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Recent smoke in the cockpit events
April 7, 2024
Source: Will Stewart & Paul Greaves | www.mirror.co.uk
Smoke engulfed the plane as it prepared to depart from Thailand – with video showing panicked passengers fanning themselves as the heat in the cabin reached 45C
Holidaymakers staged a mutiny and demanded their plane stay grounded after it was engulfed in smoke and fumes just before take off.
The aircraft was packed with passengers and ready to depart when suddenly it filled with “unbearable” noxious air. Panicked tourists stood and fanned themselves as heat in the cabin reached 45C as they were about to fly home from Phuket in Thailand. As the aircraft returned to the stand, they used makeshift fans – including the plane’s safety instructions – to ventilate themselves.
Some of the chaos was captured on video. It happened as the passengers on board the Russian airline Azur Air were taxiing to the runway. When power was cut from the aircraft, they demanded to be allowed off the plane and wait in the air conditioned terminal. Their demands were finally answered.
An airline spokesman told REN TV that a “technical malfunction in the air conditioning system” had been identified shortly before takeoff. Relieved passengers have spoken of the terrifying incident. One tourist on the Phuket to Sochi flight said: “The oil in the engine caused the smoke. Firefighters and technical services arrived at the scene. After checking they began to drain the kerosene (from the plane).”
The Ostorozhno Novosti Telegram channel reported the smoke had alarmed the tourists after their holiday in Thailand. There was panic among the passengers. It posted: “The takeoff was halted, and the passengers were evacuated. Flight departure was delayed for several hours. The captain decided to return to the stand.”
Repairs were carried out in Phuket and the plane later took off for Sochi. It was unclear if the problems arose due to lack of maintenance on Russian planes caused due to Western sanctions over the war against Ukraine. Russian aircraft are suffering a rising level of malfunctions because of the unavailability of Western spare parts and repairs.
“The board was examined by technical specialists. The malfunction has been identified and corrected, the airliner is ready for flight,” said a representative of the carrier.
Source: Chris Slater | www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk
A plane made an emergency landing and was greeted by emergency services at Manchester Airport after ‘smoke was seen in the cockpit.’ British Airways flight BA1369 from Heathrow to Manchester landed shortly before 5pm this evening.
Airport fire engines were seen following the aircraft, which was taken to a remote stand, down the runway. A spokesperson for Manchester Airport said the plane landed as an emergency as a precaution’ after ‘smoke was seen in the cockpit.’
The runway remained open at all times but two other flights performed ‘go-arounds’ before landing themselves.
Once the BA plane had touched down and been brought to a standstill, it was examined and there was deemed to be ‘no cause for concern’ and all passengers were allowed off as normal, the spokesman said. He added BA would now carry out their own investigation into what caused it.
The airline told the Manchester Evening News the plane encountered a ‘minor technical issue.; In a statement, they said: “Our flight crew requested a priority landing due to a minor technical issue. The aircraft landed safely and customers disembarked normally.”
A source said the presence of emergency services was ‘in line with normal procedure.’
An Edelweiss Airbus A340-300, registration HB-JMD performing flight WK-92 from Cartagena (Colombia) to Zurich (Switzerland) with 314 passengers and 13 crew, was climbing out of Cartagena when the crew stopped the climb at 8000 feet due to smoke in the cabin and decided to divert to Barranquilla (Colombia) for a safe landing about 30 minutes later.
The airline reported according to preliminary findings the cause of the smoke was a defect in the air conditioning system. There was no fire.
The aircraft is still on the ground in Barranquilla about 14 hours after landing.
According to information The Aviation Herald received there was a loud bang heard, then the cabin filled with heavy smoke and odour. Colombia’s Authorities pulled the black boxes and opened an investigation, suspecting a catastrophic failure of the #2 pack.
A Lufthansa flight with 190 passengers on board made an emergency landing Monday in Rhodes after reporting smoke in the cabin, according to the operator of Greek regional airports, Fraport.
The pilot of the aircraft travelling from Frankfurt to Dubai requested permission to land on the southern Aegean island due to “the presence of smoke inside the plane”, said Fraport.
The passengers were safely evacuated from the aircraft, which was undergoing a technical and security inspection for what is suspected to be an electrical issue, it added.
Fraport did not specify the type of aircraft, but according to the flight tracking website Flightradar24 it was an Airbus A330.
A Lufthansa flight has been forced to land after a broken coffee machine started spewing smoke into the cabin.
The Airbus A319 from Frankfurt bound for Gothenburg, Sweden, had to make an emergency landing at Hamburg Airport.
According to the company, there was a “short-term local smoke development in the front galley”. The cockpit crew then “declared an air emergency in accordance with the specified procedures” in order to get a “prioritized landing” in Hamburg.
German newspaper Bild reported the cause of the smoke was a busted coffee machine.
The plane landed normally. Thankfully no passengers were reported hurt. Pictures taken at Hamburg airport showed a large number of emergency service vehicles swarming the plane after landing.
A private jet carrying Colombian reggaeton singer Karol G was forced to make an emergency landing at a Los Angeles airport after the aircraft’s cockpit filled with smoke.
The 33-year-old Grammy winner and her entourage’s Gulfstream aircraft landed safely at Van Nuys Airport in Los Angeles late Thursday, according to ABC7.
The private aircraft took off from nearby Burbank Airport on Thursday evening with 16 people on board but soon turned around over Cajon Pass — 70 miles east of the airport — due to the midflight issue.
It made a smooth landing at Van Nuys Airport around 9 p.m. local time.
Upon landing, the white aircraft decorated with a barbed-wire heart logo, the same emblem tattooed on the singer’s arm, was greeted by airport emergency vehicles.
Karol G, whose real name is Carolina Giraldo Navarro, and her posse were captured walking off the plane and hugging on the tarmac following the in-flight scare.
She was also captured shaking what appeared to be the pilot’s hand as airport emergency crews tended to the plane.
The cause of the malfunction has not been revealed.
It is unclear if the singer or anyone else on board suffered any injuries.
An American Airlines Airbus A319-100, registration N763US performing flight AA-2084 from Chicago O’Hare,IL to New York La Guardia,NY (USA), was on approach to New York when the crew reported smoke in the cabin. The aircraft continued for a safe landing on runway 31.
The FAA reported they opened an investigation into the occurrence.
March 6, 2024
February 25, 2024
Source: Gina Kalsi | www.dailymail.co.uk
This is the terrifying moment a power bank exploded on an AirAsia flight mid-air, sending passengers into panic. The plane was flying from Bangkok to Nakhon Si Thammarat in the south of the country when flames and smoke were seen 30 minutes in. Shocked cabin crew rushed to the middle row of the Airbus A320 to extinguish the flames, as nervous customers watched on. Those onboard rushed out of their seats and flocked to the other side of the aircraft, with some clutching their children.
As fumes filled the cabin, passengers frantically moved their belongings away from the flames. Others rushed to go and get bottled water in an attempt to put out the fire. Flight attendants grabbed fire extinguishers and eliminated the fire.
Sayan Srimai, who recorded the video, said: ‘The whole plane was in a state of chaos.
‘We had been sitting for about 30 minutes when suddenly there was a fire burning and smoke rising in the middle of the plane, in row 15.
‘Passengers were extremely shocked. The crew were excellent and it only took them two minutes to put out the fire.’
The eruption left one of the leather seats burnt and charred and the plane landed on time. Nobody was injured in the incident. Technicians boarded the vehicle to check the damage and found black burn marks on the seat. They told passengers that a power bank had been stored in the seat pouch but it exploded during the flight.
Airlines only allow power banks to be packed in carry-on luggage, not in checked bags due to the risk of lithium-ion batteries overheating and causing fires in the cargo hold.
Passenger Sayan said: ‘The passenger who owned the power bank was with a large group, about seven or eight people. When it happened, he stood up very quickly and he was not hurt.’
Source: Dimsumdaily Hong Kong | www.dimsumdaily.hk
A Royal Air Philippines flight with the designation RW602, en route from Boracay to Shanghai on Monday, was forced to make an emergency landing at Hong Kong International Airport. The incident occurred when a passenger’s power bank exploded, resulting in smoke filling the cabin. Fortunately, no injuries were reported.
A video captured the immediate aftermath of the explosion on board flight RW602. The footage shows smoke billowing from the front section of the cabin, gradually enveloping the air inside. Understandably, some passengers were terrified and quickly moved towards the rear of the aircraft to avoid inhaling the smoke.
Responding promptly to the emergency situation, the captain made the decision to perform an emergency landing in Hong Kong. Authorities swiftly arrived at the scene, including airport firefighters and emergency rescue personnel, who efficiently handled the incident. After approximately an hour, the situation was resolved, and the flight was able to resume its journey, reaching its intended destination of Shanghai at approximately 12.30am on Tuesday, causing a delay of three hours.
An Easyjet Europe Airbus A320-200, registration OE-ING performing flight U2-4592 from Lisbon (Portugal) to Paris Charles de Gaulle (France) with 141 people on board, was enroute at FL380 about 60nm northwest of Bilbao,SP (Spain) when the crew donned their oxygen masks, declared Mayday and decided to divert to Bilbao reporting smoke in the cockpit. The aircraft landed safely on runway 12 about 20 minutes later.
A replacement A320-200 registration OE-IZG reached Paris with a delay of about 5 hours.
The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Bilbao about 8.5 hours after landing.
An Endeavor Air Canadair CRJ-900 on behalf of Delta Airlines, registration N320PQ performing flight DL-4826 from Toronto,ON (Canada) to New York JFK,NY (USA) with 74 people on board, was climbing through about 11,000 feet out of Toronto’s runway 06L when the crew donned their oxygen masks and declared Mayday Mayday reporting there were sparks in the cockpit, an electrical fire. The aircraft stopped the climb at 11,000 feet and returned to Toronto, the crew advised it appeared the fire was out, the captain’s windshield heater had sparked up. The aircraft landed safely on Toronto’s runway 06L about 25 minutes after departure.
The aircraft remained on the ground in New York for about 49 hours before returning to service.
A Porter Airlines Embraer ERJ-190-E2, registration C-GKQM performing flight PD-521 from Toronto,ON (Canada) to Tampa,FL (USA) with 63 people on board, was enroute about 30 minutes prior to top of descent when the crew noticed an acrid smell in the cockpit followed by hazy smoke at the right hand side of the cockpit. The crew worked the related checklists, and the smoke dissipated. The crew continued to Tampa, reported smoke in the cockpit to ATC and landed safely on Tampa’s runway 19R.
The Canadian TSB reported the crew requested emergency services on standby for landing but refused to declare emergency, Air Traffic Control did declare emergency for the flight. Emergency services inspected the aircraft and also noticed the acrid smell.
An American Airlines Boeing 737-800, registration N917AN performing flight AA-885 from Austin,TX to Charlotte,NC (USA), was enroute at FL330 about 110nm northeast of Houston,TX (USA) when the crew decided to divert to Houston Intercontinental reporting the forward galley oven was emitting smoke. The aircraft landed safely on Houston’s runway 09 about 30 minutes later and taxied to the apron.
A replacement Boeing 737-800 registration N817NN reached Charlotte with a delay of about 8.5 hours.
The occurrence aircraft returned to service about 16.5 hours after landing.
Houston Airport reported the aircraft diverted due to a possible fire in the forward galley oven.
The airline reported a technical malfunction as reason for the precautionary diversion.
A Transavia Boeing 737-800, registration PH-HXL performing flight HV-6365 from Eindhoven (Netherlands) to Las Palmas,CI (Spain), was descending towards Las Palmas when the crew declared emergency reporting an indication of a possible fire in a cargo hold. The aircraft continued for a safe landing on Las Palmas’ runway 03L, stopped on the runway for about 5 minutes for a check by emergency services, then vacated the runway and taxied to a remote stand. At the stand the aircraft was evacuated via slides. There are no injuries being reported.
The return flight was cancelled.
The aircraft is still on the ground in Las Palmas about 29 hours after landing.
An Easyjet Airbus A320-200, registration G-EJCC performing flight U2-868 from Glasgow,SC to London Gatwick,EN (UK), was climbing out of Glasgow’s runway 23 when the crew stopped the climb at FL300 and decided to return to Glasgow reporting smoke in the cockpit. The aircraft landed safely on runway 23 about 40 minutes after departure.
A replacement A319-100 registration G-EZDX reached London with a delay of about 5.5 hours.
The occurrence aircraft returned to service about 23.5 hours after landing back.
A Virgin Atlantic plane has made an emergency landing at Manchester Airport after pilots reported “dense acrid smoke” in the cockpit.
Flight VS77 had taken off from Manchester Airport Barbados this afternoon, but was forced to return after declaring an emergency over the Irish Sea around 20 minutes into the journey. Aviation website AirLive reported there were unconfirmed reports of “smoke in the cockpit”.
A Virgin Atlantic spokesperson said: “The VS77 from Manchester to Barbados has returned to Manchester due to a technical issue. The safety and security of our customers and crew is always our top priority and we apologise for any inconvenience caused. We’ll ensure our customers can complete their travel plans and keep them updated directly on next steps.”
Firefighters were called after the plane landed at Manchester Airport at around 1.30pm. Three crews ensured the safety of the plane and its passengers, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue says.
A spokesperson for the service told Manchester Evening News: “At just after 1.30pm today (Sunday), firefighters were called to an incident involving an aircraft making an emergency landing at Manchester Airport. Three fire engines from Wythenshawe and Stockport, the Technical Response Unit from Ashton and the Command Support Unit from Hyde arrived quickly at the scene.
“Working alongside Manchester Airport fire personnel, firefighters were on standby for the aircraft’s arrival, which landed safely. Our crews were in attendance for approximately one and a half hours.”
AirLive later updated its website, writing: “Pilots are reporting dense and acrid smell of smoke on air traffic control”, before adding the flight had “landed safely on runway 05R, met by fire engines to cool the brakes”.
A United Boeing 777-200, registration N78001 performing flight UA-57 from Newark,NJ (USA) to Paris Charles de Gaulle (France), was enroute at FL330 over the Atlantic Ocean about 170nm northeast of St. John’s,NL (Canada) about to enter Oceanic Airspace when a passenger’s smartphone started to emit smoke signals. While flight attendants discharged Halon fire extinguishers onto the phone the flight crew declared emergency and requested to divert to St. John’s. The flight attendants extinguished the fire and put the smartphone into a secure container, the flight crew cancelled the emergency about 9 minutes after declaring emergency and requested to continue to their destination, where the aircraft landed about 6:50 hours after departure.
The Canadian TSB reported: “During cruise, as the aircraft was entering oceanic airspace, smoke was observed emanating from a passenger’s cell phone. The crew declared an emergency and ATC cleared them to the St. John’s International Airport (CYYT), NL. During that time, flight attendants discharged halon fire extinguishers and placed the cell phone in a thermal containment bag. No damage or injuries were reported. About 9 minutes after declaring the emergency, the crew cancelled the emergency and requested a clearance back to their original destination. The aircraft continued to LFPG without further incident.”
A Gol Transportes Aereos Boeing 737-800, registration PR-GGL performing flight G3-1504 from Sao Paulo Guarulhos,SP to Aracaju,SE (Brazil), was enroute at FL340 about 150nm northeast of Sao Paulo when the crew decided to turn around and return to Guarulhos reporting they had first noticed a burning odour followed by smoke in the cabin. The aircraft landed safely back on Guarulhos’ runway 09R about 55 minutes after departure.
Brazil’s CENIPA reported the crew carried out the procedures provided for in the manual and decided to return to Sao Paulo for a landing without further incident.
A replacement Boeing 737-800 registration PR-GGP reached Aracaju with a delay of about 4:15 hours.
The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground for about 17 hours before returning to service.
A Skywest Canadair CRJ-700 on behalf of United, registration N793SK performing flight UA-5506 from San Francisco,CA to Aspen,CO (USA) with 62 people on board, was climbing out of San Francisco’s runway 01R when the crew reported they had thin hazy smoke in the cabin, stopped the climb at 5000 feet and returned to San Francisco for a safe landing on runway 28R about 11 minutes after departure.
A replacement Canadair CRJ-700 registration N794SK reached Aspen with a delay of about 5:20 hours.
The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground for about 54 hours before returning to service.
A Hop! Embraer ERJ-170 on behalf of Air France, registration F-HBXN performing flight AF-1702 from Paris Charles de Gaulle (France) to Turin (Italy), was on approach to Turin when the crew declared emergency reporting smoke in the cabin. The aircraft landed safely on Turin’s runway 36 about 11 minutes later.
The return flight AF-1703 was cancelled.
The aircraft is still on the ground in Turin about 100 hours (4 days 4 hours) later.
A Jetblue Airbus A320-200, registration N806JB performing flight B6-209 from New York JFK,NY (USA) to Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic), was climbing out of New York when the crew reported they had perfume odour in cockpit and cabin and needed to return to JFK as quickly as possible. The aircraft stopped the climb at about 11,000 feet and landed safely back on New York’s runway 04L about 20 minutes after departure.
A replacement Airbus A321-200N registration N2102J reached Santo Domingo with a delay of about 4.5 hours.
The FAA reported the crew returned reporting smoke in cockpit and cabin.
The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in New York about 75 hours (3 days 3 hours) after landing back.
December 26, 2023
December 26, 2023
Source: Simon Hradecky | www.avherald.com
An Austrian Airlines Airbus A320-200, registration OE-LBI performing flight OS-208 from Frankfurt/Main (Germany) to Vienna (Austria), was climbing out of Frankfurt’s runway 18 when the crew stopped the climb at FL090 reporting smoke on board. The aircraft returned to Frankfurt for a safe landing on runway 25C about 15 minutes after departure.
Several passengers reported there had been smoke on board of the aircraft, the crew also talked about smoke (and not an odour/smell).
The airline reported the aircraft returned due to an unusual smell on board. There had been problems with the APU.
The aircraft remained on the ground in Frankfurt for about 18 hours before returning to service.
A British Airways Boeing 787-9, registration G-ZBKC performing flight BA-142 from Delhi (India) to London Heathrow,EN (UK), was climbing out of Delhi’s runway 29R when the crew stopped the climb at 4000 feet due to a fire indication on board and decided to return to Delhi. The aircraft subsequently entered a hold and landed safely on runway 29R about one hour after departure.
The flight was postponed to the next day and is currently estimated to depart with a delay of 19:15 hours.
Airline operator Jet2 has confirmed that a fault with onboard catering equipment led to one of its planes making an emergency landing over the weekend.
A flight bound for Geneva had to turn around shortly after departing from Glasgow on Saturday morning after the cabin filled with smoke.
Pilots made the decision to make a U-turn to the airport in case of a fire.
The airline later said the smoke was caused by a fault with the galley oven.
A spokesperson told the press: “We can confirm that flight LS161 followed procedure and returned to Glasgow Airport after a minor fault with the oven in the forward galley created some smoke.
“The aircraft landed safely and customers will be transferred onto a replacement aircraft.”
An Air France Airbus A319-100, registration F-GRHK performing flight AF-1367 from Florence (Italy) to Paris Charles de Gaulle (France), was enroute at FL340 about 30nm east of Geneva (Switzerland) when the crew donned their oxygen masks, declared PAN PAN, reported fumes on board and requested an immediate descent to FL200 and radar vectors to Geneva. The crew subsequently indicated the source of the smoke was unclear, cabin crew was still trying to locate the source. The aircraft landed safely on Geneva’s runway 22 about 20 minutes after leaving FL340.
The aircraft remained on the ground in Geneva for about 7 hours, then continued the flight and reached Paris with a delay of about 7:15 hours. The aircraft subsequently remained on the ground in Paris for about 21.5 hours before returning to service.
A Delta Airlines Bombardier C-Series CS-300, registration N313DU performing flight DL-2380 from New Orleans,LA to New York La Guardia,NY (USA), was on approach to La Guardia’s runway 22 when the crew reported smoke on the flight deck. The aircraft continued for a safe landing about 20 minutes later.
The FAA opened an investigation into the occurrence.
The aircraft is still on the ground about 17 hours later.
Ryanair/Buzz 737 MAX evacuated at Stockholm-Arlanda Airport after smoke filled the cabin while starting the engines. No injuries reported.
Nearly 200 passengers were forced to evacuate from a Buzz Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft at Stockholm-Arlanda Airport early Sunday after the cabin filled up with smoke when the pilots fired up the engines while preparing for takeoff.
Buzz is a Poland-based partner of Irish discount air carrier Ryanair, which operated the evacuated flight that was preparing to depart for Krakow when the emergency began.
A video montage of the incident posted on X shows the chaotic scene unfolding as passengers hastily exit the aircraft via inflatable emergency slides deployed at the plane’s doors.
A number of emergency vehicles surrounded the plane on the snowy tarmac as first responders and airport employees helped passengers evacuate, but no injuries were reported in the incident.
In another segment of the video, the cabin appears smoky as its 189 panicked passengers grab for their belongings and queue up to flee the aircraft.
As the cabin slowly filled with smoke, passengers reportedly had to loudly urge members of the flight crew to open the cabin doors and allow them to exit.
According to AirLive, one passenger described the incident as “highly traumatic.”
In a statement, a Ryanair spokesperson said Buzz engineers were inspecting the aircraft and that a replacement plane had been routed to Arlanda to get passengers to their original destination.
“A Buzz aircraft this morning (10 Dec) in Arlanda reported fumes in the cabin. As a precaution, passengers were evacuated and returned to the terminal,” the statement read in part.
“We apologise sincerely to affected passengers for this delay which we are doing everything to minimize,” the spokesperson said.
“Refreshment vouchers have been issued to passengers in Arlanda.”
Source: Forrest Nelson and Lauren Strauss | www.wifr.com
Reports of a plane with smoke in its cockpit makes an emergency landing at Chicago Rockford International Airport (RFD).
