammonia. After the wreck, the tank was drained and moved to a…

14 September Laredo, Texas

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers assigned to the World Trade Bridge seized more than two tons of marijuana in a single enforcement action. The seizure occurred at the World Trade Bridge, when a CBP officer referred a 2023 Freightliner tractor trailer manifesting home goods for secondary inspection. Following a…

10 September Calexico, California

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers assigned to the Calexico West port of entry discovered 223 packages of methamphetamine and heroin hidden throughout a pick-up truck. CBP officers encountered a 35-year-old male U.S. citizen driving a 2020 pick-up truck. At the time of encounter, the driver was applying for entry…

1 September Hidalgo, Texas

U.S. Customs and Border Protection at the Hidalgo International Bridge intercepted $1,504,000 of alleged cocaine, methamphetamine concealed within a vehicle. CBP officers assigned to the Hidalgo International Bridge encountered a black Chevrolet SUV arriving from Mexico. A CBP officer referred the vehicle for further inspection which included utilizing non-intrusive inspection…

29 August Romanian Border

The border police carried out a thorough search of the means of transport, based on the risk analysis at the Romanian Nădlac II Border Crossing Point, Arad County, which led to the discovery of 50 foreign citizens hidden in the cargo compartments. One Turkish citizen and a Czech citizen, driving…

25 August Polish Border

Forty-two people tried to illegally cross the Polish-Belarusian border. The migrants were revealed in sections protected by Polish Border Guard posts in Płaska, Narewka, Białowieża and Dubicze Cerkiewne.

21 August Queens, New York

A man who charged Black Lives Matter protesters while wearing a glove with four long, serrated blades was convicted of attempted murder charges, the Queens district attorney announced in August. A peaceful gathering on the overpass above the Cross Island Parkway in June 2020 was interrupted when Frank Cavalluzzi, 57,…

9 August Louisville, Kentucky

A large school system in Kentucky was forced to close schools after a situation that was dubbed a “transportation disaster” by the superintendent. The situation left some children on buses until just before 10 p.m. on the first day of school. In a video statement posted to social media, Jefferson…

4 August Connecticut and Pennsylvania

Ambulances were forced to divert to other hospitals when a cyberattack knocked computer systems offline at hospitals in Connecticut and Pennsylvania, according to the hospital spokespeople. Crozer Health, with three hospitals and a medical center in Philadelphia, was still diverting ambulances for stroke and trauma patients to other hospitals because…

10 July Cincinnati, Ohio

During a one-week period in July, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers intensified inspections on incoming shipments moving through the Cincinnati Port of Entry. On July 10-14, during Special Operation Home Plate, officers focused enforcement efforts on counterfeit merchandise bearing protected brands or trademarked logos of teams within Major…

16 June Border of Romania and Turkey

Border police officers found 28 Syrian citizens who were trying to enter Turkey illegally, hidden in a truck loaded with cabbage. The incident occurred at the Giurgiu Border Crossing Point in a truck that was being driven by a Turkish citizen. Twenty-six men and two women were found hidden in…