A Northern Air Cargo 737 was flying from New York to Salt Lake City when the box alarm was triggered.
The aircraft reportedly landed at gate 4 where stations from Rockford, Cherry Valley, New Milford/Blackhawk, Stillman, Boone and Byron responded.
All fire stations entered the airfield with no staging.
Chicago Rockford International Airport officials give a statement:
Northern Air Cargo Flight No. 5177 inbound from Newark, destination to Salt Lake City (SLC), reported smoke in the cockpit and declared an emergency. The aircraft diverted to RFD and landed safely at 2:35 p.m. central. Crew is safe and cargo is being offloaded and inspected.
Michael Peranich, Director of Operations and Maintenance at RFD, said that there were two people on the plane; the pilot and copilot. There were no injuries. The plane will stay grounded for the rest of the evening.
A Southwest Airlines flight caught fire late Sunday night and was forced to make an emergency landing at Harry Reid International Airport, officials said. No injuries were reported.
Airport officials said that a small electrical fire broke out on Southwest flight 2367, which left Denver bound for San Diego. The flight made an emergency landing in Las Vegas at about 11:20 p.m., after the fire was discovered.
According to Southwest Airlines, a crew inspected the plane after it landed in Las Vegas. The inspction found no evidence of significant heat, smoke or fire.
The flight took off again about an hour after landing in Las Vegas. It arrived safely in San Diego shortly after 2:00 a.m. on Monday, according to online flight-tracking website FlightAware.
An airport spokeperson said that the flight had 88 people on board, including passengers and crew.
A Contour Aviation Embraer ERJ-140, registration N809AE performing flight LF-3402 from Charlotte,NC to Beckley,WV (USA), was climbing out of Charlotte when the crew stopped the climb at FL230 reporting smoke in the cockpit and returned to Charlotte for a safe landing on runway 18R about 37 minutes after departure.
The aircraft is still on the ground in Charlotte about 4 hours after landing.
An Iran Air Airbus A300-600, registration EP-IBA performing flight IR-718 from Istanbul (Turkey) to Tehran Imam Khomeini (Iran), was enroute at FL330 near Tabriz (Iran) when the crew decided to divert to Tabriz reporting smoke in cockpit and cabin. The aircraft landed safely in Tabriz.
Iran’s CAO reported the same happened again on the onward flight to Tehran after a mechanic had released the aircraft. The occurrence was rated a serious incident and is being investigated by the CAO.
November 8, 2023
November 5, 2023
Source: Shauna Bowers | www.irishtimes.com
A “full emergency” was declared at Dublin Airport on Sunday afternoon following reports of smoke coming from an aircraft, airport operator DAA has said.
A spokesman said the emergency was declared after a private aircraft aborted take-off due to reports of smoke in the cockpit.
There were three crew on board the plane, who were evacuated, he added.
“Dublin Airport’s emergency services responded and after an evacuation of the crew the aircraft was towed under escort to the general aviation area of the airport,” the spokesman added.
A JetBlue passenger’s carry-on burst into flames just as the plane was about to take off — which he called “one of the scariest moments of my life.”
Jimmy Levy was in his seat on the aircraft at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York on Monday when he woke up to the feeling of intense heat and immediately noticed that his backpack was set on fire.
“I was jolted awake by a sudden and terrifying wave of heat which was seemingly shooting towards my face,” Levy, 25, told Caters News. “I immediately opened my eyes and noticed my backpack, which was initially tucked underneath my seat, now in a floating ball of fire.”
Before the flight attendants could assist, the musical artist started to desperately stomp on his bag in an attempt to put out the fire and stop it from spreading any further.
“I thought someone tried to attack me because I’m a known political figure and musician,” Levy, who was a contestant on season 18 of “American Idol,” said.
“But after investigation, it appeared to be an overheated portable charger in my backpack.”
Levy has one million followers on Instagram and more than 120,000 listeners on Spotify.
The singer from Miami, Florida, was set to fly from New York to South Florida, but after the incident, everyone had to evacuate from the plane.
“With the help of the flight staff and water, the fire was contained. However, due to the gravity of the situation, everyone was required to evacuate the plane for a thorough investigation,” Levy said.
After the fire was out and they investigated, it was discovered that the fire was caused by an overheated portable charger.
In a statement to Caters, JetBlue confirmed that the flight “was evacuated while at the gate before takeoff due to a customer’s malfunctioning electronic device or battery.”
“Our crew immediately responded and addressed the situation, and there were no requests for medical assistance. Safety is our number one priority, and we are investigating the incident,” the statement continued.
It’s unclear what kind of portable phone charger ignited the fire, but a similar case occurred earlier this year. In July, VRURC portable chargers were recalled after one set on fire on a commercial flight, according to ABC 7.
The fire caused four flight attendants to be transported to the hospital for smoke inhalation.
A business class passenger’s phone caught fire after becoming squashed in their reclining seat, forcing a British Airways flight from Japan headed for London to make an emergency landing in Alaska.
Three hours after takeoff from Tokyo, the Boeing 787 carrying more than 200 passengers was headed to Toronto, Canada, when the incident occurred. The crew had warned passengers not to try to pick up any dropped phones in the recliner seats before takeoff, but they had disregarded their advice.
The pilot decided to divert the trip to Alaska when crew members noticed smoke coming from the smouldering phone in the Club World cabin. In the language of aviation, a Pan Pan call, which stands for “Possible Assistance Needed,” indicates an emergency that is not life-threatening.
A portable gadget that became lodged down the side of a passenger seat caused smoke to enter the airplane, according to a report from the Canadian Transportation Safety Board. Following the event, officials in charge of aviation safety demanded that seat designs be changed or that procedures be strengthened in order to lower the possibility of phone fires.
A British Airways spokesperson verified the occurrence and stated that neither the crew members nor the passengers were in any danger as a result of the fiery incident.
A USA Jet Airlines McDonnell Douglas MD-88 freighter, registration N832US performing flight UJ-832 from El Paso,TX to Louisville,KY (USA) with 3 crew, was enroute at FL370 about 120nm west of Lubbock when the crew decided to divert to Lubbock due to smoke in the cockpit. On final approach to Lubbock the crew reported they were intending to turn off the runway, the smoke had dissipated. The aircraft landed safely on Lubbock’s runway 17R, vacated the runway and stopped for an inspection on the taxiway querying emergency services whether they saw any smoke coming out of the back of the aircraft. Emergency services stated there was no smoke, the crew subsequently requested taxi to the apron and advised emergency services, they were now starting the APU and requested immediate information if any smoke became visible.
The aircraft remained on the ground in Lubbock for about 46 hours, then positioned to Laredo,TX (USA) and resumed service about 3.5 hours after landing in Laredo.
An Airblue Airbus A320-200, registration AP-EDA performing flight PA-207 from Islamabad to Karachi (Pakistan), was climbing out of Islamabad’s runway 10R when the crew stopped the climb at about 7000 feet reporting smoke in the cockpit and returned the aircraft to Islamabad for a safe landing on runway 10R about 15 minutes after departure.
The aircraft is still on the ground in Islamabad about 5 hours after landing back.
Passengers on a British Airways flight at Heathrow Airport Terminal 5 found themselves having to wait for hours on end following what they claim to have initially been told was a “potential contagion”.
Passenger Martin Hill posted online: “Nothing like being locked on a plane with a ‘potential contagion’ for an hour and half with no explanation or information.”
BA have confirmed that a technical fault prompted the plane to land. While fumes were reported coming from the cockpit, London Fire Brigade said they found no elevated readings in a sweep of the plane.
Caroline Coram said: “Smoke and fumes in the cockpit of a BA flight arriving at Heathrow today. On landing the crew fell ill. People exposed were asked to remove their clothing.”
The plane is understood to have arrived from Barcelona today at around 4.15pm.
An Easyjet Europe Airbus A319-100, registration OE-LQI performing flight U2-3901 from Milan Malpensa (Italy) to Prague (Czech Republic), was enroute at FL320 about 40nm east of Munich (Germany) when the crew decided to divert to Munich reporting smoke in the cockpit. The aircraft landed safely on Munich’s runway 26R about 17 minutes later.
A replacement Easyjet Switzerland positioned from Berlin (Germany) to Munich, resumed the flight and delivered the passengers to Prague with a delay of about 7:40 hours.
The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground for about 34 hours before returning to service.
An Endeavor Air Canadair CRJ-900 on behalf of Delta Airlines, registration N329PQ performing flight DL-5083 from New York La Guardia,NY to Savannah,GA (USA), was climbing out of La Guardia’s runway 13 when the crew stopped the climb at about 12,000 feet reporting smoke in the cockpit. The aircraft diverted to New York’s JFK airport for a safe landing on runway 22L about 34 minutes after departure.
A replacement Canadair CRJ-900 registration N134EV reached Savannah with a delay of about 5:45 hours.
The occurrence aircraft returned to service about 22 hours after landing at JFK.
A Volotea Airbus A319-100, registration EC-MTD performing flight V7-2823 from Lille to Ajaccio (France), was climbing through FL350 out of Lille when the crew decided to divert to Paris Orly (France) reporting a hydraulic problem and smoke in the cabin. The aircraft landed safely on Orly’s runway 25 about 18 minutes later.
A passenger reported there was smoke in a toilet obviously due to an issue with the landing gear.
The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground for about 15 hours, then positioned to Lille and returned to service.
An Ethiopian Airlines flight made an emergency landing at Delhi airport on Wednesday early morning after smoke was detected in the cockpit. The plane with more than 240 people onboard was going to the Ethiopian city of Addi Ababa.
The flight ET 687, operated by a Boeing 777-8 aircraft, returned to the national capital soon after take-off, PTI reported, citing sources. The plane made an emergency landing at the Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport around 3 am on Wednesday.
‘There was smoke’
A passenger, who was onboard the flight, said the plane returned to the airport soon after take off and made an emergency landing. “There was smoke… and many passengers panicked,” the passenger who requested anonymity said.
The airline has not issued any official statement on the incident yet.
Last month, wings of Ethiopian Airlines and Air India planes collided at the Delhi airport. The incident took place when the Ethiopian Airlines plane was pushing back for take off and Air India’s Airbus A320 was parked.
An Air China Airbus A320-200N, registration B-305J performing flight CA-403 from Chengdu (China) to Singapore (Singapore) with 146 passengers and 9 crew, was descending towards Singapore when the crew declared emergency reporting they had received a forward cargo hold as well as a lavatory smoke indication. Smoke developed in the cabin. The aircraft landed on Singapore’s runway 20L and stopped on the runway. The aircraft was evacuated via all slides (including the left hand overwing slides). 9 people received minor injuries. Emergency services extinguished a left hand engine (PW1127G) fire.
The runway was closed for about 3 hours as result of the occurrence.
Singapore’s Civil Aviation Authority reported there were 9 minor injuries due to smoke inhalation and abrasions during the evacuation.
On Sep 11th 2023 the airline reported based on preliminary investigation results that an engine mechanical failure preceeded the emergency landing, the crew handled the occurrence according to procedures, the passengers were cooperative during the evacuation.
Singapore’s TSIB have opened an investigation into the occurrence.
An Indigo Airbus A321-200N, registration VT-IUD performing flight 6E-66 from Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) to Kozhikode (India), was climbing out of Jeddah’s runway 16C when shortly after becoming airborne the crew observed a rapid decrease in oil quantity for the left hand engine (PW1133G) followed by low oil pressure indication. The crew stopped the climb at 3000 feet and began to shut the engine down, but had to don their oxygen masks because white smoke appeared in the cockpit. The crew subsequently completed the engine shut down, selected pack 1 offline after which the smoke began to dissipate. The aircraft returned to Jeddah for a safe overweight landing on runway 16C about 18 minutes after departure.
Saudi Arabia’s rated the occurrence a serious incident and opened an investigation.
The aircraft is still on the ground in Jeddah on Sep 8th 2023.
An Air Canada Bombardier C-Series CS-300, registration C-GNBN performing flight AC-447 from Ottawa,ON to Toronto,ON (Canada) with 130 people on board, was on final approach to Toronto’s runway 05 when the crew declared emergency reporting smoke and fumes in cockpit and cabin. The aircraft continued for a safe landing and was inspected by emergency services.
The Canadian TSB reported a post flight maintenance inspection revealed an issue with the right hand pack.
A Fedex Federal Express McDonnell Douglas MD-11, registration N615FE performing flight FX-802 from Honolulu,HI to Ontario,CA (USA), was enroute at FL390 over the Pacific Ocean about 670nm southwest of San Francisco,CA (USA) when the crew declared emergency reporting they had a forward cargo compartment fire indication and decided to divert to San Francisco. The aircraft landed safely on San Francisco’s runway 28R about 90 minutes later, vacated the runway and stopped on the parallel taxiway for inspection by emergency services.
The aircraft remained on the ground in San Francisco for about 26 hours, then positioned to Los Angeles,CA (USA) and is still on the ground in Los Angeles about 23 hours after landing in LAX.
A Gol Transportes Aereos Boeing 737-700, registration PR-VBW performing flight G3-1003 from Rio de Janeiro Santos Dumont,RJ to Sao Paulo Congonhas,SP (Brazil) with 102 people on board, was climbing out of Santos Dumont’s runway 20R when white smoke developed in the cabin prompting the crew to stop the climb at about 7500 feet and return to Santos Dumont for a safe landing on runway 20L about 10 minutes after departure.
The airline reported hydraulic fluid vapors entered the cabin through the ventilation system. Four passengers were checked at the medical station and released, there were no injuries.
An American Airlines Boeing 737-800, registration N815NN performing flight AA-1616 from Charlotte,NC to Kansas City,MO (USA) with 171 people on board, was climbing through FL310 out of Charlotte when the crew decided to return to Charlotte reporting they had smoke in the cabin after what they believed was an engine (CFM56) #2 compressor stall. The engine was still running, and the smoke had dissipated. The aircraft landed safely back on Charlotte’s runway 36L about 50 minutes after departure.
Engineering checks are being carried out on an Air New Zealand plane after smoke was reported in the cockpit this morning.
Air New Zealand chief operational integrity and safety officer David Morgan said passengers were “advised to disembark” as a precaution and as part of standard operating procedure “following reports of a light smoke haze in the flight deck of the aircraft after boarding”.
“Emergency services also attended the aircraft on the tarmac as a precautionary measure,” Morgan said.
“The aircraft was inspected and will now undertake further engineering checks before it returns to service.
“Customers were communicated with by the captain and have been re-accommodated on to another aircraft which is due to depart shortly. We want to reassure customers our pilots and crew are trained to a high standard to manage situations of this nature and we thank our customers for their patience and understanding.”
Airport spokesman Phil Rennie earlier said fire crews had been called to reports of smoke in the cockpit of a small, regional plane this morning.
Upon attendance, however, no smoke was found.
“It’s currently being investigated,” said Rennie, who advised the matter was causing some delays to flights at the capital.
He later said the delays had been cleared. The passengers on the Tauranga-bound flight and one other disembarking plane were the only ones affected by the delays, and no runways were closed.
Fire and Emergency shift manager Shannon Lucas told NZME crews were called to reports of smoke in a plane at Wellington Airport.
She said they did get called and responded but did not find anything, and have been “stood down”.
An Air France Airbus A330-200, registration F-GZCO performing flight AF-914 from Paris Charles de Gaulle (France) to Accra (Ghana), was enroute about three hours into the flight when a passenger’s mobile phone battery began to emit electrical smell, heat and smoke prompting cabin crew to recover the smartphone and discharge fire extinguishers and water onto the battery. The battery was subsequently put into a secure container. The aircraft continued to Accra for a safe landing about 6:45 hours after departure from Paris.
A passenger reported there was suddenly a pungent electrical odour, the passenger checked his phone which was okay, then looked around. One of the seat neighbours had the smartphone on charge and understood it was that phone that was about to suffer a thermal runaway. Cabin crew got hold of the phone, put it onto the floor and discharged two or three fire bottles and cans of water onto it, then took it away in a secure container.
An ASL Airlines Ireland Airbus A300-600 freighter on behalf of EAT Leipzig, registration EI-DGU performing flight QY-7859 from Pisa (Italy) to Leipzig (Germany), was climbing out of Pisa when the crew stopped the climb at FL220 reporting smoke in the cockpit, they also had dry ice on board. The aircraft diverted to Milan Bergamo for a safe landing on runway 28 about 15 minutes after leaving FL220.
The aircraft remained on the ground in Bergamo for about 45 hours, then continued the flight to Leipzig.
A UPS United Parcel Service Boeing 767-300 freighter, registration N329UP performing freight flight 5X-205 from Philadelphia,PA (USA) to London Stansted,EN (UK), was enroute at FL350 about 150nm west of Cardiff,WL (UK) when the crew diverted the aircraft to Cardiff reporting they had lost their flight management and guidance computers (FMC) and there was a burning smell and smoke in the cockpit. The aircraft landed safely on Cardiff’s runway 12 about 25 minutes later, vacated the runway and stopped on the parallel taxiway.
Make sure to take care of your portable charger in the airplane as it may be a source of danger when it slipped into some unexpected places.
China Eastern Airlines’ flight MU5958, flying from Lhasa to Shanghai, made an urgent landing at Wuhan Tianhe International Airport on Monday as one of its passenger’s portable charger was emitting smoke, according to a report by the Xinmin Evening News.
A short video referring to the incident shows the portable charger dropped into a gap of a first-class seat, being squeezed and emitting smoke.
A passenger on the flight recalled: “After I smelled the smoke, I shouted ‘Find out what’s on fire’!” A crew member told the passenger that the problem was being dealt with, and the smoke was coming from a portable charger of a first-class passenger, according to the report.
A staff member with China Eastern confirmed that during the flight, a passenger’s power bank was emitting smokes, and the crew immediately eliminated safety risks by following formal protocol.
After five hours in Wuhan, passengers were relocated to other flights and left Wuhan.
According to the regulations on portable chargers on civil flights, released by the Civil Aviation Administration of China, the mobile power supply can only be carried in hand luggage or taken along, and it is strictly prohibited to be carried in checked luggage.
Any over-160 watt-hour portable chargers, or ones which are poorly marked, are prohibited from being carried either in hand baggage or in checked luggage.
Passengers carrying portable chargers with a rated energy exceeding 100Wh but not exceeding 160Wh must be approved by the airline.
Passenger can carry up to two portable chargers with a rated energy of no more than 100Wh.
A Spirit Airlines Airbus A320-200N, registration N917NK performing flight NK-1921 from Orlando,FL (USA) to Bogota (Colombia), was enroute at FL350 over the Caribbean Sea about 60nm north of Montego Bay (Jamaica) when the crew decided to turn around and divert to Fort Lauderdale,FL reporting smoke in the cabin. The aircraft descended to FL340 for the return and landed on Fort Lauderdale’s runway 10L about 80 minutes after turning around and about 2:35 hours after departure.
The FAA reported: “AIRCRAFT DECLARED AN EMERGENCY DUE TO SMOKE IN THE CABIN, FORT LAUDERDALE, FL.”, 4 cabin crew received minor injuries.
The pilots of a 24-year-old Boeing 767 operated by United Airlines were forced to make an emergency landing on Wednesday after they reported “uncontained heat and smoke” in the cockpit shortly after takeoff.
The plane is the same aircraft (registration: N666UA) which dropped an emergency slide in midair earlier this month while on final approach to land at Chicago O’Hare Airport following a transatlantic flight from Zurich, Switzerland.
United hadn’t flown the aircraft in commercial service following the July 17 incident, which damaged a residential property after the slide pack hit the side of the building.
After spending several days on the ground, a planned service from Chicago to London Heathrow on July 23 was cancelled at the last minute and the plane remained on the ground for several more days before being scheduled to operate flight UA3 to Zurich.
According to the Aviation Herald, the aircraft was just 260 nautical miles from Chicago when the pilots reported “uncontained heat and smoke on the flight deck”. The plane diverted back to Chicago O’Hare, where it was met by emergency services which checked the plane over for signs of fire or smoke.
The aircraft remained stranded on a taxiway for around 45 minutes before being cleared to taxi back to the gate.
Following Wednesday’s incident, the plane remained on the ground for several more days but flight tracking websites indicate that United will try to fly the aircraft to London Heathrow on Saturday evening.
United Airlines did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A Canadian North Avions de Transport Regional ATR-42-500, registration C-FTIZ performing flight 5T-609 from Hay River,NT to Yellowknife,NT (Canada) with 8 people on board, was in the initial climb out of Hay River when the first officer’s EHSI and EADI went blank, a short time later smoke appeared in the cockpit. The crew declared emergency and returned to Hay River for a safe landing.
The Canadian TSB stated maintenance reported the #2 symbol generator burnt out causing the circuit breaker to trip. Maintenance replaced the symbol generator.
A British Airways Airbus A380-800, registration G-XLEH performing flight BA-56 from Johannesburg (South Africa) to London Heathrow,EN (UK) with 429 people on board, was climbing out of Johannesburg’s runway 03L when the crew stopped the climb at about FL280 reporting smoke in the cockpit as well as in the cabin. The airport immediately assigned runway 03L/21R for the emergency and kept the runway sterile. The aircraft returned to Johannesburg for a safe landing on runway 21R about 50 minutes after departure. The aircraft stopped on the runway, the crew shut the engines down and requested emergency services, who had been deployed in full force affecting operation of the airport (fire cover available), to check their aircraft. Emergency services reported everything on the aircraft looked okay. The aircraft was towed to the apron after about 45 minutes.
According to information The Aviation Herald received the occurrence was a “fume event”. A number of members of the crew were complaining about dizziness and nausea and were sent to be assessed at a hospital. The aircraft had had a fuel leak about one week prior to that occurrence.
Passengers reported there was a burning odour in the cabin that became stronger and stronger, the crew told them about a hydraulics and landing gear problem.
Another passenger reported later that there had been smoke in the cabin obviously due to a fire/fault in the cabin, the flight crew instructed cabin crew to prepare for immediate landing, hence cabin crew did not attend to passengers. The passenger observed a trail of vapour of the wing tips, obviously the aircraft was dumping fuel. After landing the aircraft remained on the runway for a long time – during that time the people in the cabin began to feel unwell and hot due to lack of oxygen/air conditioning.
The aircraft remained on the ground in Johannesburg for about 30 hours, then departed for the flight again as flight BA-56D and reached London with a delay of about 30:20 hours.
A plane heading from Halifax to Toronto made an emergency landing at the Ottawa International Airport Monday afternoon.
Ottawa police confirmed to Radio-Canada that they were on scene. They said a plane with smoke in the cockpit had landed safely at the Ottawa Airport, though they had no further details.
Marc-Antoine Deschamps of Ottawa Paramedic Service said paramedics were responding to support airport fire staff, and later confirmed that there were no patients in need of medical care.
Ottawa International Airport spokesperson Krista Kealy confirmed that the Air Canada plane made an emergency landing Monday afternoon. She said the airport put its protocol into action, and emergency services from the City of Ottawa responded.
She said the situation at the airport has returned to normal and the runway affected is reopening.
A ThaiAirAsia Airbus A320-200, registration HS-BBF performing flight FD-369 from Singapore (Singapore) to Chiang Mai (Thailand), was enroute at FL340 about 120nm east of Hat Yai (Thailand) when the crew declared emergency reporting smoke in the cockpit and diverted the aircraft to Hat Yai for a safe landing about 25 minutes later.
Thailand’s AAIIB rated the occurrence a serious incident and opened an investigation.
The aircraft remained on the ground in Hat Yai for about 30.5 hours, then returned to service.
An Emirates flight in Russia was forced to return to the gate after smoke began pouring from its rear just moments before takeoff.
Fire appliances were seen spraying the smoking Boeing 777 ahead of a flight from St Petersburg to Dubai on Friday.
Passengers were ordered to disembark into the terminal at Pulkovo airport shortly before midnight.
‘Smoke came from an aircraft engine at St Petersburg Pulkovo airport,’ said a Russian emergency services official.
‘Flight EK176 from St Petersburg to Dubai on 30 June 2023 returned to the stand due to reports of smoke being detected during pushback for departure,’ said an Emirates spokesperson.
‘As a precaution, all passengers and crew were disembarked while the aircraft was attended by the local authorities and fire services.’
The cause of the smoke – evidently linked to the plane’s rear auxiliary power unit rather than a main engine on the wing – was not disclosed.
A total of 228 passengers and 15 crew were disembarked.
The Boeing 777 eventually took off some five hours late and arrived safely in Dubai at around 11.30am local time following a six and a half hour flight.
The airline spokesperson said: ‘Passengers were reboarded after inspections were completed and the aircraft departed with a delay.
‘We apologise for the inconvenience.
‘The safety of our passengers and cabin crew is of utmost importance and it will not be compromised.’
An ANA Wings de Havilland Dash 8-400, registration JA844A performing flight OC-67 from Fukuoka to Miyazaki (Japan) with 39 passengers, was nearing Miyazaki when smoke appeared in the cabin prompting the crew to request priority. The aircraft landed safely in Miyazaki, vacated the runway and stopped clear of the runway, the passengers were evacuated onto the taxiway.
The aircraft is still on the ground in Miyazaki about 13 hours after landing.
Australian flag carrier Qantas link (QF) flight from Sydney (SYD) to Canberra (CBR) returned back to SYD after experiencing smoke in the cockpit. Further, flight QF1501 is operated by Boeing 717.
Qantas operates dozens of daily flights between Sydney and Canberra with its regional subsidiary Qantas Link. The airline deploys Boeing 717 and De Havilland Canada Dash 8-400 aircraft on this route.
According to FlightRadar24, the Qantas link flight QF1501 on Jun 27 took off from Sydney (SYD) at 8:16 PM UTC. Shortly after takeoff, the pilot noticed the smoke inside the cockpit; following this, they decided to turn back at SYD.
QF1501 landed safely back at SYD at 8:36 PM UTC, 20 minutes later. Further, it is a daily scheduled flight and takes less than an hour to connect SYD with CBR.
According to a Qantas spokeswoman, one of their Sydney to Canberra flights had to return to Sydney due to an unusual smell reported by the crew. As a standard procedure, fire services were called to attend the priority landing.
The passengers were unaffected by the smell and were accommodated on flights the following morning. Subsequently, the airline’s engineers are currently checking the aircraft.
An Iberia Airbus A330-300, registration EC-LUK performing flight IB-6166 from Boston,MA (USA) to Madrid,SP (Spain) with 294 people on board, was climbing through about 10,000 feet when smoke surfaced in the cabin prompting the crew to declare Mayday, don their oxygen masks and initiate an immediate return to Boston. The aircraft landed back on Boston’s runway 22L about 16 minutes after departure. After landing the crew advised emergency services there was still electrical smoke in the cockpit, however, they were able to taxi to the apron unless emergency services determined an emergency evacuation would be needed. Following checks by emergency services the aircraft taxied to the apron.
Passengers reported there was smell of burning at first, then white smoke surfaced.
A United Airlines flight bound for Honolulu was diverted back to the Los Angeles International Airport on Wednesday morning for an emergency landing shortly after takeoff.
FAA officials said Flight 1158 returned to LAX after the crew reported smoke on the flight deck. United Airlines said some smoke was also reported in the cabin.
The Boeing 777 departed from Los Angeles around 8:30 a.m. PDT. The crew reported the smoke about 30 minutes after takeoff.
According to FlightAware, the aircraft safely returned to the Los Angeles International Airport around 9:30 a.m. PDT.
Cleveland Hopkins International Airport officials said Wednesday that four crew members of an American Airlines plane were taken to a nearby hospital as a precaution after smoke was reported in the cockpit of flight 1264.
No one was injured in the incident, and officials said passengers were transferred to another plane to continue their trip to Charlotte, North Carolina.
It’s not known what caused the smoke in the cabin.
A Lufthansa Cityline Canadair CRJ-900, registration D-ACNJ performing flight LH-1375 from Wroclaw (Poland) to Frankfurt/Main (Germany), was descending towards Frankfurt when the crew reported the smell of smoke in the cabin. The aircraft continued for a safe landing on runway 07L, vacated the runway and stopped clear of the runway for inspection by emergency services.
The airline reported there had been smoke in the cabin, the passengers were able to disembark normally via stairs however. The aircraft was subsequently towed to the apron.
The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Frankfurt about 10 hours after landing.
A flight made an emergency landing in Missouri on Sunday evening, reportedly because of smoke in the cockpit.
The United Airlines flight from St. Louis was heading to Denver, but made the emergency landing at Kansas City International Airport just after 7 p.m., KCTV reported.
According to the station, fumes in the cockpit prompted the landing.
There were 37 people on the flight, the station reported, and all were clear to leave. No injuries were reported.
Marcelo Balboa, a former soccer player, tweeted about the incident.
“Smoke on the plane so we had to do an emergency landing in Kansas City airport … @UnitedAirlines_ and there staff did a wonderful job today .. thank you,” Balboa wrote.
An Easyjet Airbus A320-200, registration HB-JZY performing flight U2-1517 from Geneva (Switzerland) to Amsterdam (Netherlands) with 191 people on board, was climbing out of Geneva’s runway 04 when the crew donned their oxygen masks, stopped the climb at about 7000 feet and requested to return to Geneva’s runway 04 reporting they had an overhead locker fire, which had been extinguished. The aircraft landed safely back on Geneva’s runway 04 about 16 minutes after departure. Emergency services boarded the aircraft to check the cabin.
Passengers reported there was a pop sound, then smoke appeared from the overhead lockers, when the locker was opened two pieces of luggage were seen in flames one obviously caught fire from the other. The fire obviously was started by an electronic cigarette, which suffered a thermal runaway.
The airline reported smoke in the cabin prompted the return to Geneva, the flight was postponed to the next day.
The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Geneva about 21 hours after landing back.
On May 6th, a video on the internet showed a Tibet Airlines passenger flight forced to return to its departure airport due to an unknown thick smoke in the cabin.
The passenger who took the video said it smelled like a burnt electronics device, and the plane circled in the air for an hour before returning. Smoke can be seen in the video, and the flight attendants can be heard shouting, “Safety belts confirmed, lower your head and cover your mouth and nose with your collar.”
According to data from VariFlight.com, the flight was Tibet Airlines TV9918 from Shenzhen to Lhasa, which departed from Shenzhen Bao’an Airport (SZX) at 14:17 on May 6th. The flight was conducted by Airbus A319. The flight was canceled after returning, and VariFlight.com also showed that the flight had circled before returning.
Tibet Airlines customer service said that it had been confirmed that the plane returned due to a mechanical failure, and the flight was canceled afterward without any replacement. In such cases, accommodation and other flights will be arranged, and passengers can choose to reschedule or refund their tickets.
On May 8th, Tibet Airlines issued a statement regarding the incident:
On May 6th, Tibet Airlines flight TV9918 departed from Shenzhen Bao’an Airport at 14:17. Shortly after takeoff, smoke appeared in the cabin, and the crew decided to return. The aircraft landed safely at Shenzhen Airport at 15:00, and the flight was subsequently canceled and passengers were properly arranged. After the ground maintenance personnel’s systematic inspection, it was confirmed that the fault was in the air conditioning component in the belly of the aircraft, which would not affect flight safety. We apologize for the inconvenience caused to passengers and express sincere gratitude for your concern and understanding.
Source: Stephen Stock, Amy Corral, Jose Sanchez, Dilcia Mercedes | cbsnews.com
Saindy Pyles thought she was going to die with her baby son, Liam, clutched to her chest as she flew home to Wichita from Miami after photographing a wedding.
Midway through the flight Pyles said smoke filled the cabin after she saw sparks and fire burst from a bag in the seat directly behind her.
“Honestly, I thought we were going to die,” she said. “I looked and all I saw was flashes, just like flashes. I’m like, ‘Oh my God, like, what is that?’ And [the owner of the bag] is like, ‘I don’t know. I don’t know.'”
“Then I took my baby and I ran to the first class. I don’t know how I got there. I think I hurt my arm.”
Quick action by the flight crew contained the smoky flashing lithium battery, which had begun smoldering in a carry-on bag right behind the seats where Pyles, her son and mother-in-law had been sitting. Airport fire trucks met the plane on the runway and everyone evacuated safely. However, it’s an experience Pyles said she’ll never forget, one she shared on social media to make others aware.
A CBS News Investigation has discovered similar incidents have been happening much more frequently in the skies over the United States. The FAA verifies the number of lithium-Ion battery fires jumped more 42% in the last five years.
A CBS News analysis of the FAA’s data found that since 2021 there’s been at least one lithium battery incident on a passenger plane somewhere in the US, on average, once every week.
To see just how dangerous a lithium-ion battery can be, CBS News went behind the scenes at the lab operated by the University of Texas Fire Research Group (UTFRG) in Austin.
For eight years, engineering professor and UTFRG director “Deke” Ezekoye and his team have been testing everyday devices like cellphones, laptop computers, hoverboards and power tools that run on lithium-ion batteries. They do this to study how these batteries in all their different forms interact, overheat, catch on fire and explode.
“As the failure (of the battery) occurs… all of those things will start heat generation within the cell as the heat generates,” said Ezekoye. “Within the cell, there’s a process called ‘thermal runaway’ that occurs.”
The team showed CBS News how the batteries, as designed, supply their own oxygen when they burn, and how the characteristics of the batteries can add to the volatility of the devices. In in one demonstration, the burning lithium-ion battery supplied its own fuel to the flames as the cell burns out of control — underwater!
“You can’t put it out. It’s a fire within the cell,” Ezekoye said. “So, you’ve got fuel, oxygen, heat in the cell, all.”
That can become a big problem on an airplane 35,000 feet in the air.
“It can cause an accident that the aircraft crew and the airplane cannot manage,” Exekoye said.
“I saw smoke,” flight attendant Christopher Lee said of another incident involving a lithium-ion battery on a flight he was working a couple of months ago.
“I thought to myself, ‘I know someone is not smoking on this aircraft.’ That was my initial reaction,” Lee said. “Smoke filled the cabin. I saw the sparks. I saw the flames.”
Lee rushed to fight the smoldering fire, which had started in a lithium battery contained in a vape device that had been placed a bag in the overhead bin on the March 1 Spirit Airlines flight between Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, and Orlando, Florida. Lee, with the help of fellow flight attendants and passengers, put it out with a fire extinguisher.
Lee says he worries about what might have happened had he not acted so decisively.
“Fear didn’t kick in until after it was all over with,” Lee said. “And I think that I will say, thanks to the training that we receive” from the airline, it all worked out.
Otherwise, he said, “We could have had a bad situation.”
Pilots are acutely aware that this is a serious issue in stored or checked bags. Some say passenger education about the dangers of things such as lithium-ion batteries could be a matter of life or death.
“It’s the difference between being kept safe or being harmed,” said Captain Dennis Tajer, spokesman for the Allied Pilots Association, the union for American Airlines’ pilots. “When folks check in their bags, they’re asked, ‘Do you have any lithium batteries or e-cigarettes?’ And that’s just one of the dangerous goods that we’re concerned about.”
CBS News analyzed a decade’s worth of hazardous materials incident data from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Administration.
According to the analysis, the most common hazmat incidents (29.06%) involve lithium-ion batteries. The rest involved other hazardous materials such as aerosols, live ammunition, paint and poisons.
According to the PHMSA data, from March 2018 through March 2023, there were 5.319 incidents on all airplanes, including cargo planes, in the United States. Almost 700 of those (695) occurred on passenger planes.
That averages out to be one hazmat incident on a passenger plane every two and a half days.
The Federal Aviation Administration allows the transportation of certain hazardous materials, or “dangerous goods,” as cargo on passenger planes, but federal law requires that the airline and pilot be notified.
But CBS News has discovered that notification doesn’t always happen.
CBS News reviewed the last five years of data in NASA’s Aviation Safety Reporting System, which includes 879 anonymous reports of in-flight hazmat incidents on passenger planes. The data shows that neither pilots nor the airlines were told the hazardous materials were even on board their planes in 62% of those cases, even though notification is required by law.
Captain Tajer said he’s never encountered this problem with his employer.
“That doesn’t happen on American Airlines,” Captain Tajer said. “There’s a procedure when they have cargo and there are things shipped, that box is checked and there are rules to be followed.”
When asked about other airlines where the data shows it does happen, Tajer was blunt.
“I’m concerned,” Tajer said. “[If I were the pilot on one of those flights] I’d be enraged. How dare you not follow the procedures and let me know what’s on the airplane?”
Tajer said the FAA should be paying close attention to the issue of safe transport of hazardous materials on airplanes.
“And why do I render that judgment? Not because I don’t think the FAA is doing its job, but because this is so impactful to the safety of passengers in our industry. That oversight is key.”
CBS News asked that same question of U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, whose office oversees the FAA.
“Well, the FAA is constantly revising and updating its rules,” Buttigieg said. “I think as we go into this year, where the law authorizing the FAA comes up, what we need to look at is not just the passenger side but also the goods and material side and see if we’ve got everything in line (regulated) that we need to.”
“Clearly, (what happens in) the 2020s are not like things were when we were at the dawn of commercial aviation, or even five or ten years ago,” Buttigieg said. “And we do need to do more.”
One group is trying to do more by doing something different when it comes to lithium batteries.
A startup called Pure Lithium has developed a new battery that the company says won’t burn because they changed the chemistry of what makes the battery work.
The invention is the brainchild of Pure Lithium cofounder Donald R. Sadoway, an MIT emeritus professor of materials chemistry.
“My approach is to invent a battery chemistry that cannot burn,” Sadoway said as he showed CBS News around his company’s lab.
“And that’s what is going on here. It’s the pursuit of a battery that has high energy density,” Sadoway said. “But you can take a blowtorch to it. It will not catch fire.”
The battery is made of lithium metal, not lithium ion. Sadoway’s team demonstrated how the battery can already power a small portable video game.
“It could start off large enough to power a phone,” Sadoway said, “but ultimately, it may be large enough that we can stack these together and power an automobile.”
“We have stretched this (lithium-ion) chemistry to the maximum capacity that we can get out of it safely” in batteries, said Pure Lithium’s co-founder and CEO Emilie Bodoin.
“We’re in love with batteries as a world, but we need new batteries,” Bodoin said. “To invent this next-generation battery that won’t burn requires a completely different paradigm shift.”
Bodoin and Sadoway said while they’ve been able to build this battery that won’t burn, they now have to develop it for the mass market and scale up production — no small task.
“While we can sit here and be very confident that we will beat the market in the earliest somewhere between seven and 10 years, I would like to honestly under-promise and over-deliver,” said Bodoin. “So, you may see it (the non-flammable battery) sooner, but hard tech takes a long time and we’re doing something incredibly, incredibly radical.”
While we wait for safer batteries to be mass produced, some airlines are taking action to control the growing number of fires.
They are using specialized “thermal containment” bags designed for flight crews to use if a lithium battery starts heating up to the point where it’s smoking or burning.
Mechanical engineers at the University of Texas at Austin say the bags can effectively contain fire and keep it from spreading, but don’t extinguish it.
Christopher Lee says those bags weren’t available on the flight he was working. And CBS News found that some airlines don’t use them at all.
There’s also some confusion regarding FAA policy.
One regional commuter airline told CBS News it “has FAA approved containment bags installed on each aircraft.”
They may have the bags, but the FAA offers no such approval.
According to a March 16, 2023 Advisory Circular the agency shared with CBS News, while “the FAA has no objection to the use of the various commercially manufactured containment products” … “no FAA test standards exist for these containment products nor does the FAA have a mechanism in place for the approval of these products.”
When asked if he would have liked to have access to such a specialized bag with on his airplane, flight attendant Christopher Lee didn’t hesitate.
“They would be very helpful to have,” Lee said. “Just another tool to use.”
CBS News asked Secretary Buttigieg whether they should be required by the FAA.
“Well, that’s exactly what we’re working on right now,” Buttigieg said. “Any time we’re going to impose by law a certain technology or a certain strategy, we need to make sure that it is appropriate, that it’s informed by the right data. But clearly, we need to make sure that we continue taking steps that are going to contain any kind of hazard here.”
Buttigieg joined with several other experts who told CBS News that public awareness among travelers is crucial and that travelers should always follow the directions given by airline staff regarding lithium-ion batteries and battery-powered devices. FAA guidance published on its website includes:
Spare (uninstalled) lithium-ion and lithium metal batteries, including power banks and cellphone battery charging cases, must be carried in carry-on baggage only.
When a carry-on bag is checked at the gate or at planeside, all spare lithium batteries and power banks must be removed from the bag and kept with the passenger in the aircraft cabin.
Damaged or recalled batteries and battery-powered devices, which are likely to create sparks or generate a dangerous evolution of heat must not be carried aboard an aircraft (e.g. carry-on or checked baggage) unless the damaged or recalled battery has been removed, or otherwise made safe.
Airline passengers should also follow directions from flight crew about turning off laptops and unplugging chargers during take-off and landing, and travelers should ask a flight attendant for help in retrieving cellphones that fall between their seats.
An Air Canada Airbus A320-200, registration C-FGJI performing flight AC-299 from Winnipeg,MB to Vancouver,BC (Canada), was climbing out of Winnipeg’s runway 36 when a flight attendant attempted to turn on the coffee makers in the forward galley, however, one of them did not show any power on. A short time later the flight attendant heard a loud pop and noticed a burning odour, smoke became visible. The flight crew declared PAN PAN, stopped the climb at FL230 and returned to Winnipeg for a safe landing on runway 36 about 35 minutes after departure.
The Canadian TSB reported maintenance found visible damage on one of the coffee makers in the forward galley, wire harness and maker tray did not show any damage however, the circuit breaker had not tripped. The coffee maker was replaced.
A Sunwing Boeing 737-800, registration C-FWGH performing flight WG-283 from Moncton,NB (Canada) to Cancun (Mexico) with 193 people on board, was enroute when a passenger’s e-cigarette battery overheated under a seat. Cabin crew secured the e-cigarette in a secure container, the aircraft continued to destination for a landing without further incident.
The Canadian TSB reported: “During cruise, a passenger’s e-cigarette battery was found overheating under a seat and emitting smoke. After the battery had burnt a hole in the passenger bag, Cabin crew retrieved the ecigarette and transported using an empty dry coffee pot in the front galley. Cabin crew elected to discharge a Halon fire extinguisher in the coffee pot, filled it with water and placed it into a larger metal container where it was monitored for the remainder of the flight.” The aircraft continued to Cancun.
The aircraft remained on the ground in Cancun for about 2.5 hours, then departed for the return flight.
A Pel-Air Saab 340A freighter on behalf REX Regional Express, registration VH-KDK performing freight flight ZL-9982 from Wagga-Wagga,NS to Charleville,QL (Australia), was enroute at FL220 about 70nm northwest of Cobar,NS (Australia) when the crew received a smoke indication on board of the aircraft followed shortly by smoke appearing in the cabin and cockpit. The crew performed an emergency descent to 6000 feet, turned around and diverted to Cobar and landed on Cobar’s runway 23 about 14 minutes (!) after leaving FL220. Emergency services needed to dismantle parts of the aircraft to extinguish the fire. There were no injuries, the aircraft sustained substantial damage however.
Cobar Fire Fighters reported:
Today our crew responded to an incident at the Cobar Airport where an aircraft carrying freight had to make an emergency landing.
A smoke indicator alerted the pilots of smoke onboard and shortly after, the cabin started filling with smoke. Crews arrived to find smoke issuing from the right side of the aircraft under the wing area.
Fire and Rescue crews quickly got to work dismantling the plane to locate the source of the fire and extinguish. The batteries were quickly isolated as initially thought it was caused by an electrical harness.
After a second inspection inside the aircraft it was found to have significant damage to the flooring in which the fire had started. The floor was removed and checked for further signs of heat and determined safe, the aircraft was secured, ventilated and the site handed over to airport staff.
Excellent job by all involved, the quick action by firefighters and aircraft crew prevented total loss of the aircraft.
A plane carrying almost 150 passengers made an emergency landing at Melbourne Airport after smoke was detected onboard.
Emergency services were called to the airport on Tuesday after the captain of the Rex flight from Sydney flagged the problem: smoke in a toilet.
A spokesperson for the airline said the plane landed safely and passengers alighted normally.
“Rex Flight ZL31, operating Sydney to Melbourne, landed safely late this morning after smoke was reported in the aft lavatory. As an abundance of caution, the captain declared an emergency,” the spokesperson said.
Engineers identified the cause of the smoke and the aircraft resumed operations.
A British Airways Airbus A320-200, registration G-EUUC performing flight BA-718 from London Heathrow,EN (UK) to Zurich (Switzerland), was descending towards Zurich when the crew declared PAN PAN reporting steam on the flight deck. The aircraft continued towards Zurich for a safe landing on runway 14 about 20 minutes later. Emergency services inspected the aircraft before the aircraft continued to taxi to the apron.
Source: Petlee Peter | www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Smoke in the cockpit of a Lufthansa cargo plane led to it making an emergency landing at Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) on Friday morning. With both pilots on board safe, the aircraft taxied to an isolated spot on the tarmac after landing.
Sources with Bengaluru airport said the Lufthansa Cargo plane LH8474, a Boeing 77 FBT aircraft, was flying from Frankfurt, Germany and was expected to land here past 11am on Friday. The aircraft sent an emergency alert to KIA’s Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower.
“The pilots noticed smoke in the cockpit and alerted the ATC that the plane is coming in for emergency landing. The Boeing aircraft circled over the Bengaluru sky for a while as pilots on board assessed the distress situation in the cockpit and burnt more fuel as they were coming into Bengaluru in an emergency-landing attempt,” a senior officer at KIA said.
With the fire crew and equipment stationed on the tarmac, the Lufthansa plane loaded with general cargo touched down at 11.07am. It was escorted away for further inspection, airport sources added. Lufthansa or Bengaluru airport officials weren’t available for comments.
An El Al Boeing 737-800, registration 4X-EKI performing flight LY-383 from Tel Aviv (Israel) to Rome Fiumicino (Italy), was enroute at FL360 about 210nm west of Larnaca (Cyprus) when the crew declared emergency reporting smoke on the flight deck, turned around and diverted to Larnaca for a safe landing on runway 04 about 35 minutes after the decision to divert. The aircraft vacated the runway and stopped clear of the runway for an inspection by emergency services before taxiing to the apron.
Passengers on Southwest Airlines Flight 3923 had to evacuate the aircraft using airplane slides after smoke was spotted in the cabin, the airline said.
A Southwest Airlines flight from Cuba to Florida was forced to turn back to Havana for an emergency landing Sunday after hitting birds and suffering engine trouble in an incident that saw the cabin fill up with smoke, airline and Cuban officials said.
Southwest Airlines Flight 3923 had just taken off from Havana and was bound for Fort Lauderdale late Sunday morning when the plane was believed to have “experienced bird strikes to an engine and the aircraft’s nose,” a spokesperson for the airline said.
Pilots detected an issue with one of the plane’s engines following the bird strike, Cuba’s civil aviation authority, Cuban Aviation Corporation S.A., said. The airline did not immediately confirm the engine trouble.
Video captured from onboard the plane shows the cabin filling up with smoke as passengers begin to panic.
“Nobody could breathe. It was burning so much in the lungs,” one passenger, Marco Antonio, said on NBC’s “Early TODAY” show. “People were just screaming. Kids were screaming,” he said.
Pilots were able to land the plane safely in Havana and passengers had to evacuate the aircraft using airplane slides due to the smoke spotted in the cabin, the airline spokesperson said. They were then bussed to an airport terminal and were expected to be accommodated on another flight to Fort Lauderdale.
“We apologize to our Customers for the inconvenience and have reached out to address their needs and offer support,” the airline spokesperson said.
Cuba’s civil aviation authority said the plane’s passengers were all in good condition following the incident. It said the cause of the incident was being investigated.
A battery caught fire aboard a Spirit Airlines flight Wednesday, leading to an emergency landing in Jacksonville, Florida.
Cellphone video captured by a passenger on the flight shows crew members and passenger Rocco Chirerichella rushing to put out a fire that broke out while the plane was on its way to Orlando.
“I’m a retired New York City fireman, and I guess it’s just instinct. I got to the, it was a baggage overhead, and smoke was billowing out of it,” Chirerichella said.
Chirerichella and crew members doused the overhead compartment with water and fire extinguisher spray.
“The whole cabin smelled, smoked up, you know, filled up with smoke, and I ripped open the door. One of the attendants came by and yelled, get some water,” Chirerichella said.
The plane eventually made an emergency landing at the Jacksonville International Airport.
Firefighters believe the fire stemmed from a battery in someone’s carry-on.
“You’ve got to realize that the airlines have reasons, rules on batteries, and so forth, and there are reasons for that. Some of these things are very volatile and can cause a fire,” said Captain Eric Prosswimmer with Jacksonville Fire and Rescue.
The fire department said 10 people were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
“It was lucky we got to it right away so we averted a major problem. It could have been really bad,” Chirerichella said.
Spirit Airlines issued a statement saying in part, “We thank our crews and guests for their quick actions to ensure the safety of everyone onboard, and we thank first responders for meeting the aircraft.”
A Condor Airlines Airbus A330-200, registration D-AIYB performing flight DE-2403 from Toronto,ON (Canada) to Frankfurt/Main (Germany), was accelerating for takeoff from Toronto’s runway 06L when the crew rejected takeoff at very low speed (about 15 knots over ground) due to smoke on board of the aircraft. The aircraft returned to the apron.
The aircraft is still on the ground in Toronto about 21 hours after the rejected takeoff.
A Saudi Arabian Airlines Boeing 787-9, registration HZ-AR11 performing flight SV-112 from London Heathrow,EN (UK) to Jeddah (Saudi Arabian), was enroute at FL350 about 110nm northnortheast of Paris (France) when the crew decided to divert to Paris Charles de Gaulle reporting smoke in the cabin. The aircraft landed safely on CDG’s runway 27L about 25 minutes later.
A passenger reported the cause of the smoke and smell was a galley oven that overheated.
A British Airways Boeing 787-10, registration G-ZBLG performing flight BA-238 from Boston,MA (USA) to London Heathrow,EN (UK) with 106 people on board, was enroute at FL410 over the Atlantic Ocean about 650nm northeast of St. John’s,NL (Canada) when the crew reported smoke in the cabin and decided to turn around and divert to St. John’s. The aircraft landed safely on St. John’s runway 29 about 110 minutes later.
The Canadian TSB reported an acrid smell was detected at seat 12A, however, no source was found. 2 cabin crew were taken to a local medical facility for assessment due to inhalation of fumes and subsequently released. Maintenance inspected the aircraft and found no trace of fire or heat. Multiple passenger service units and ceiling panels were removed in the area around seat 12A with no findings. “Maintenance also carried out seat inspections as well as air conditioning pack, galley equipment, in-flight entertainment, and auxiliary heater operational checks with no faults noted. The aircraft has been returned to service.”
An oven fire broke out on a KLM flight from Amsterdam to Johannesburg on Thursday that left some passengers “very panicky” after they saw thick smoke in the cabin.
“There was a lot of crying,” Tiana Cline, who was on the flight, told Insider.
Cabin crew rushed to extinguish the flames and try to console “shaky” passengers before the Boeing 777-200 turned around over the Mediterranean Sea to go back to Amsterdam.
Cline, South Africa-based journalist, had been in Europe for a conference.
“I was watching something on my phone with headphones in and I looked up and there were over 30 people standing in front of me. I thought: why are so many people going to the bathroom?” she told Insider. “When I looked again, I realized that they were crying.”
The crew were alerted to a fire by a passenger who’d spotted smoke as he headed to the bathroom. Flight attendants told passengers seated at the back of the plane to move down the aisle to avoid inhaling the thick smoke coming from the oven, Cline said.
The crew put on protective clothing and extinguished the flames. One of the stewards emerged looking like a “chimney sweep” after being enveloped in thick smoke, she said.
Once the blaze was put out, the aircraft returned to Amsterdam’s Schipol Airport as a precautionary measure.
Another plane was found for the flight to Johannesburg and Cline said the cabin crew were particularly attentive to any stressed-out passengers.
The passengers landed in Johannesburg at about 5:30 a.m. Friday, some seven hours late.
The Dutch air safety body is investigating the fire.
A representative for KLM told Paddle Your Own Kanoo: “An incident occurred on flight KL591 from Amsterdam to Johannesburg on 9 February. There was a fire in the aft kitchen of the aircraft. Cabin crew swiftly extinguished the fire. As a safety precaution, the flight returned to Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. Passengers and crew were unharmed.”
A United Boeing 737-8 MAX, registration N77259 performing flight UA-2664 from San Diego,CA to Newark,NJ (USA), was climbing out of San Diego’s runway 27 when the crew stopped the climb at about 7000 feet due to a passenger’s battery pack overheating and igniting. While cabin crew were extinguishing the fire using extinguishers, the flight crew returned the aircraft to San Diego for a safe landing on runway 27 about 10 minutes after departure. 6 people received injuries, 4 of them were taken to a hospital.
San Diego Fire Services reported an external battery pack caught fire, the crew extinguished the fire and placed the item into a special bag.
A flight from Manchester Airport to France had to turn back this morning due to the ‘smell of smoke in the cockpit and the cabin’.
The Air France flight to Paris Charles de Gaulle airport took off as planned this morning (Friday). But soon after take-off, the pilot ‘decided to turn back’ due to a ‘technical incident’.
A spokesperson for Air France said that there was a smell of smoke in the cockpit and the cabin. The plane landed safely back at Manchester Airport at around 7.30am.
Eyewitness reported seeing fire engines at the scene when the plane landed. Air France said customers were taken off the plane and will be rebooked onto another flight to Paris.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Air France said: “Air France confirms that the crew of flight AF1269 on 3 February 2023 from Manchester to Paris-Charles de Gaulle – operated by Airbus A320 – decided to turn back to Manchester shortly after take-off due to a technical incident (smell of smoke in the cockpit and in the cabin). The pilots and cabin crew are regularly trained to handle this type of known and controlled situation.
“The aircraft landed normally in Manchester at 7h32, local time. The customers were immediately taken care of by the Air France staff and will be rebooked on following flights to Paris.
“Air France understands and regrets the inconvenience caused by this situation and reminds that the safety of its customers and crews is its utmost priority.”
A British Airways Boeing 787-9, registration G-ZBKL performing flight BA-216 from Washington Dulles,DC (USA) to London Heathrow,EN (UK), was enroute at FL380 about 80nm southwest of Hailfax,NS (Canada) when the crew declared PAN PAN reporting smoke in the cabin and decided to divert to Halifax. The aircraft entered a holding at 6000 feet and landed safely on Halifax’s runway 05 about 35 minutes after leaving FL380. Fire fighters inspected the aircraft cabin after landing but found no trace of an active fire.
Halifax’s Fire Services reported an aircraft was inbound with smoke in the cabin (but not in the cockpit) and was holding. After landing all occupants de-planed safely.
An Eurowings Airbus A320-200, registration D-ABHG performing flight EW-9250 from Dusseldorf (Germany) to Tromso (Norway), was descending towards Tromso when smoke was observed in the forward cabin. The crew continued for a safe landing in Tromso.
The return flight was postponed to the following day to be performed with a replacement aircraft.
A replacement A320-200 registration D-AIZV positioned to Tromso the following day as flight EW-6900 and performed the return flight EW-9251 reaching Dusseldorf with a delay of about 18.5 hours.
The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground in Tromso for about 20.5 hours, then positioned back to Dusseldorf as flight EW-6901.
A UPS United Parcel Service McDonnell Douglas MD-11 freighter, registration N275UP performing flight 5X-1276 from Louisville,KY to Raleigh/Durham,NC (USA) with 2 crew, was climbing out of Louisville’s runway 17L just after being handed off to center when the crew reported they had a cargo fire indication and needed to return to Louisville for an ILS approach to runway 17L. Back on approach control to Louisville the crew, now audibly on oxygen masks, reported they now also had smoke in the cockpit and requested and were cleared for a visual approach to runway 17R, the crew advised they would stop on the runway. The aircraft landed without further incident, vacated the runway and stopped just clear of the runway, where the crew evacuated via slides.
The FAA reported: “AIRCRAFT RETURNED TO LOUISVILLE AFTER DECLARING AN EMERGENCY DUE TO FIRE INDICATOR LIGHT. CREW EVACUATED VIA AIRCRAFT SLIDES AFTER CLEARING THE RUNWAY, LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY.”
A British Airways flight from London has been forced to make a landing in Italy after smoke started reportedly filling the cockpit. The plane landed safely at Catullo airport in Verona, Italy. There are no reports of any injuries to passengers, and firefighters are currently at the scene, according to the website of the Italian daily newspaper Leggo. A BA spokesperson told Express.co.uk: “Our pilots requested a priority landing in Verona as a precaution due to a minor technical issue. The aircraft landed normally and customers disembarked as usual.”
Two passengers were injured on a Scoot flight set for take-off from Taoyuan International Airport in Taiwan for Singapore on Tuesday, reportedly due to a portable charger catching fire.
The two were on Flight TR993, which was supposed to take off at 7.35pm on Tuesday evening and arrive in Singapore at around 12.20am the next day, reported Chinese-language publication Lianhe Zaobao, citing local media reports.
Firefighters were immediately deployed to the scene after the airport authorities were notified at around 7.40pm, and the plane returned to the airport tarmac from the runway after the fire was put out.
Photos circulating on social media showed part of the aircraft cabin filled with thick white smoke.
The passengers reportedly chose to continue on the flight after a medical evaluation determined that they did not need hospital treatment.
Departure information showed that the flight was still delayed as at 12.30am on Wednesday.
Responding to queries from The Straits Times, Scoot said the flight safely returned to the gate after a rechargeable power bank belonging to a customer overheated while the aircraft was on the ground.
“Medical assistance has been rendered to the owner of the power bank and his companion, who sustained minor burns to their fingers.
“We are rescheduling the flight and will provide affected passengers with accommodation and meals.”
It added: “Scoot sincerely apologises for the incident. The safety of our customers and crew is our top priority. Investigations into the incident are under way.”
A Swiss International Airlines Airbus A320-200, registration HB-IJM performing flight LX-2086 from Zurich (Switzerland) to Lisbon (Portugal), was climbing out of Zurich’s runway 28 when the crew stopped the climb at FL100 reporting smoke in cockpit and cabin. The aircraft returned to Zurich for a safe landing on runway 14 about 20 minutes after departure and stopped on the apron next to the runway, the passengers disembarked via mobile stairs.
The airline reported the aircraft returned due to an unknown odour on board. A replacement aircraft is going to take the passengers to Lisbon.
A Lufthansa flight from Los Angeles to Frankfurt, Germany, has made an unscheduled landing at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport after a passenger’s laptop caught fire.
The landing at O’Hare was a precautionary step after an overheated laptop caused a small fire in the passenger cabin, the airline said.
The fire was out by the time the plane made a safe landing, WLS-TV reported.
None of the passengers were injured, but two flight attendants were treated for smoke inhalation following the “unscheduled landing,” Lufthansa said in a statement.
The airline said its ground staff was helping passengers get rebooked for flights to their final destinations and said it “regrets the inconvenience caused to passengers”.
A Swiss International Airlines Airbus A320-200, registration HB-IJI performing flight LX-2806 from Zurich to Geneva (Switzerland), was climbing out of Zurich’s runway 32 when the crew stopped the climb at FL150 reporting smoke in the cabin and returned to Zurich for a safe landing on runway 14 about 18 minutes after departure, stopped about 5 minutes clear of the runway for an inspection by emergency services and taxied to the apron.
A replacement A320-200 registration HB-IJL reached Geneva with a delay of about 3:15 hours.
The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Zurich about 5 hours after landing.
Seven passengers suffered minor injuries after a small fire on a plane at John F. Kennedy International Airport on Saturday. A passenger’s phone charger caught on fire on a JetBlue plane, which had 167 people onboard.
The plane was taxing to a gate at Terminal 5 when a lithium battery caught fire.
The fire was quickly extinguished by the crew of JetBlue Flight 662. It took off from Bridgetown, Barbados.
67 passengers were evacuated by the Port Authority using an emergency slide system. Another 60 passengers exited the plane normally.
According to the FDNY, seven civilians reportedly sustained minor injuries, including smoke inhalation and bruises.
“Safety is always our number one priority, and we are investigating this incident in coordination with the FAA and NTSB,” JetBlue said in a statement to FOX 5 News.
It was initially thought the fire was caused by a laptop.
Fire crews scrambled to Heathrow airport after reports of fumes and smoke onboard an A320 British Airways aircraft on the runway
Fire crews from Heathrow airport fire service and the London Fire Brigade have all scrambled to the full emergency at London Heathrow airport.
The fire is understood to be an electrical one and broke out and released toxic fumes into the cockpit on an A320 aircraft that was on the ground at the time of the incident.
Emergency services were called just before 9am on Wednesday, December 21) after ground staff raised the alarm and firefighters rushed to the Western Perimeter road of the airport.
It is not currently clear if passengers were onboard or the status of the aircraft.
A number of fire appliances from Heathorwos onsite fire services and the LFB were all called to make the engine safe and swift actions stopped the blaze from spearing after a large blanket of foam was spread and flames quickly extinguished
The fire is not thought to have impacted flights arriving or departing from the airport.
A United Boeing 767-400, registration N66051 performing flight UA-120 from Newark,NJ (USA) to Barcelona,SP (Spain), was enroute at FL360 about 220nm southsoutheast of St. John’s,NL (Canada) when the crew reported smoke in the cabin and decided to divert to St. John’s requesting an ILS approach to runway 29. The crew advised they did not plan to evacuate but to turn onto runway 16 to vacate runway 29 and proceed to the apron. The aircraft landed safely on runway 29 about 30 minutes after the decision to divert, vacated the runway and taxied to the apron with emergency services in trail.
The airport reported fire fighters inspected the aircraft but found no fire, heat or smoke. A replacement aircraft was being dispatched to St. John’s.
A plane from Kansas landed at O’Hare International Airport Monday afternoon after a report of smoke in the cargo hold.
The Atlas Air 747 landed at O’Hare late Monday afternoon. The plane landed on Runway 28C.
Atlas Air normally operates as a cargo airline – but it also operates as a passenger airline. The Chicago Fire Department confirmed 314 passengers safely exited the plane. We have since learned the people on the plane were military personnel.
Chopper 2 was near the scene as the Atlas Air flight made its safe landing. Emergency trucks were seen surrounding the plane.
The 314 U.S. military personnel onboard were heading from Topeka, Kansas to Poland. We are told the soldiers were part of the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team.
The Fort Riley base troops recently left the base and were heading to Europe. It is not clear what their exact mission was – but we know once the smoke was spotted in the cargo, the 314 soldiers landed in Chicago and evacuated the plane.
No one was hurt, and regular operations continued at O’Hare.
Mechanics checked out the problem, and it is believed the men and women continued on to Poland to carry out their mission.
Atlas Air still cannot pinpoint what caused the smoke – but the airline said the aircraft would only return to service if they deemed it safe.
This was the full statement from Atlas Air:
“We can confirm that Flight 5Y8380 landed safely after receiving an indication of a potential abnormality in the cargo compartment soon after departure from Topeka, Kansas (FOE). The crew followed all standard procedures and safely diverted to Chicago, Illinois (ORD). As a precautionary measure, Chicago authorities inspected the aircraft upon arrival and determined the aircraft was safe for all passengers to de-plane. Our team is investigating the cause of this incident and will work to safely return the aircraft to service.”
An Air France Boeing 777-300, registration F-GSQL performing flight AF-662 from Paris Charles de Gaulle (France) to Dubai (United Arab Emirates) with 306 people on board, was enroute at FL350 about 60nm south of Budapest (Hungary) when the crew requested to return to Paris due to a minor technical issue, no assistance was needed. The aircraft turned around and descended to FL340. On the way back, about 130nm east of Munich (Germany) the crew decided to divert to Munich now reported they had smoke in cockpit and cabin. The aircraft landed safely on Munich’s runway 26L about 23 minutes later and taxied to the apron.
An Air France Airbus A320-200, registration F-HEPJ performing flight AF-9421 from Malaga,SP (Spain) to Paris Charles de Gaulle (France), was on final approach to CDG’s runway 26L when the lithium battery of a passenger’s electronic cigarette caught fire. Cabin crew intervened. The aircraft continued for a landing without further incident.
The French BEA reported on Nov 17th 2022 that cabin crew used the dedicated kit when the Lithium battery of a passenger’s e-cigarette caught fire during final approach, one person received serious injuries. The BEA opened an investigation.
The occurrence aircraft returned to service about 18 hours after landing.
An Air Malta Airbus A320-200, registration 9H-AHS performing flight KM-514 from Malta (Malta) to Vienna (Austria) with 170 passengers and 7 crew, was climbing out of Malta’s runway 23 when the crew donned their oxygen masks, declared PAN PAN PAN reporting smoke in the flight deck and stopped the climb at about 2000 feet . The aircraft returned to Malta for a safe landing on runway 31 about 13 minutes after departure and stopped on the runway for an inspection by emergency services. The aircraft taxied to the apron about 8 minutes after landing.
The airline reported customers on the flight as well as the return flight KM-515 from Vienna are being taken to hotels to wait for the replacement flight.
Emergency services are responding to reports a fire has broken out in the cockpit of a plane at an Auckland airforce base this afternoon.
Fire and Emergency NZ responded to reports of a fire in the cockpit of an aircraft at Whenuapai Airport at 12.41pm today. One fire truck is currently attending to this incident.
A C130 Hercules plane landed at the base about 12.47pm, according to Flightradar24.
British Airways plane leaving Tenerife South airport for Gatwick yesterday afternoon (Thursday), had to turn back after takeoff and make an emergency landing back at the Reina Sofia airport due to smoke being detected in the cabin.
The pilot of British Airways flight BA2703 reported the problem to air traffic controllers shortly after takeoff and requested an unscheduled precautionary landing due to warning lights for smoke in the cabin of the Airbus A320.
Air traffic control grounded all other flights and made this the landing priority with the emergency services at the airport all on standby. As the plane landed it was escorted by fire engines to a safe parking bay away from other planes and the passengers were evacuated.
Shortly after, normal operation of the airport resumed with no one hurt in the incident and minimal delays to other flights. In the meantime, the BA plane was inspected to find the cause of the problem.
A Batik Air Airbus A320-200, registration PK-LAL performing flight ID-6008 from Perth,WA (Australia) to Denpasar (Indonesia), had reported not ready for departure a few times after being cleared to line up runway 21, then reported ready. The aircraft was accelerating for takeoff from Perth’s runway 21 when the crew rejected takeoff at low speed (about 30 knots over ground) reporting they had smoke in the back of the cabin, but reported no assistance was needed and taxied to the apron. Tower had emergency services out nonetheless and follow the aircraft to the stand.
The aircraft was able to depart about 1:50 hours later and reached Denpasar with a delay of 2:20 hours.
What was supposed to be a simple flight to northern Saskatchewan quickly turned into a scary situation for the 22 people on board.
After departing from Saskatoon just after 9 a.m. Thursday, a plane for Rise Air had to make a precautionary landing at the Prince Albert Airport due to what the company calls a “windshield electrical fault.”
Dan Gold, director of communications and stakeholder relations for Rise Air, says the situation wasn’t as serious as some may think.
“It looks relatively dramatic because there was smoke but in truth … (it was) very minor,” Gold said.
He added none of the smoke left the cockpit. That was confirmed by Prince Albert’s fire department, which ended up responding to the situation.
According to Gold, from the time the plane’s staff decided to land to when they actually touched down at the airport took around five minutes.
No one was injured.
Gold also noted the plane is being looked at, but the airline believes it should be back in rotation rather quickly.
“The plane will go out once it has passed our internal safety checks, but we’re liaising with all relevant authorities to make sure the plane is compliant before it goes back into service,” Gold said.
A Delta Air Lines flight was forced to make an emergency landing Tuesday after the plane’s cabin filled with smoke.
Delta Air Lines Flight 2846 — which was headed to Los Angeles International Airport from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport — landed safely at Albuquerque International Sunport following a flight-crew report of smoke in the cockpit and passenger cabin, Federal Aviation Administration public affairs specialist Donnell Evans said in a statement.
Videos captured aboard the Boeing 757 showed passengers calmly seated as the cabin slowly filled with smoke while an alarm blared.
One of the passengers, journalist Mark Johnson, tweeted that the pilots had to make an emergency landing after one of the engines shut down. Officials have not confirmed the cause of the smoke
After safely landing, passengers were captured cheering on the pilots and flight attendants.
The FAA said it will investigate the incident.
Delta arranged for the flight to continue on to Los Angeles with a different plane, which was set to arrive later Tuesday night, the airline said.
A Sun Air Scandinavia Dornier 328 Jet on behalf of British Airways, registration OY-NCW performing flight BA-8236 from Gothenburg (Sweden) to Cambridge,EN (UK), was climbing out of Gothenburg’s runway 21 when the crew stopped the climb at FL050 reporting smoke in the cabin and returned the aircraft to Gothenburg for a safe landing on runway 21 about 12 minutes after departure.
The flight was cancelled.
A listener on frequency reported the crew reported smoke in the cabin immediately after takeoff and returned to Gothenburg.
The aircraft is still on the ground in Gothenburg about 24 hours after landing.
A Spicejet de Havilland Dash 8-400, registration VT-SQB performing flight SG-3735 from Goa to Hyderabad (India) with 86 people on board, was descending towards Hyderabad when smoke was observed in the cabin. The aircraft continued for a safe landing in Hyderabad.
The airline reported smoke was observed in the cabin during the descent towards Hyderabad, the passengers were safely disembarked.
India’s DGCA opened an investigation into the occurrence.
On Oct 17th 2022 the DGCA reported during preliminary investigation evidence of engine oil was discovered in the bleed off valve leading to engine oil entering the air conditioning system resulting in smoke in the cabin.
October 14, 2022
October 12, 2022
Source: Simon Hradecky | www.avherald.com
A British Airways Airbus A320-200, registration G-EUYU performing flight BA-637 from Athens (Greece) to London Heathrow,EN (UK) with 157 people on board, was enroute at FL340 about 100nm southsouthwest of Munich (Germany) when the crew decided to divert to Munich reporting smoke in the cabin. The aircraft landed safely on Munich’s runway 08L about 25 minutes later, vacated the runway and stopped clear of the runway. After a brief check with emergency services the aircraft continued to the apron, where passengers disembarked normally.
Source: Alex Evans & Jaimie Kay | www.leeds-live.co.uk
Aircraft have been seen circling over Leeds Bradford Airport after a report that Leeds United’s team plane ‘filled with smoke’ on the runway.
Flight tracking app FlightRadar has shown at least two aircraft flying in circles over the airport tonight at about 8pm.
It comes after an unconfirmed report from a private pilot who said that the disruption started when Leeds United’s team plane had to be evacuated on the runway.
The tweet from Stephen Reynolds said: “Small incident this evening with the plane carrying the Leeds team home from London. The aircraft landed at LBA and subsequently stopped on the runway with reports of smoke in the cockpit, other planes have been told to circle and the aircraft has been evacuated.”
Using flight radar, you can see planes circling the area. The team was heading back from London following a 2-1 defeat against Crystal Palace.
Leeds Bradford Airport has not issued any official information.
An Air Serbia Avions de Transport Regional ATR-72-212A, registration YU-ALY performing flight JU-601 from Vienna (Austria) to Belgrade (Serbia), was climbing through about FL160 out of Vienna’s runway 29 already in Hungarian Airspace when the crew reported smoke in the cockpit and decided to divert to Budapest (Hungary). On approach to Budapest the crew advised no emergency services were needed. The aircraft landed safely on Budapest’s runway 13R about 25 minutes after stopping the climb.
Hungary’s KBSZ reported the crew reported electrical smoke in the cockpit and diverted to Budapest. There were no injuries. The KBSZ opened an investigation into the serious incident.
An Air Dolomiti Embraer ERJ-195, registration I-ADJU performing flight EN-8287 from Milan Linate (Italy) to Munich (Germany), was climbing out of Linate’s runway 36 when the crew stopped the climb at 4000 feet and returned to Linate for a safe landing on runway 36 about 15 minutes after departure.
A passenger, wife of a German football star, reported there had been an engine fire on board. Emergency services attended to the aircraft and even walked through the cabin after landing to inspect the aircraft before passengers were permitted to disembark.
The airline reported the aircraft returned to Linate due to white smoke in the cabin. No evidence of fire was found. The cause of the white smoke is under investigation.
A Swiss International Airlines Airbus A321-200N, registration HB-JPA performing flight LX-2119 from Malaga,SP (Spain) to Zurich (Switzerland), was descending towards Zurich when the crew declared emergency reporting they had a cargo smoke indication and requested emergency services on standby, they requested runway 14 (runway 28 active, winds from 270 degrees at 6 knots) and declined an offer for runway 34. The aircraft landed on runway 14 about 15 minutes later.
On Sep 18th 2022 the airline reported a smoke detector caused the emergency, the aircraft was accompanied to the gate by emergency services. The cause of the smoke detector’s activation is not yet known.
The aircraft is still on the ground about 16 hours after landing.
A Commutair Embraer ERJ-145 on behalf of United, registration N14198 performing flight UA-4233 from Houston Intercontinental,TX to Gulfport,MS (USA), was enroute at FL240 about 40nm southeast of Lafayette,LA (USA) when the crew turned the aircraft around and diverted to Lafayette reporting smoke in the cockpit. The aircraft landed safely on Lafayette’s runway 22L about 20 minutes after deciding to divert.
A replacement Embraer ERJ-145 registration N27190 reached Gulfport with a delay of 5:45 hours.
The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Lafayette about 47 hours after landing.
A Swiss International Airlines Airbus A321-200N, registration HB-JPA performing flight LX-2119 from Malaga,SP (Spain) to Zurich (Switzerland), was descending towards Zurich when the crew declared emergency reporting they had a cargo smoke indication and requested emergency services on standby, they requested runway 14 (runway 28 active, winds from 270 degrees at 6 knots) and declined an offer for runway 34. The aircraft landed on runway 14 about 15 minutes later.
On Sep 18th 2022 the airline reported a smoke detector caused the emergency, the aircraft was accompanied to the gate by emergency services. The cause of the smoke detector’s activation is not yet known.
The aircraft is still on the ground about 16 hours after landing.
An Air India flight on Wednesday was evacuated after smoke started billowing out of the flight at Muscat International Airport.
All passengers were evacuated on slides after smoke started coming out of the passenger plane. The incident happened while the aircraft was on runway preparing for take-off at Muscat.
“All passengers were safely evacuated after smoke was detected in engine no. 2 of Air India Express flight (to Cochin) on the runway at Muscat airport. Relief flight to be arranged. We will investigate the incident and also take appropriate action, ” ANI quoted the DGCA as saying.
In a statement, an Air India Express spokesperson said there were 141 passengers onboard the plane, which was to depart Muscat at 1120 hours (local time).
“While it was on the taxiway, another aircraft reported observing fumes from one of the engines. However, there was no fire warning indication in the cockpit. As a matter of abundant precaution, and following the prescribed SOPs, the crew stopped on the taxiway and activated the onboard engine fire extinguishers,” the statement said.
Air India Express also said the matter is being investigated by the regulatory authorities as well as the airline’s flight safety department.
A Qatar Airways Airbus A380-800, registration A7-APJ performing flight QR-908 from Doha (Qatar) to Sydney,NS (Australia), was climbing out of Doha’s runway 16L when the crew stopped the climb at about 2500 feet and returned to Doha for a safe landing on runway 16L about 11 minutes after departure.
According to information The Aviation Herald received the crew reported smoke in the cockpit.
A passenger tweeted about 11 hours after landing back, they had no assistance all night after being off-loaded. Minimal food and drinks, no accomodation. No information.
The flight was cancelled.
On Sep 7th 2022 the airline sent following statement: “Qatar Airways flight QR908 operating Doha (DOH) to Sydney (SYD) on 5 September returned to Doha after takeoff due to a cockpit indication of smoke onboard. The crew declared an emergency and the aircraft landed safely in Doha shortly afterwards where it was met by emergency services as a precaution. The safety and security of our passengers and crew remains our utmost priority and we apologize for the disruption to the travel plans of our customers.”
A United Airlines flight at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport aborted takeoff and evacuated its passengers due to smoke in the cabin. The aircraft, a Boeing 777-200, had accelerated to around 90 knots before rejecting takeoff. The investigation into the cause of the smoke is ongoing.
On Friday morning, United Airlines flight UA 71 from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (AMS) to Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) was forced to reject takeoff at high speed after smoke was seen in the cabin.
The flight, operated by a Boeing 777-200, was cleared for takeoff at around 09:50 local time, over 30 minutes later than its scheduled departure, and accelerated to 90 knots before aborting takeoff. Reports claim that light smoke formed in the cabin, forcing pilots to perform the emergency stop.
Fire and emergency services were called and arrived on the runway less than 10 minutes later. Crew then decided to conduct an evacuation, with 253 passengers and 13 crew safely exiting the plane.
Passengers were then bussed back to the terminal and the affected aircraft returned to the apron. Two people on the flight were treated for smoke inhalation.
According to a report from NL Times, a spokesperson for the Kennemerland Security Region said, “it may have been caused by a small, electrical short circuit.” Given the threat posed by smoke in the cabin, which could indicate a range of critical problems, if the aircraft did take off then it would have turned back around and performed an emergency landing.
United Airlines told NL Times,
“Our maintenance team is currently inspecting the aircraft. We are making arrangements to get our customers to their final destination as soon as possible.”
Just a few days ago, Simple Flying reported on a similar incident involving smoke in the cabin, this time affecting an American Airlines Boeing 777 that diverted to Bermuda.
An American Airlines Boeing 777-300, registration N724AN performing flight AA-38 from Miami,FL (USA) to London Heathrow,EN (UK), was enroute at FL350 about 450nm northeast of Bermuda (Bermuda) when the crew decided to turn around and divert to Bermuda reporting smoke on the flight deck with a smoke indication in the electronic equipment compartment. The aircraft landed safely on Bermuda’s runway 30 about 65 minutes after turning around.
The airline reported possible mechanical issues.
Passengers complained they were left unattended on the floor at Bermuda Airport for about 20 hours.
A replacement B773 registration N731AN was dispatched to Bermuda, continued the flight and reached Heathrow with a delay of about 23 hours.
The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Bermuda about 31 hours after landing.
An Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-900, registration N486AS performing flight AS-1484 from Puerto Vallarta (Mexico) to San Diego,CA (USA), was enroute when a children’s toy started to emit smoke and burning odours. Cabin crew doused the device with water and put it into a thermal containment bag. The flight crew continued the flight to San Diego for a safe landing about 2.5 hours after departure.
The USA National Response Center reported, providing the touch down time of the flight from Puerto Vallarta to San Diego as occurrence time stamp: “A CHILD’S TOY WITH UNKNOWN TYPE OF BATTERY STARTING SMOKING AND PRODUCING A BURNING PLASTIC ODOR ONBOARD A FLIGHT. WATER WAS APPLIED TO THE ITEM, AND IT WAS PLACED IN A THERMAL CONTAINMENT BAG.”
The occurrence aircraft continued service after about 2 hours on the ground in San Diego.
A Hawaiian Airlines Airbus A330-200, registration N379HA performing flight HA-10 from Honolulu,HI to Los Angeles,CA (USA), was climbing out of Honoulu’s runway 08R when the crew donned their oxygen masks and stopped the climb at about 6500 feet advising ATC they needed to return to Honolulu due to bad oily smell, fumes on board, they had donned their oxygen masks, they did not need any further assistance. The aircraft landed safely on Honolulu’s runway 08L about 20 minutes after departure.
A replacement A330-200, registration N389HA reached Los Angeles with a delay of 5:45 hours.
A Lufthansa Boeing 747-8, registration D-ABYK performing flight LH-403 from Newark,NJ (USA) to Frankfurt/Main (Germany) with 326 people on board, was enroute at FL330 about 190nm eastnortheast of Boston,MA (USA) when the flight crew donned their oxygen masks and decided to divert to Boston reporting smoke in the cockpit. The aircraft turned around, descended to FL320 initially and landed safely on Boston’s runway 33L about 40 minutes later.
Massachusetts Police reported the flight was carrying 326 people, the crew reported smoke in the cockpit and was wearing their oxygen masks while diverting to Boston. The aircraft landed without further incident.
The airline reported a defective coffeemaker in the first class galley caused the diversion. The origin of the odour could not be identified in flight prompting the diversion to Boston. Mechanics subsequently identified the coffeemaker as source.
A Shree Airlines de Havilland Dash 8-400, registration 9N-ANF performing flight N9-432 from Nepalgunj to Kathmandu (Nepal) with 79 passengers and 4 crew, was in the initial climb out of Nepalgunj when smoke appeared in the cabin prompting the crew to return for a safe landing in Nepalgunj about 6 minutes after departure.
The airline reported the aircraft returned to Nepalgunj as smoke started to appear inside the aircraft.
The airport reported a technical glitch in the left hand engine (PW150A) caused fumes in the cabin.
Source: Sophie Halle-Richards | www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk
Emergency services descended on Manchester Airport following reports that a fire had broken out on a TUI aircraft. Fire crews rushed to Terminal Two shortly after the flight landed from Menorca at around 3.45pm on Saturday (July 30).
Passengers reported seeing an ‘enormous’ amount of smoke coming from the right side of the plane. Witnesses told the Manchester Evening News the fire was extinguished by cabin staff shortly before emergency services arrived.
A TUI spokesperson confirmed the aircraft was met by the fire service following a ‘technical fault’ on arrival into the airport and that all passengers had been able to disembark.
Several holidaymakers reported that planes were temporarily unable to land or take off from the airport following the emergency onboard the aircraft, which had been returning from Mahon in Menorca.
One passenger wrote on Twitter: “Wonder what’s going on at Manchester Airport. Had a go around and now nothing taking off or landing and in holding positions.”
Another said: “Sat on the ground waiting for take and saw a few fire engines and other emergency vehicles going past. They’ve said on our flight that there was an incident with an arriving flight.”
One holidaymaker said he witnessed the fire as he waited in the airport’s Escape Lounge for his flight to Fuerteventura, which was due to take off in the same aircraft.
He told the M.E.N: “As it approached gate 106 after arriving at Manchester Airport from Menorca at about 4pm this afternoon it stopped and then as it set off again there was an enormous amount of smoke from the right engine.
“Then there was a fire in the same engine as it pulled into the gate. The pilots put the fire out before the emergency services arrived.”
A spokesperson for TUI said: “We can confirm flight TOM2609 from Mahon to Manchester, which was operated by an airline partner, experienced a technical fault on arrival to the stand and was met by the fire service. We are in contact with the airline to get information about the incident and to confirm when the aircraft can return to service.
“The safety of our passengers and crews on partner airlines always remains our highest priority. The aircraft was completely safe to land, and all passengers have been disembarked. We understand how unsettling it can be when an aircraft is met by emergency services so we will continue to offer our full support.
“We’d like to apologise to all customers for the inconvenience and thank them for their patience and understanding at this time.”
An Anadolujet Boeing 737-800 on behalf of Turkish Airlines, registration TC-JHE performing flight TK-7919 from Hamburg (Germany) to Antalya (Turkey) with 194 people on board, was climbing out of Hamburg’s runway 33 when the crew stopped the climb at FL110 reporting smoke in the cabin and returned to Hamburg for a safe landing on runway 23 about 30 minutes after departure.
A replacement Boeing 737-900 registration TC-JYN reached Antalya with a delay of about 4 hours.
The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground in Hamburg for about 19 hours, then departed to Antalya.
A Southwest flight heading to Las Vegas from Kona was diverted after an apparent on-board emergency, sources said.
The flight took off Sunday morning and was forced to turn around to Oahu after reports of smoke in the cockpit along with an oxygen issues, sources with the company said.
The plane had to dump fuel on their way in to Oahu in order to safely land, sources added. The aircraft was greeted by emergency crews at the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport.
No injuries were reported and the airline is working to get passenger on an outgoing flight.
The company has yet to release official details. Hawaii News Now has reached out for more information.
A passenger said the pilot of a passenger jet abandoned all those on board after being the first to flee the plane following a loud explosion.
Andrew Benion told The Sun he was aboard a Vueling flight from Barcelona to Birmingham in the UK, when smoke started to fill the aircraft.
The flight attendants started to panic and run down the aisle when the explosion occurred, and one of them warned the captain. As soon as the the front door opened, the captain ran out followed by most of the cabin crew, Benion told the newspaper.
“It was completely shocking. Suddenly there was this huge bang and smell of burning smoke coming from the back of the plane,” he said, adding “all the lights went off and the emergency lights came on – it was terrifying.”
Benion said the crew had not issued clear instructions to passengers and one flight attendants had a “meltdown,” The Sun reported.
“One ran into the cockpit to tell the captain. Then as soon as a stewardess opened the front door the captain ran straight off. He was just gone. He was first off the plane.”
Most of the cabin crew also fled. Benion said the only flight attendant left “started screaming for everyone to get off. The Spanish person next to us translated and said, ‘the plane is on fire’.”
He concluded: “We couldn’t believe the captain just left us like that – he was running off to safety and we were all sat there like lemmings.”
Vueling said in a statement that a small external fire was detected on flight VY8754 scheduled to depart from Barcelona to Birmingham at 11.55 on July 21.
“All passengers and crew were quickly disembarked from the aircraft and moved onto an alternative aircraft following a passport control check. The flight subsequently took off from Barcelona at 15.07. All passengers and crew were unharmed.”
An American Airlines Airbus A321-200, registration N552UW performing flight AA-2930 from Las Vegas,NV to Charlotte,NC (USA), was enroute at FL320 about 150nm northeast of Phoenix,AZ (USA) when the crew reported they had smell of smoke in the cabin and decided to divert to Phoenix. The aircraft landed safely on Phoenix’s runway 07L about 30 minutes after the decision to divert. After landing the crew queried emergency services whether any smoke was visible from the gear, emergency services reported gear looked fine, and advised the smell of smoke and the fumes were still present in the cabin, the flight attendants complained about head aches following the fumes. While taxiing to the apron with emergency services behind the aircraft emergency services advised a bit of white smoke was coming from the right hand engine (V2533).
After arrival the gate the L3 door was opened to ventilate the aircraft and emergency services entered the aircraft via the jetway.
The airline reported a possible mechanical issue.
A replacement A321-200 registration N524UW departed Phoenix about 4.5 hours after N522UW had landed and is estimated to reach Charlotte with a delay of about 5.5 hours.
The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Phoenix about 5 hours after landing.
An American Airlines Boeing 737-800, registration N939NN performing flight AA-1580 from Chicago O’Hare,IL to Buffalo,NY (USA) with 149 people on board, was climbing through FL230 out of Chicago when the crew declared Mayday, Mayday reporting smoke in the cockpit and requested to return to Chicago. The crew subsequently requested vectors to Grand Rapids,MI (USA). ON approach to Grand Rapids the crew reported there was smoke in the cabin right now and needed emergency vehicles on stand by. The crew advised they would stop on the runway to see how it was going in the back. The aircraft landed on Grand Rapid’s runway 08R about 30 minutes after departure and about 20 minutes after declaring emergency. After landing the crew advised the cabin was now clear, they continued to taxi to the apron.
A replacement Boeing 737-800 registration N991NN reached Buffalo with a delay of about 2:45 hours.
The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Grand Rapids about 14 hours after landing.
A Delta Airlines Airbus A321-200, registration N319DN performing flight DL-2187 from New York JFK,NY to Orlando,FL (USA), was enroute at FL360 about 120nm southeast of Charleston,SC (USA) over the Atlantic Ocean when the crew received a forward cargo smoke indication and diverted to Charleston for a safe landing on runway 33 about 23 minutes later.
The FAA reported: “AIRCRAFT DIVERTED TO CHARLESTON DUE TO A FIRE IN THE FORWARD CARGO AREA, CHARLESTON, SC.” and stated the aircraft received minor damage.
In what is at least the fifth air safety incident involving a SpiceJet aircraft in the last two months, a Jabalpur-bound flight operated by the low-cost carrier on a Bombardier Q400 Dash 8 plane made an emergency landing in Delhi Saturday morning after smoke was noticed in the aircraft cabin.
The aircraft took off from Delhi early Saturday, and while climbing past 5,000 feet, the crew noticed smoke in the cabin along with the lavatory smoke alarm sound going off, a top official at the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said. “Cabin crew informed cockpit crew of mild smoke in the cabin, but on visual check, no sign of smoke or damage was observed in lavatory,” the official added.
Later, when passing 14,000 feet, increased smoke was seen in the cabin and the same was conveyed to the pilots, who levelled the aircraft at 15,000 feet and initiated a turn back to Delhi, the official said, adding that a “MAY DAY” call was declared to the air traffic control. The aircraft landed safely in Delhi few minutes after 7am and all passengers were evacuated on the taxiway.
In a statement, a SpiceJet spokesperson said: “On July 2, 2022, SpiceJet Q400 aircraft was operating SG-2962 (Delhi-Jabalpur). While passing 5000 ft, the crew noticed smoke in the cabin. The pilots decided to return back to Delhi. Aircraft landed safely at Delhi and passengers were safely disembarked.”
Source: Ng Kang-chung and Christy Leung | www.scmp.com
A HK Express flight made an emergency landing at the Hong Kong International Airport after smoke was reported in the cockpit, the airline said on Monday.
The Airbus A320-271N aircraft left Taipei at 1.50pm for Hong Kong, and was carrying 47 passengers and seven crew members. The flight was operated by HK Express, a low-cost carrier under the Cathay Pacific Group.
In a statement issued the same day, the airline said: “HK Express confirms flight UO111 from Taipei made an emergency landing into Hong Kong International Airport at around 3:06pm [on June 27] after light smoke was found in the cockpit during its descent.
An American Airlines flight was evacuated Monday morning after a mysterious odor was reported in the cabin. The flight, set to take off for Melbourne, Fla., was taxiing at Charlotte’s Charlotte-Douglas International Airport, with 60 passengers and four crew members aboard when the odor drew suspicion and smoke began filling the cabin.
“Shortly after 9:30 a.m. ET, American Eagle Flight 5594 operated by PSA Airlines, halted takeoff from Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) due to reports of a potential odor in the cabin,” the airline said in a statement. “The aircraft stopped safely on the taxiway where customers were asked to deplane through boarding doors onto the ramp. Buses were used to transport customers back to the terminal where they are expected to board another aircraft for continuing service to Melbourne, Florida (MLB).”
Passengers were evacuated via a ramp back onto the tarmac and taken back to the terminal. Around noon, they were seen boarding a new plane, according to WSOC-TV.
The station also reported that the same plane had an electrical issue that caused smoke and a strange smell twice in 2021.
A Fedex Federal Express McDonnell Douglas MD-10, registration N306FE performing flight FX-463 from Sacramento,CA to Memphis,TN (USA) with 3 crew, was enroute at FL310 about 40nm northwest of Tulsa,OK (USA) when the crew decided to divert to Tulsa due to a fire indication in the cargo bay. On approach the crew reported they now got an additional cargo fire alert in the aft cargo area. The crew requested runway 18L and landed safely about 18 minutes after leaving FL310. Tower reported seeing no smoke from the aircraft. Emergency services reported a heat signature prompting the crew to evacuate the aircraft. Both runways at Tulsa were closed for about 30 minutes while emergency services put the fire out.
Tower advised other aircraft on approach that the airport was closed to an evacuation on the runway, the Fedex aircraft was actually on fire.
Tulsa Fire Department reported the crew evacuated safely, both runways were closed for about 30 minutes. The aircraft was towed to the cargo apron soon after the fire was put out. A number of aircraft decided to divert as result.
The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground about 19 hours after landing.
Source: Sam Tabahriti | www.africa.businessinsider.com
A passenger’s phone caught fire on a Wizz Air jet just minutes before it took off from Budapest airport, forcing the pilot to abandon the flight.
The plane was taxiing to the runway for the flight to Malm in Sweden when passengers noticed smoke billowing from a Chinese-branded smartphone.
The plane turned around and returned to the terminal so that all passengers could get off. Their luggage was also removed.
Enik Varga, 53, was one passenger on the flight. She told Insider the crew responded calmly to the incident and knew exactly how to handle it, reassuring those on board.
“We knew when we saw smoke that we wouldn’t be able to get the last train and thus be stuck at the airport in Malm,” she said.
A Lufthansa Boeing 747-8, registration D-ABYP performing flight LH-506 from Frankfurt/Main (Germany) to Sao Paulo Guarulhos,SP (Brazil), was enroute at FL310 about 90nm southwest of Nantes (France) over the Gulf of Biscaya when the crew decided to return to Frankfurt due to a burning odour, that initially was noticed in the cockpit and spread into the cabin. The cabin was powered down. The aircraft descended to FL260 and landed safely back on Frankfurt’s runway 07R about 90 minutes after the decision to turn around.
The aircraft remained on the ground for about 20 hours, then departed again for flight LH-506 of the next day.
According to information The Aviation Herald received one of the electric fans seized.
A Piedmont Airlines Embraer ERJ-145 on behalf of American Airlines, registration N638AE performing flight AA-6034 from Charlotte,NC to Fort Wayne,IN (USA), was climbing out of Charlotte about 50nm northeast of Asheville,NC (USA) and about 20nm south Tri-Cities Airport,TN (USA) when the crew stopped the climb at FL260 repporting smell of smoke, an electrical smell in the cockpit. Due to weather the aircraft diverted to Asheville for a safe landing on runway 17 about 20 minutes after leaving FL260. After landing the crew reported they had some smoke in the cockpit but never could find the source of the smoke. Tower advised no smoke was seen from the aircraft.
The aircraft positioned from Asheville to Roanoke,VA (USA) after about 13.5 hours on the ground.
A Philippine Airlines (PAL) plane that turned around after smoke was reported in the cabin on Monday (May 16).
All 82 passengers and four crew members of flight PR 2543 en route to Dumaguete City from Manila are reported safe after the aircraft experienced a “technical” glitch, spokesperson Cielo Villaluna said.
Villaluna told the official news agency that the flight took off at 1:54 pm from Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport. Shortly after takeoff, it then reported smoke venting into the cabin, prompting the flight crew to turn around and make a “precautionary landing”.
The aircraft, a De Havilland Dash 8 Turboprop with registry number RP-C5906, returned to the Manila airport at 2:10 pm.
The aircraft was being operated by PAL Express, the low-cost subsidiary of PAL and based out of NAIA Terminal 2.
The spokesperson said a replacement flight to Dumaguete was arranged, and took off at 4:16 pm, carrying 63 of the 82 passengers who chose to proceed with their trip.
“We affirm that safety is our top priority and that PAL is fully cooperating with the concerned airport and aviation authorities,” she was quoted as saying by the Philippine News Agency.
A Central Mountain Air de Havilland Dash 8-100, registration C-GNCJ performing flight 9M-8016 from Smithers,BC to Dease Lake,BC (Canada) with 26 passengers and 3 crew, was about 15 minutes into the trip when the flight attendant advised the flight crew of smoke in the cabin. The crew declared PAN PAN and returned to Smithers for a safe landing. The occupants deplaned rapidly. Subsequent examination found that the heat source no longer existed.
The Canadian TSB reported a maintenance inspection found a light bulb in an overhead locker showed evidence of electrical arcing and overheat.
A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-700, registration N7853B performing flight WN-565 from Denver,CO to San Diego,CA (USA) with 129 passengers, was climbing out of Denver’s runway 34L when the crew stopped the climb at about FL250 reporting they had a pretty good smell, they had smoke in the back and needed to return to Denver. The aircraft landed safely back on Denver’s runway 35L about 22 minutes after departure.
A replacement Boeing 737-700 registration N293WN reached San Diego with a delay of about 3:20 hours.
The occurrence aircraft returned to service about 16 hours after landing back.
A Thai Vietjetair Airbus A320-200, registration HS-VKC performing flight VZ-320 from Bangkok to Hat Yai (Thailand), was climbing through 4000 feet out of Bangkok’s runway 19R when the crew observed smoke from the avionics. The crew stopped the climb at FL100 and returned to Bangkok for a safe landing on runway 01L about 20 minutes after departure.
Thailand’s AIB reported there were no injuries and no damage. The occurrence was rated a serious incident and is being investigated.
A KLM Cityhopper Embraer ERJ-195-E2, registration PH-NXF performing flight KL-1651 from Amsterdam (Netherlands) to Venice (Italy) with 120 people on board, was climbing through FL355 out of Amsterdam when the crew decided to divert to Dusseldorf (Germany) reporting the smell of smoke on board. Descending through FL290 towards Dusseldorf the Mode-S transponders stopped sending data. The aircraft landed safely in Dusseldorf about 55 minutes after departure. After landing the Mode-S transponders resumed operation.
Local Police reported the aircraft diverted due to the smell of smoke on board. All on board were able to disembark without injuries.
An Endeavor Airlines Canadair CRJ-900 on behalf of Delta Airlines, registration N298PQ performing flight DL-5090 from New York La Guardia,NY to Saint Louis,MO (USA), was enroute at FL360 about 20nm southeast of Pittsburgh,PA (USA) when the crew reported smoke in the cockpit and decided to divert to Pittsburgh. The aircraft landed safely on Pittsburgh’s runway 28R about 25 minutes after leaving FL360.
The airline reported the aircraft diverted due to smoke in the cockpit, the landing was safe. A replacement aircraft was dispatched.
A replacement CRJ-900 registration N147PQ reached Saint Louis with a delay of about 4 hours.
A Delta Airlines Boeing 767-400, registration N833MH performing flight DL-4 from London Heathrow,EN (UK) to New York JFK,NY (USA), was enroute at FL320 about 290nm westnorthwest of Dublin (Ireland) about to enter Oceanic Airspace when the crew reported there had been a loud bang at the left hand side of the aircraft followed by the smell of smoke in the cockpit. The crew turned around and diverted to Dublin for a safe landing on runway 28L about 70 minutes after turning around.
The aircraft remained on the ground in Dublin for about 4.5 hours, then continued the journey and reached New York with a delay of about 7 hours.
A Spirit Airlines Airbus A320-200, registration N655NK performing flight NK-1722 from Chicago,IL to Las Vegas,NV (USA), was enroute at FL360 about 130nm northeast of Denver,CO (USA) when the crew donned their oxygen masks reporting smoke in the cockpit and decided to divert to Denver. The aircraft landed safely on Denver’s runway 26 about 25 minutes after leaving FL360.
The aircraft remained on the ground for about 3.5 hours, then continued the journey and reached Las Vegas with a delay of about 3.5 hours.
An Indigo Airbus A320-200N, registration VT-IJV performing flight 6E-2037 from Dibrugarh to Delhi (India), was enroute when a passenger’s smartphone suffered a thermal runaway sending smoke signals and caught fire. Cabin crew quickly doused the fire and secured the smartphone. The aircraft continued to Delhi for a safe landing about 3 hours after departure.
The aircraft continued service after about 2 hours on the ground.
A Spirit Airlines Airbus A320-200N, registration N915NK performing flight NK-1005 from Philadelphia,PA to Fort Lauderdale,FL (USA) with 180 people on board, was enroute at FL340 about 70nm north of Daytona Beach,FL (USA) when the crew donned their oxygen masks reporting smoke in the cockpit and decided to divert to Daytona Beach. The aircraft landed safely on Daytona Beach’s runway 25R about 20 minutes after leaving FL340.
The aircraft remained on the ground for about 7 hours, then continued the flight and reached Fort Lauderdale with a delay of about 8 hours.
The airline reported the crew suspected a mechanical problem and diverted to Daytona Beach. The aircraft taxied to the terminal where passengers disembarked normally.
A Lufthansa A340-300, registration D-AIGN performing flight LH-438 from Frankfurt/Main (Germany) to Dallas Ft. Worth,TX (USA), was enroute at FL330 about 350nm southsouthwest of Keflavik (Iceland) when the crew decided to divert to Keflavik due to smoke on board. The aircraft descended to FL300 initially and landed safely on Keflavik’s runway 01 about 80 minutes later.
The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground in Keflavik for about 24 hours, then positioned back to Frankfurt.
A Qatar Airlines Airbus A350-900, registration A7-ALZ performing flight QR-579 from Delhi (India) to Doha (Qatar) with 283 passengers and 12 crew, was enroute at FL400 about 160nm northnorthwest of Karachi (Pakistan) when the crew received a cargo smoke indication, turned around and diverted to Karachi for a safe landing on Karachi’s runway 25L about 33 minutes later and stopped on the runway. A rapid disembarkation via mobile stairs followed, the passengers were bussed to the terminal. Emergency services subsequently found evidence of heat and fire in one of the cargo containers.
The runway was closed for about 2.5 hours.
A replacement A350-900 registration A7-ALK was dispatched to Karachi, resumed the flight as QR-3139 and reached Doha with a delay of about 9 hours.
The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground for about 22:15 hours, then positioned to Doha and is still on the ground in Doha about 7 hours after landing there.
Pakistan’s Civil Aviation Authority/AAIB have opened an investigation into the occurrence.
The crew of United Airlines flight 2633 reported smoke in the cabin. The Airbus A319-131 landed safely at Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport at 11:33 a.m. Crews visually inspected the plane on the runway and then cleared it to go to the gate.
Jeff Justus with the Amarillo Fire Department said they determined the cause was a “warm spot in the cockpit.”
“They did have some smoke, but everybody is okay,” said Justus.
There were 115 people on board. Paramedics checked them at the gate. Justus said some had headaches from the smoke.
“We wanted to make sure we were prepared in case it was worse,” said Justus. “Thank God it turned out to be ok.”
The plane took off from Bush Intercontinental Airport at 9:56 a.m. It was supposed to land in Portland at 12:20 p.m. A spokesperson for United Airlines told ABC 7 News the airline is working on how to get the passengers to Portland.
The flight is scheduled to leave Amarillo at 5:15 p.m. and land in Portland at 8:33 p.m. CDT.
A Delta Airlines Boeing 757-200, registration N673DL performing flight DL-643 from Cancun (Mexico) to New York JFK,NY (USA), was climbing through about FL200 out of Cancun when smoke was detected in the cabin. The aircraft stopped the climb at FL250 and returned to Cancun for a safe landing about 40 minutes after departure.
The aircraft remained on the ground for about 32 hours, then positioned to Atlanta,GA (USA).
About 170 passengers were evacuated from a Transavia flight at Eindhoven Airport Saturday morning due to smoke in the cockpit, Eindhovens Dagblad reports. The process went smoothly and had no effect on air traffic, a spokesperson for Eindhoven Airport said.
Emergency vehicles were called when smoke was discovered in the cockpit and technical room as flight HV 6623 was about to take off for Alicante, Spain. However, the cause was attributed to a technical failure and the fire brigade was able to leave within half an hour after assisting with the evacuation, a spokesperson for the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee said.
“The people on board didn’t really notice anything about the incident, except that they were eventually evacuated,” said a spokesperson for the Brabant-Zuidoost security region. The flight, which was supposed to depart at 7:30 a.m., was re-scheduled for later in the morning on a different aircraft.
A passenger plane was forced to make an emergency landing in central China on Tuesday after a fire alarm in its cargo hold was set off mid-flight.
Flight AQ1305, operated by Chinese low-cost airliner 9 Air, was en route to Yichang, Hubei, from Guangzhou, Guangdong, when the incident occurred. It touched down in Changsha, capital of Hunan province, at 10:27 a.m. local time, the airline said in a statement posted to Weibo, China’s main social media service.
Cell phone footage carried by Chinese news outlets showed the lone passenger jet having come to a stop in the middle of a designated runway instead of being directed to the airport apron. Evacuation slides were inflated at the front and back of the airplane, and passengers can be seen leaving the aircraft in quick succession.
In its statement, 9 Air said a total of 105 passengers and cabin crew were safely evacuated onto the tarmac at Changsha Huanghua International Airport on March 1. No injures were reported during the incident. The budget airline said it was cooperating with local civil aviation authorities to investigate the cause of the fire alarm in its cargo hold.
An image circulated on Weibo, which Newsweek couldn’t independently verify, showed a pink suitcase that looked to have been damaged by fire. Unconfirmed media reports said the luggage had been removed from the flight in question, and that a lithium ion battery was suspected of having caused the blaze.
Batteries including power banks—widely used for smartphones and tablets—are among the items banned from hold luggage due to their sensitivity to collision, physical pressure and high temperatures, according to China’s civil aviation regulations, which warn of a possible short circuit, smoke and fire.
It was unclear whether the aircraft itself—a Boeing 737—was being assessed for additional fire damage following the incident. The CACC said it was still investigating the incident and would disclose related information at a later time.
Operator 9 Air said it provided passengers with a meal before dispatching a replacement flight to Changsha. The aircraft landed at 2:07 p.m. local time and was being inspected ahead of takeoff. AQ1305 was originally expected at Yichang Sanxia Airport at 11 a.m. that morning.
A Nouvelair Airbus A320-200, registration TS-IND performing flight BJ-786 from Tunis (Tunisia) to Nice (France), was enroute at FL360 about 120nm southsoutheast of Alghero (Italy) when the crew decided to divert to Alghero reporting smoke in the cabin. The aircraft landed safely on Alghero’s runway 20 about 30 minutes after leaving FL360.
The aircraft remained on the ground in Alghero for about 10 hours, then positioned back to Tunis and is currently still on the ground in Tunis about 27 hours after landing in Tunis.
A Nouvelair Airbus A320-200, registration TS-IND performing flight BJ-787 from Nice (France) to Tunis (Tunisia), was enroute at FL350 about 120nm southsoutheast of Alghero (Italy) when the crew turned the aircraft around and diverted to Alghero reporting smoke in the cabin. The aircraft landed safely on Alghero’s runway 20 about 25 minutes later.
A Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight PK-306 was filled with smoke moments before taking off for Lahore from Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport, ARY News reported on Thursday.
“Minor technical issue” caused the smoke, said PIA spokesperson.
According to airport sources, the Pakistan International Airline’s (PIA) flight PK-306 was ready to take off from the runway when some passengers complained about smoke coming out of the air conditioning ducts.
The flight crew immediately off-loaded the passengers after they confirmed their suspicions.
PIA spokesperson Abdullah Khan said that the plane was immediately brought back to the terminal. The crew off-loaded the passengers immediately and the plane went through an inspection before it was ready to take off for Lahore again, he added.
Abdullah Khan said that a “minor technical problem” in the air conditioning of the plane caused the smoke. The PIA would never compromise passengers’ safety, he added.
According to sources, 64 out of the 328 passengers refused to board the same plane, their luggage was removed from the plane.
The flight took off for Lahore after the technical team deemed it fit to fly.
A NORRA Nordic Regional Airlines Avions de Transport Regional ATR-72-212A on behalf Finnair, registration OH-ATI performing flight AY-1107 from Helsinki (Finland) to Vilnius (Lithuania) with 18 people on board, was enroute at FL170 about 30nm southeast of Riga (Latvia) and 110nm north of Vlinius when the crew turned the aircraft to divert to Riga reporting smoke in the cabin. The aircraft landed safely on Riga’s runway 18 about 20 minutes later.
Riga Airport reported the passengers were evacuated from the aircraft after smoke in the aircraft cabin.
The aircraft is still on the ground in Riga about 8 hours after landing.
A Charlotte-bound American Airlines flight made an emergency landing at Piedmont Triad International Airport on Wednesday.
The Airbus A321 departed from LaGuardia Airport and landed in Greensboro around noon. American Airlines officials said a lithium-ion battery stowed in a passenger’s carry-on “malfunctioned and started to produce an odor and smoke.”
American Airlines said flight attendants put the battery in a containment bag on board.
The plane landed safely and no one was hurt. It was carrying 126 passengers and six crew members.
Customers are expected to board another plane to Charlotte shortly.
A Republic Airways Embraer ERJ-170, registration N631RW performing flight RW-3301 from Windsor,ON (Canada) to Indianapolis,IN (USA) with 2 crew, was climbing out of Windsor when the crew donned their oxygen masks and stopped the climb at FL200 reporting a burning smell in the cockpit followed by smoke. The crew decided to divert to Toledo,OH (USA) for a safe landing on runway 25, the crew advised on final approach, they had got it under control yet there was still smoke. The aircraft queried with emergency services whether any fire was seen and subsequently taxied to the apron.
The aircraft remained on the ground for about 28 hours, then continued the flight to Indianapolis.
Smoke in the cockpit of a plane brought emergency crews to Arnold Palmer Regional Airport on Monday morning, officials said.
The small private passenger plane with 12 people on board had just taken off from the airport in Latrobe when it had to turn around and land because of the smoke, officials said. The plane had been taking off for Shreveport, Louisiana.
Officials believe the smoke was caused by an issue with the heating system. Fire crews were called.
A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-700, registration N425LV performing flight WN-2988 from Los Angeles,CA to Saint Louis,MO (USA) with 125 people on board, was climbing out of Los Angeles’ runway 25R when the crew stopped the climb at about 10,000 feet reporting smoke in the aft galley. The aircraft returned to Los Angeles landing on runway 06R in opposite direction to the active runways about 15 minutes after departure.
A replacement Boeing 737-700 registration N268WN reached Saint Louis with a delay of about 3 hours.
A Swiss International Airlines Airbus A321-200N, registration HB-JPB performing flight LX-317 from London Heathrow,EN (UK) to Zurich (Switzerland), was on approach to Zurich when the crew reported smoke in the cockpit. The aircraft continued for a safe landing on runway 34, vacated the runway and stopped on the parallel taxiway. Emergency services checked the aircraft and subsequently followed the aircraft to the apron.
An Easyjet Airbus A320-200N, registration G-UZHR performing flight U2-8297 from London Gatwick,EN (UK) to Innsbruck (Austria) with 146 passengers and 6 crew, was on approach to Innsbruck descending through about 10,500 feet already in the Inn Valley east of Innsbruck when the crew stopped the descent at 10,500 feet, climbed to FL160 and diverted to Friedrichshafen (Germany) for a safe landing on runway 24 about one hour later, where emergency services were awaiting and checking the aircraft for smoke in the cockpit.
The airport reported the aircraft needed to divert to Friedrichshafen due to the weather conditions at Innsbruck. Enroute to Friedrichshafen about 15 minutes prior to landing the crew reported smoke in the cockpit prompting emergency services from both airport and the surrounding communities to deploy a large number of vehicles and personnel. The cause of the smoke is unknown, there were no injuries and no damage.
A PSA Airlines Canadair CRJ-900 on behalf of American Airlines, registration N572NN performing flight AA-5144 from Providence,RI to Charlotte,NC (USA), was enroute at FL280 about 20nm east of Washington Dulles,DC (USA) when the crew decided to divert to Dulles Airport reporting smoke in the cabin. The aircraft landed safely on runway 01C about 18 minutes later.
A replacement CRJ-900 registration N552NN reached Charlotte with a delay of 5.5 hours.
The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Washington about 21 hours after landing.
An Aviastar TU Tupolev TU-204, registration RA-64032 performing freight flight 4B-6534 from Hangzhou (China) to Novosibirsk (Russia) with 8 crew and 20 tons of general cargo and 26 tons of fuel, was being pushed back for departure when an open fire started in the cabin. Emergency services responded, upon arrival of emergency services about 2 minutes after the emergency call the fire had already broken through the crown of the aircraft. The crew evacuated safely, the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.
A Swiss International Airlines Airbus A321-200, registration HB-IOH performing flight LX-257 from Tel Aviv (Israel) to Zurich (Switzerland) with 66 passengers, was descending towards Zurich when the crew declared PAN PAN reporting smoke in the cabin. A few minutes later the crew advised they expected a normal landing and taxi after landing. The aircraft continued for a safe landing on Zurich’s runway 14 about 15 minutes later.
The aircraft is still on the ground in Zurich about 56 hours after landing.
On 5 January, a Finnair Airbus A350-900 (registered OH-LWH) operated flight AY141 between Helsinki, Finland, and Bangkok, Thailand. Shortly after take-off – at 4,000 feet – the aircraft levelled off and returned to Helsinki for a safe landing.
Adrien Geneste was on board the aircraft and said:”Emergency situation shortly after takeoff. Cabin and cockpit filled with smoke super fast. Safely turned back and landed in Helsinki. Fuck that was scary.” Indeed, smoke emitted into the cabin of the aircraft forcing the pilots to make a quick return to Helsinki.
The Aviation Herald adds that passengers reported they had been advised there might be some steam off the air conditioning system, however, after departure they smelt smoke first and saw intensifying smoke, while smoke detectors went off around the aircraft.
The airline reported the aircraft returned due to smoke detector indications, the passengers were taken to hotels. The cause is being investigated.
An aircraft made an emergency landing at the International Airport of the Americas, José Francisco Peña Gómez (AILA), at noon this Friday with 28 passengers on board.
The Intercaribbean Airways plane, coming from the Turks and Caicos Islands, declared an emergency to the control tower due to smoke in the cabin.
However, he managed to land safely at Las Américas airport.
So far, operations at the air terminal remain normal.
Given the alert situation, the company Aeropuertos Dominicanos XXI (Aerodom), activated its Emergency Plan, with doctors, paramedics, firefighters and security personnel in the area of the runway waiting for the aircraft that descended safely.
Luis López, Aerodom Communications Director explained that the pilot reported permission to the control tower to make an emergency landing in view of the fact that the aircraft had a fault in the air conditioning system.
“After it landed without inconvenience, the device was parked in the ramp area of the Las Américas airport, to be reviewed by the airline’s technical staff so that it can leave again,” he said.
Members of the Fire Fighting Brigade of the Fire Brigade, of AILA, medical personnel of the Ministry of Public Health, Civil Defense and the Specialized Corps of Airport Security and Civil Aviation participated in the emergency plane reception operation. (CESAC).
A Condor Airbus A321-200, registration D-AIAF performing flight DE-1462 from Leipzig (Germany) to Las Palmas,CI (Spain) with 172 people on board, was enroute at FL340 about 40nm west of Frankfurt/Main (Germany) when the crew reported smoke in the cockpit and decided to divert to Frankfurt. The aircraft landed safely on Frankfurt’s runway 25C about 20 minutes after leaving FL340.
A replacement Boeing 757-300 registration D-ABOI departed Frankfurt about 3 hours after D-AIAF had landed and reached Las Palmas with a delay of 3 hours.
The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Frankfurt about 9 hours after landing.
A Corsair Airbus A330-300, registration F-HROK performing flight SS-926 from Paris Orly (France) to Pointe a Pitre (Guadeloupe), was enroute at FL360 about 240nm west of Brest (France) when the crew decided to turn around and divert to Brest reporting the smell of smoke in the cabin. The aircraft landed safely on Brest’s runway 07R about one hour after the decision to turn around.
France’s DGCA reported the aircraft diverted due to smoke in the cabin, the smoke later cleared. The aircraft was inspected by fire fighters after landing.
The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground in Brest for about 26.5 hours, then positioned back to Paris Orly.
A FedEx plane landed under an alert after someone smelled smoke in the cockpit Friday night at the Frederick Douglass Greater Rochester International Airport.
A spokesperson for the county said the smell activated fire indicator sensors and an Alert II was declared. Emergency crews responded as the plane touched down without issues just after 7 p.m. They found no fire.
According to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, the pilot and co-pilot exited on their own but were transported to Strong Memorial Hospital as a precaution.
The spokesperson said there were no interruptions to commercial flights.
An Azul Linhas Aereas Embraer ERJ-195-E2, registration PS-AEF performing flight AD-4327 from Goiana,GO to Sao Paulo Viracopos,SP (Brazil), was enroute at FL380 about 230nm south of Brasilia,DF (Brazil) and about 180nm south of Goiana, when the crew decided to divert to Brasilia due to the smell of smoke on board. The aircraft landed safely on Brasilia’s runway 29L about one hour after leaving FL380.
The aircraft remained on the ground in Brasilia for about 9.5 hours, then continued the journey and reached the destination with a delay of about 14 hours (including 2 hours delay on departure from Goiana).
The airline reported the aircraft diverted to Brasilia due to a technical problem.
An Air France plane bound for Paris was forced to return to the airport this morning, shortly after taking off from Beijing, after a “technical problem”, the airline announced, explaining that the plane landed “normally”.
The crew of Flight AF393, a Boeing-777, “decided to return to Beijing after a 14-minute flight after a technical problem was detected,” the airline explained in a press release.
“The aircraft landed normally in Beijing at 04.03 (local time)”, ie at 23.03 Greek time.
According to the Beijing Daily, “an explosion was heard from the rear of the cockpit and black smoke appeared” inside the aircraft. “Fortunately, no one was injured,” the newspaper wrote.
The appearance of smoke inside the aircraft was confirmed to the French Agency by an aeronautical source in Beijing, but neither Air France nor the authorities of the Chinese airport commented on the information of the Chinese newspaper.
In an interview with AFP, the French company said that the passengers will be transported to Paris during the day by another aircraft, which traveled without passengers from Seoul to Beijing.
“Crews are often trained in this kind of situation,” and the incident is part of the “scenarios they are considering,” said an Air France spokesman.
“Maintenance work will be carried out on the aircraft before it is put back into service,” the French carrier added.
American Airlines told a passenger that “safety will always be our top concern” after a plane with “smoke in cabin” was forced to make an emergency landing in Madison, Wisconsin on Sunday afternoon.
American Airlines said that the cross-country flight from New York City to Los Angeles was grounded by a “mechanical issue” at 2:19 p.m. CT.
Tom Rapier posted on Twitter that the flight had to land in Madison due to “smoke in cabin” and all the passengers deplaned. American Airlines responded that the customers would be on another plane to Los Angeles around 7:30 p.m.
American Airlines responded by promising that the crew would take “excellent care” of the grounded passengers.
“Our team is working to get our customers on their way as quickly as possible and we apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused,” an American Airlines spokesperson told Fox News in a statement.
There were no reported injuries to any customers or crew members.
A Jazz de Havilland Dash 8-400, registration C-GGOK performing flight QK-8708 from Montreal,QC to Quebec City,QC (Canada) with 66 passengers and 4 crew, was descending towards Quebec City when smoke appeared in the cockpit prompting the crew to don their oxygen masks. The crew noticed the smoke came from the right hand windshield’s heating system and turned the system off, the smoke dissipated. The aircraft continued for a safe landing at Quebec City about 15 minutes later.
Emergency services were scrambled following reports of a plane with a smoke-filled cockpit landing at Christchurch Airport. Police were alerted that a plane would undertake an emergency landing on Thursday morning, a spokeswoman said.
The plane, an Air New Zealand flight that came from New Plymouth, landed safely at 7.55am and without incident. All passengers got off the plane safely.
An Air New Zealand spokeswoman said the emergency landing was caused by “a momentary haze observed in the flight deck”.
Fire crews were called to the airport but were stood down as the smoke had dissipated after the “plane landed safely”, a Fire and Emergency New Zealand spokesman said.
A plane that was about to take off for Pittsburgh was evacuated Wednesday in Boston after a passenger’s carry-on caused a small fire, airline officials said. The small fire broke out on Delta flight 5643, operated by Republic Airways, while the plane was at the gate at Boston Logan International Airport.
The fire started in a passenger’s carry-on bag and was quickly extinguished, officials added. No serious injures were reported. An emergency slide appeared to have been deployed and first responders were on the scene, according to pictures posted on social media. Passengers and crew eventually swapped aircraft and continued on to Pittsburgh, officials added.
“The safety of our passengers and crew members are our utmost concern, and we’re grateful to the first responders who were quickly on site to make sure the situation was contained,” said Lauren Gaudion, a Republic Airways spokesperson.
Gaudion said officials were still awaiting confirmation from authorities at Logan International Airport on what caused the fire.
An Air France Airbus A320-200, registration F-GKXQ performing flight AF-7622 from Paris Charles de Gaulle to Bordeaux (France), was in the initial climb out of runway 26R when the crew donned their oxygen masks, declared Mayday reporting smoke on board. The aircraft stopped the climb at about 4000 feet and returned to Paris Charles de Gaulle for a landing on runway 26R about 15 minutes after departure. After landing the crew removed their oxygen masks, reported the smoke had dissipated and taxied to the apron.
A replacement A320-200 registration F-GKXH reached Bordeaux with a delay of about 3 hours.
An Air France-KLM flight made an emergency landing shortly after taking off from Beijing after the Boeing Co. 777 aircraft suffered a technical failure and smoke filled the cabin.
The flight, destined for Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport, returned to Beijing airport 14 minutes after departure, the carrier said in a statement Saturday. Passengers reported hearing a loud bang before black smoke began filling the cabin, the Beijing Daily said. There were no reports of injury.
A Boeing spokesperson referred to Air France for any information on the incident.
“A failure of the aircraft’s pneumatic system resulted in overpressurization in one of the air conditioning pipes, which spread residue and dust in the cabin,” Air France said in its statement.
Maintenance work will be carried out on the aircraft, and passengers were offered alternative flights to Paris, the airline said.
An Austrian Airlines Airbus A321-200, registration OE-LBE performing flight OS-229 from Vienna (Austria) to Berlin (Germany), was climbing out of Vienna’s runway 16 when the crew stopped the climb at about FL160, donned their oxygen masks and decided to return to Vienna reporting smoke in the cockpit. The aircraft landed safely on runway 11 about 19 minutes after departure.
A passenger reported there was a sudden intense odour of burnt plastics, the captain subsequently also announced (audibly on oxygen mask) there was a smell of burnt plastics originating from a failed avionics blower fan. Cabin crew acted very professionally and calmly. The odour subsided while the aircraft positioned for landing, the aircraft was received by emergency services.
The airline reported the aircraft returned due to smoke in the cockpit, the crew donned their oxygen masks. A failed fan was the cause of the smoke. The passengers were rebooked onto a later flight, the aircraft to perform that flight OS-235 was upgraded to a Boeing 777.
An Alaska Airlines flight arriving from New Orleans had to evacuate shortly after landing at Sea-Tac Airport due to a cell phone fire Monday evening, officials said.
At about 8:30 p.m., the Port of Seattle Fire Department responded to a report of a fire in the cargo hold of Flight 751. Alaska Airlines officials said based on a preliminary investigation, as the aircraft was waiting for a gate, a passenger’s cell phone caught on fire. Crews used a battery containment bag and extinguished the fire, according to officials.
After the fire was contained, 128 passengers and six crew members evacuated the plane safely. Some passengers had minor injuries. Passengers boarded buses to the terminal. Some passengers sent pictures from inside the plane when it was filled with smoke.
Officials said the plane was towed to a gate and there was no impact on airport operations. Airline officials said the plane is a 737-900.
An Air France Airbus A318-100, registration F-GUGQ performing flight AF-7670 from Paris Charles de Gaulle to Marseille (France), was descending through FL200 towards Marseille when the crew declared emergency reporting smoke in the cabin. ATC kept Marseille’s runway 13L sterile afterwards sending other arrivals into holds for about 15 minutes. The A318 continued for a safe landing on runway 13L about 13 minutes later and taxied to the apron.
The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground over night and resumed service about 8 hours after landing.
An American Airlines Airbus A319-100, registration N817AW performing flight AA-2910 from Dallas Ft. Worth,TX to Bangor,ME (USA), was enroute at FL370 about 140nm westsouthwest of Memphis,TN (USA) when the crew decided to divert to Memphis reporting smoke in the cockpit. The aircraft landed safely on Memphis’ runway 18C about 30 minutes later.
The aircraft remained on the ground for about 44 hours, then positioned to Charlotte,NC (USA) climbing to a maximum altitude of 9000 feet, remained on the ground in Charlotte for 54 hours before departing for a test flight and returned to service about 6 hours after the test flight.
On Jul 16th 2021 The Aviation Herald learned that the sequence of events started with the failure of both air conditioning systems, the cabin altitude began to rise rapidly prompting the crew to initiate a rapid descent, the passenger oxygen masks were deployed. A short time later haze was observed throughout the aircraft. The aircraft diverted to Memphis and was subsequently ferried to Charlotte unpressurized with both packs being inop.
A PSA Airlines Canadair CRJ-700, registration N709PS performing flight AA-5440 from Akron,OH to Philadelphia,PA (USA), was climbing out of Akron’s runway 23 when the captain noticed a glow around the right windshield terminal block, which subsequently started to emit sparks and a two-inch flame. The captain shut the windshield heating down which immediately stopped the sparks and flame. The crew declared emergency, stopped the climb at about 3500 feet and returned to Akron for a safe landing on runway 23 about 20 minutes after departure.
On Jun 30th 2021 the NTSB reported an inflight fire causing minor damage occurred. The occurrence was rated an incident and is being investigated by the NTSB.
A Lufthansa Canadair CRJ-900, registration D-ACKK performing flight LH-1912 from Munich (Germany) to Olbia (Italy), was enroute at FL390 about 30nm southeast of Pisa (Italy) when the crew declared emergency reporting smoke on board. The aircraft descended rapidly, performed two 360s to lose height, and landed safely on Pisa’s runway 04R about 18 minutes later. The aircraft stopped on the runway at about 17:10L (15:10Z).
The runway (the only one available for civilian operation) was closed as result of the emergency landing for about 4 hours.
The airport reported the aircraft diverted to Pisa due to a technical problem, landed and stopped at the end of the runway “engaging” in such a way, that Pisa had to be closed and 16 flights be cancelled. The aircraft was moved off the runway at about 21:30L. The passengers were taken to hotels and are to continue the journey the next morning.
Currently it is being suspected that the smoke originated from an electronic cigarette.
A Swiss International Airlines Airbus A320-200, registration HB-JLP performing flight LX-966 from Zurich (Switzerland) to Berlin (Germany) with 19 passengers and 7 crew, was on approach to Berlin Brandenburg Airport’s runway 25L when the crew donned their oxygen masks and advised ATC, they had light smoke in the cockpit, the cabin was not affected. The aircraft continued the approach and landed safely with emergency services on stand by.
A passenger reported they were landing in Berlin and noticed fire engines awaiting them at the runway. After landing the captain announced that they did have fumes in the cockpit during approach and landing and had donned their oxygen masks.
Germany’s DFS (ATC provider) reported the crew donned their oxygen masks and reported light smoke in the cockpit during the approach to Berlin, adding that the cabin was not affected. No emergency was declared, the crew continued the approach calmly and normally. Tower dispatched emergency services in coordination with the crew.
The airline believed in their first statement the occurrence was on the return flight LX-967, however, confirmed the occurrence as detailed.
The aircraft remained on the ground in Berlin for about 7 hours, then departed for the return flight LX-967 and landed in Zurich about 60 minutes later, however, again with fumes in the cockpit, see Incident: Swiss A320 at Zurich on Jun 13th 2021, fumes in cockpit.
On Jun 17th 2021 the airline confirmed there was an odour on approach to Berlin. The APU was disabled under minimum equipment list requirements on the ground in Berlin and the aircraft returned to Zurich, however, on the return the odour occurred again.
This is why it’s a bad idea to bring phones into an argument on an airplane.
A flight from Texas had to divert to Florida due to two unruly passengers on the plane. While some initial reports may have indicated that there was a fire on the flight, those were inaccurate.
The incident occurred on a Southwest Airlines flight that was operating out of Dallas Love Field in Texas on Wednesday afternoon, WEAR TV reports. According to the news outlet, two passengers traveling together got into a dispute with each other.
During the dispute, one of the passenger’s cellphones was damaged and reportedly began to smolder. Flight attendants, however, were able to place the phone in a battery containment bag.
The flight was diverted to Pensacola International Airport, where it reportedly landed around 4 in the afternoon.
A spokesperson for Southwest Airlines confirmed to Fox News that the flight was diverted due to the two unruly passengers, not because of the smoldering cell phone.
According to WEAR TV, local officials initially reported that there was a fire in the plane’s cockpit, but this was inaccurate.In a statement obtained by Fox News, a spokesperson for Southwest Airlines said, “A Southwest flight operating from Dallas Love Field safely diverted to Pensacola International Airport on Wednesday due to a dispute between two passengers traveling together. As part of the event, a cell phone of one of the involved customers was broken, smoldered and was placed into a battery containment bag by Flight Attendants. After the two passengers exited the aircraft in Pensacola, the flight continued to Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport. Southwest appreciates the professionalism of the Crew and the patience of the Customers onboard the flight.”
An Envoy Embraer ERJ-145, registration N664MS performing flight AA-4474 from Little Rock,AR to Chicago O’Hare,IL (USA) with 50 passengers and 3 crew, was enroute at FL250 about 80nm southsouthwest of St. Louis,MO (USA) when the crew donned their oxygen masks, reported a fire indication and decided to divert to St. Louis requesting runway 12R. During the approach the crew advised they had used their fire bottles, however, the indication didn’t stop. The aircraft positioned for an approach to runway 06 and landed safely on runway 06 about 18 minutes after leaving FL250. The crew queried tower whether any smoke was visible from their tail, the tower reported seeing no smoke from their tail whatsoever.
St. Louis Tower told emergency services initially they had used their fire bottles and subsequently followed up the captain had just indicated there was an actual fire in the cabin and relocated the emergency services to the end of runway 06 advising the aircraft was coming in as fast as they could.
A replacement ERJ-145 registration N696AE reached Chicago with a delay of about 4 hours.
The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in St. Louis about 24 hours after landing.
Later The Aviation Herald received information the #2 Air Cycle Machine had seized causing smoke in the cabin.
A Finnair Airbus A321-200, registration OH-LZT performing flight AY-1338 from London Heathrow,EN (UK) to Helsinki (Finland) with 147 people on board, was enroute at FL370 about 50nm northnorthwest of Copenhagen (Denmark) when the crew reported smoke in the cockpit and decided to divert to Copenhagen for a safe landing on runway 04R about 16 minutes after leaving FL370.
The aircraft remained on the ground in Copenhagen for about 5 hours, then continued to Helsinki reaching the destination with a delay of 5.5 hours.
The occurrence aircraft is now still on the ground in Helsinki about 20 hours after landing in Helsinki.
An Azul Linhas Aereas Embraer ERJ-195, registration PR-AUE performing flight AD-4040 from Rio de Janeiro Santos Dumont,RJ to Sao Paulo Viracopos,SP (Brazil), was climbing out of Santos Dumont’s runway 20L when the crew stopped the climb at about FL150 declaring emergency reporting smoke on board and a burning odour. During the following descent the smoke subsided. The aircraft diverted to Rio de Janeiro’s Galeao Airport for a safe landing on longer runway 15 about 20 minutes after departure. Two passengers felt bad and requested assistance by the airport’s medical services.
A replacement Embraer ERJ-195 registration PR-AXY reached Viracopos Airport as flight AD-9350 with a delay of about 3:15 hours.
The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground at Galeao Airport about 24 hours after landing there.
The airline stated that the flight diverted to Galeao Airport due to technical problems. The aircraft landed normally, the passengers disembarked normally
A commercial airplane made an emergency landing in Memphis Friday.
American Airlines flight 476 landed safely at Memphis International Airport at 12:04 p.m., according to a spokesperson for the airport.
The plane reported engine issues and smoke in the cabin prior to the emergency landing.
The plane was bound from Atlanta to Phoenix.
American Airlines gave a statement to WMC attributing the landing to a possible mechanical issue. The airline is working to rebook passengers.
“American Airlines flight 476 from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) diverted to Memphis International Airport (MEM) due to a possible mechanical issue. The aircraft landed safely at MEM and taxied to the gate under its own power where our maintenance team is currently inspecting it.
We never want to disrupt our customers’ travel plans, and we are sorry for the trouble this caused. Our team is in the process of rebooking passengers to their final destination.”
A West Atlantic (aka West Air Sweden) British Aerospace ATP, registration SE-MAI performing flight NPT-22Y from East Midlands,EN to Guernsey,CI (UK), was climbing out of East Midlands’ runway 27 when the crew stopped the climb at about 2500 feet reporting the smell of smoke in the cockpit, in addition they had problems with parts of their communication systems. The aircraft entered a downwind and landed safely back on runway 27 about 15 minutes after departure.
The UK AAIB opened an investigation into the occurrence.
A United Boeing 757-300, registration N57870 performing flight UA-2265 from Los Angeles,CA to Chicago O’Hare,IL (USA) with 145 people on board, was enroute at FL370 about 170nm southeast of Denver,CO (USA) when the crew reported smoke in the cockpit, turned around and diverted to Denver for a safe landing on runway 16L about 30 minutes later and vacated the runway stopping on the adjacent taxiway. Emergency services inspected the aircraft, after about 5 minutes the aircraft taxied to the apron.
A United Airlines flight from Roswell, NM to Orlando, FL, suffered a scare after smoke filled the cockpit upon approach to Orlando. The two crew members onboard the Boeing 757-200 reported the problem at the end of a three-hour flight, ultimately landing safely in Orlando.
On Sunday, one of United’s 757-200s, registration N57111, was on approach to Orlando when pilots contacted ground staff with an emergency. The flight, UA-2728, departed from Roswell, NM, at 12:46 MST and had been in the air approximately three hours before the incident.
Upon approach, the crew noticed smoke in the cockpit and cabin, with the plane indicating a problem with its hydraulics. The aircraft was advised to land at runway 18R at Orlando International Airport, with emergency vehicles on standby. Approximately eight minutes after reporting the incident, the 757 landed safely at 17:30 EST and was met by emergency services.
Following an inspection by emergency services, the aircraft taxied to the apron about 10 minutes after touching down. Since the incident, the 757-200 has remained grounded in Orlando and is presumably undergoing a lengthy examination to discover the cause of the problem.
According to Planespotters.net, N57111 had been stored at Roswell since April 2020. United grounded its entire fleet of 757s at the onset of the COVID pandemic. The flight to Orlando was the first N57111 had taken since it was grounded last April.
How serious are smoke events on planes?
Smoke events onboard planes are a relatively common occurrence, with a few incidents usually occurring each month. According to aviation safety company VisionSafe, there were four other smoke incidents in February, each forcing an emergency landing. In almost all cases, emergency landings are conducted as a precaution rather than as a result of imminent danger.
Just a couple of weeks ago, an Envoy Air ERJ145 was forced to land after dealing with a similar issue. The plane had to divert and land at Alexandria, LA, after smoke filled both the cockpit and cabin.
An Envoy Embraer ERJ-145, registration N698CB performing flight AA-4170 from Gulfport,MS to Dallas Ft. Worth,TX (USA), was enroute at FL240 about 100nm eastsoutheast of Alexandria,LA (USA) when the crew decided to divert to Alexandria reporting smoke in cockpit and cabin. The aircraft landed safely on Alexandria’s runway 32 about 23 minutes later.
A replacement ERJ-145 registration N687JS reached Dallas with a delay of 4:45 hours.
The occurrence aircraft departed Alexandria about 14.5 hours after landing and positioned to Dallas Ft. Worth. The aircraft is now still on the ground in Dallas about 8.5 hours after landing in Dallas.
A massive RAF transport aircraft made an emergency landing after reporting smoke in the cockpit as it flew over Shropshire today.
The C-17 Globemaster III from RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire was flying north west at around 24,000ft near Shrewsbury when it raised the alarm.
The giant plane turned round and reportedly dumped fuel as it made for Birmingham airport 50 miles away where it landed safely just before noon.
One Shropshire Star reader who monitored the flight on the Flightradar24 flight tracker website said: “It reported ‘Emergency overhead, RRR818, smoke in cockpit, squawk 7700’.
“Apparently there were smoke and flames in the cockpit, but he got down safely.”
The Flightradar24 data shows that the plane flew over the Ironbridge Gorge and west Telford before starting a wide left hand turn near Shawbury, taking it west of Shrewsbury and over Bayston Hill before flying directly to Birmingham Airport where emergency services stood by as it came in.
RRR818 is believed to have been a flight code, and squawk 7700 is a transponder code signalling a general emergency.
The aircraft is thought to have been heading for Prestwick Airport in Scotland before getting into trouble about 20 minutes into the flight. Total flight time was 34 minutes.
An RAF spokesman said: “A RAF C-17 Globemaster from RAF Brize Norton on a routine training mission suffered a technical issue requiring it to land as soon as practicable.
“The aircraft completed an uneventful precautionary recovery to Birmingham Airport where the aircraft landed safely.”
On social media one user tweeted: “Pleased that the crew is OK and the aircraft landed safely, after rapidly dumping fuel and a rapid descent into Birmingham Airport after squawking 7700 over Shrewsbury.”
An Alaska Airlines flight from Los Angeles headed to Bozeman, Montana diverted to Las Vegas after reports of smoke in the cockpit. A spokesperson for McCarran Airport says the plane landed safely with 20 people, including passengers and crew, on board. However, authorities did not confirm the cause of the diversion at this time.
An Aurora Airlines Airbus A319-100 on behalf of Aeroflot, registration VP-BUN performing flight SU-5626 from Khabarovsk to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk (Russia) with 90 passengers and 7 crew, was nearing Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk when the crew reported smoke in the cockpit. While on approach the crew advised the smoke had dissipated. The aircraft continued for a safe landing on Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk’s runway 01.
Russia’s Emergency Ministry of Sakhalin Region they deployed 32 rescue personnel and 9 pieces of equipment to the scene.
The occurrence aircraft returned to service about 7:45 hours after landing.
February 5, 2021
January 5, 2021
Source: Simon Hradecky | www.avherald.com
An Air Canada Airbus A320-200, registration C-GKOD performing flight AC-902 from Montreal,QC (Canada) to Fort Lauderdale,FL (USA) with 134 people on board, was on final approach to Fort Lauderdale’s runway 28R when a passenger contacted the flight attendants reporting his cell phone battery charger had caught fire. The flight attendants extinguished the fire with water and put the device into the PED (Portable Electronic Device) Secure containment bag. The aircraft continued for a safe landing on runway 28R and taxied to the apron.
The Canadian TSB reported the flight attendant informed the flight crew after the aircraft had landed and had turned off the runway. No emergency was declared and the aircraft taxied to the gate.
An Eurowings Airbus A319-100, registration D-ABGQ performing flight EW-9463 from London Heathrow,EN (UK) to Dusseldorf (Germany), was climbing through FL120 out of Heathrow’s runway 27L when the crew stopped the climb, donned their oxygen masks reporting smoke in the cabin and decided to return to Heathrow. The crew advised ATC they wanted to vacate the runway and stop on the adjacent taxiway to have emergency services check the aircraft for any smoke in and outside of the cabin. The aircraft landed safely on Heathrow’s runway 27R about 15 minutes after departure, vacated the runway via taxiway A6 and stopped immediately after crossing the hold short line. Emergency services inspected the aircraft.
The passengers disembarked onto the taxiway, were taken to the terminal and rebooked onto other flights.
An ANZ Air New Zealand Avions de Transport Regional ATR-72-212A, registration ZK-MVE performing flight N%Z-5813 from Hamilton to Wellington (New Zealand), was climbing out of Hamilton’s runway 18L when the crew stopped the climb at FL160 and decided to return to Hamilton reporting smoke on the flight deck. The aircraft landed safely back on Hamilton’s runway 36R about 30 minutes after departure.
Emergency services reported they were called in for a report of smoke in the cockpit.
The airline reported the crew returned to Hamilton due to an indication of an electrical fault. The passengers were disembarked through the main door immediately after the aircraft was on the ground. The passengers were rebooked onto other flights.
Shortly before 6:40 a.m., an in-flight emergency prompted an aircraft with the Pennsylvania Air National Guard’s 171st Air Refueling Wing to make an emergency landing Saturday, which required the dumping of fuel over Westmoreland County.
According to a release, the crew reported smoke in the cockpit which required an immediate emergency landing of the KC-135 Strato-tanker. The fuel was dumped over Westmoreland County per emergency protocols, the release states, out of necessity to lighten the weight of the aircraft and ensure a safe landing. The plane safely landed at Pittsburgh International Airport.
The 171st Air Refueling Wing is cooperating with appropriate agencies to ascertain the effects and required follow-up actions to address the dumped fuel, according to the release.
Col. Mark Goodwill, commander of the 171st Air Refueling Wing, stated “We pride ourselves on being good neighbors to our surrounding communities. We will conduct a thorough investigation to minimize the chances of such an occurrence from happening again.”
An ASL Airlines Ireland Avions de Transport Regional ATR-72-212A freighter, registration EI-SOP performing flight AG-6TR from Frankfurt/Main to Stuttgart (Germany) with 2 crew on board, was descending towards Stuttgart when the crew reported smoke on the flight deck. Emergency services responded and awaited the aircraft. The aircraft landed safely on runway 07 about 20 minutes later. Both crew were treated at the airport for smoke inhalation.
The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Stuttgart about 7.5 hours later.
An Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-700, registration N615AS performing flight AS-1433 from Las Vegas,NV to Seattle,WA (USA), was enroute at FL400 about 120nm eastnortheast of Sacramento,CA (USA) when the crew decided to divert to Sacramento reporting smoke in the cockpit. The aircraft landed safely on Sacramento’s runway 16L about 25 minutes later.
The remainder of the flight was cancelled.
The aircraft is still on the ground in Sacramento about 10 hours after landing.
A Hevilift PNG Limited de Havilland DHC-6-400, registration P2-KSY performing a flight from an unknown point of origin to Mount Hagen (Papua New Guinea) with 14 people on board, was on final approach to Mount Hagen’s runway 30 when the crew decided to go aorund due to low visibility. While climbing out the crew declared emergency reporting a hydraulic failure and smoke in the cockpit. The aircraft returned to land safely on Mount Hagen’s runway 12 about 9 minutes after the go around.
Papua New Guinea’s Accident Investigation Commission (PNGAIC) reported the occurrence was rated a serious incident and is being investigated.
A DHL cargo plane made an emergency landing at Heathrow Airport on Saturday evening after the pilot reported smoke in the cockpit. The Airbus A300 touched down safely after 11pm with emergency vehicles on standby it then taxied to the terminal. Airport firefighters were supported by fire crews from London Fire brigade. The incident was declared as a full emergency response. Heathrow fire crews investigated the issue but were unable to determine the cause.
An Azul Linhas Aereas Embraer ERJ-195-E2, registration PS-AEA performing flight AD-4849 from Sao Paulo Viracopos,SP to Florianopolis,SC (Brazil), was climbing out of Viracopos’ runway 33 when the crew stopped the climb at FL070 reporting a smoke indication in one of the cargo holds. The aircraft returned to Viracopos for a safe landing on runway 33 about 30 minutes after departure.
A replacement A320-200N registration PR-YYA reached Florianapolis with a delay of about 2:20 hours.
The airline reported a technical problem prompted the return to Viracopos.
The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground for about 33.5 hours before returning to service.
An Envoy Embraer ERJ-135, registration N840AE performing flight AA-4179 from Charlotte,NC to Shreveport,LA (USA), was climbing out of Charlotte when the crew requested to level off at 10,000 feet advising they might need to declare emergency. The crew subsequently reported they had a bleed air leak with the right hand engine and a burning odour on board. The aircraft returned to Charlotte for a safe landing on runway 36C about 30 minutes after departure.
A replacement ERJ-135 registration N837AE reached Shreveport with a delay of 2 hours.
The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Charlotte about 27 hours after landing back.
An American Eagle flight that departed Abilene on Thursday afternoon returned safely after an in-flight emergency, according to Don Green, transportation services director for the city of Abilene.
Passengers on the flight boarded another American aircraft and are “awaiting departure,” Green wrote in an email at 4:32 p.m.
There were no reported injuries.
The cause of the emergency was not detailed by Green, though city of Abilene scanner traffic reported smoke in the cockpit of the aircraft.
A PSA Airlines Canadair CRJ-900 on behalf of American Airlines, registration N565NN performing flight AA-5513 from Charlotte,NC to Burlington,VT (USA) with 33 people on board, was descending towards Burlington when the crew inquired with approach control, whether they had received any reports of smell of smoke or ashes from other aircraft, they had smelled smoke/ashes while descending through about 18000 feet and wondered whether that smell came from the California wild fires. ATC reported they were not aware of any such smells. The crew requested emergency services on stand by as a precaution and continued for a safe landing on Burlington’s runway 15 about 15 minutes later.
The aircraft remained on the ground for about two hours, then departed for the return flight and reached Charlotte with a delay of 75 minutes.
A Jet2.com Boeing 737-800, registration G-JZHT performing flight LS-291 from Leeds,EN (UK) to Antalya (Turkey), was accelerating for takeoff from Leeds’ runway 32 when the crew rejected takeoff at low speed. The aircraft slowed safely, the crew reported a burning odour on the flight deck as cause of the rejected takeoff. After a first inspection by emergency services the aircraft taxied to the apron with emergency services in trail.
A replacement Boeing 737-800 registration G-GDFV reached Antalya with a delay of 100 minutes.
The occurrence aircraft returned to service about 26 hours after the rejected takeoff.
Editor’s note: Following is a first-person account of an in-flight emergency, namely smoke in the cockpit, aboard a civilian Beechcraft King Air 300 over Afghanistan in February 2019. This account preserves the operation’s security, its exact location and identities of the crewmembers. It’s the sole opinion of the author, who was the flight’s pilot-in-command, and in no way reflects the policies or opinions of any other entity. Its sole purpose is to provide pilots and aircrew with insight as to what may be encountered in a similar situation and to provide a real-world example in order to better prepare them for this type of emergency.
This was an otherwise-routine, night VFR mission, and a proficiency flight for the SIC, who was serving as pilot at the controls (PAC). At 2345 local time and after approximately three hours on station at 24,000 feet MSL about 20 miles east of the airfield, the PIC, in the right seat and the pilot not flying (PNF), saw a two-to-three-foot-high vertical wall of thick gray smoke enter the cockpit between his right shoulder and the right cockpit window. The entire cockpit was engulfed in this smoke after approximately five to eight seconds. Neither pilot could see any visible reference outside or inside the cockpit. None of the flight instruments or navigation devices were visible.
The crewman in the rear of the cabin was standing at the time, adjusting some equipment, and noticed the smoke exiting the cockpit and beginning to fill the cabin. Upon seeing the smoke, he returned to his seat and donned his oxygen breathing system.
Reacting
The first actions of the pilots were to don oxygen masks and locate their smoke goggles. After a few seconds, the PIC/PNF noticed the smoke was not burning his eyes and announced this to the crew. The PIC elected to not use the smoke goggles. After approximately 10-15 seconds, with the smoke continuing to obstruct all visibility, the PIC/PNF felt for and found the left and right bleed air valves and moved them to the “Environmental Off” position. After 15 more seconds, the smoke cleared enough that the cockpit instrument lights and lower console were partially visible.
The PIC/PNF directed the SIC to enter a course in the flight management system (FMS) direct to their home airfield’s initial approach fix (IAF). As the SIC accomplished this task, the aircraft began a shallow right turn toward the fix approximately 10 miles away. Concurrently, the PIC contacted approach control and declared an emergency, stating there was smoke and fumes in the cockpit along with the number of souls and fuel aboard the aircraft. He informed the controller the aircraft was descending from FL240 to 12,500 feet, and would proceed directly to the IAF for the ILS approach.
Getting Down
After flying toward the IAF for approximately 60-90 seconds, the PIC acquired the airport visually and instructed the SIC/PNF that he, the PIC, had the controls and would fly the aircraft to landing. The PIC disconnected the autopilot and hand-flew the aircraft into a descending, approximately 3000-fpm, standard-rate right turn toward the airport. The PIC put the props full forward and lowered flaps to their approach setting to assist with the descent.
Immediately following the control change, the SIC/PNF announced, “We’re losing the right engine; I see high oil temperature, low oil pressure, and we have a low oil pressure master caution light.” The PIC advanced the throttles slightly and observed the left engine responding normally and the right engine torque gauge fluctuating between 10 and 20 percent. He then returned the throttles to flight idle to continue the descent. Simultaneously the SIC/PNF selected “TERRAIN” view in the center console display and both pilots visually confirmed a “green” display (no immediate danger of impacting terrain).
The PIC instructed the cabin-seated crewman to slew the aircraft’s camera system to look forward of the aircraft and notify him of any high terrain that the aircraft might impact. The PIC then contacted approach control and informed them he would continue his descent to a right base and land the aircraft visually. As the aircraft descended through 12,000 feet, the PIC asked the SIC/PNF the distance to the runway. The SIC/PNF stated, “Five miles, and I have the ridgeline in sight; you’re clear.”
The PIC continued the descent, electing at this time to not shut down the right engine, instructed the SIC to lower the landing gear, and that the landing would be made using approach flaps only instead of full flaps. The SIC announced the aircraft’s weight and recommended approach speed.
The cabin crewman stated there was no dangerous terrain between the aircraft and the runway, visually confirmed the landing gear was down, and advised he would stow and secure the camera. The SIC/PNF verified the landing checklist was complete. The PIC informed the crew and control tower he would utilize the first half of the runway and exit the runway at the midfield taxiway.
Upon an uneventful landing, the PIC announced he would not utilize reverse thrust to slow the aircraft and was able to exit the runway at midfield. The PIC informed the tower controller he would clear the runway and taxiway, proceed to the company’s ramp area and shut down at that location. Upon entering the ramp, the crew performed an emergency engine shutdown and exited the aircraft.
Post-flight inspection by the maintenance department led them to believe an oil seal had failed, allowing oil into the engine’s compressor section. The resulting smoke then entered the cabin through the aircraft’s environmental system. Examination revealed the engine had no oil remaining. An engine inspection had not yet been completed at this writing.
Observations
The mission had been ongoing for 3.0 hours, approximately 1.5 hours remained and the crew was completely surprised by the emergency. I (PIC) was in a high state of shock for approximately 10 seconds as smoke engulfed the cockpit. My breathing rate rapidly increased, became shallow and a rapid heart rate was felt. I would describe this moment as moderate panic, disbelief and the most scared I have ever been in my life, followed quickly by a sense of, “Calm down, take control and handle the situation.”
After taking the controls, I disconnected the autopilot because the aircraft was not responding to my inputs fast enough and I had the airport clearly in sight. An approach-flap landing was safest because I did not want the extra drag associated with a full-flap landing in the event the right engine did completely fail.
It turns out that both of us in the front seats separately and to ourselves considered shutting down the right engine but we individually came to the same conclusion: Given the high state of activity, adrenaline rush, difficulty in clearly communicating and proximity to landing, the danger of securing the wrong engine was not worth the risk. Securing the right engine would have provided a minimal advantage only if done perfectly.
I had fairly extensively memorized the local terrain, including elevation of the highest peaks, and knew the approach. This proved invaluable during a rapid, non-standard descent with limited internal and external visibility. Adding to the comfort level was that both pilots were well-versed in the aircraft’s terrain awareness equipment. The aircraft’s location in relation to dangerous high terrain was never in question.
We were lucky that repositioning the bleed air valves stopped further smoke from entering the cockpit. Plus, the event occurred in close proximity to a safe place to land (10-15 minutes). The failing engine did not fail completely, so the potential for shutting down the incorrect engine due to the elevated workload was never a factor.
My crew and I acted as a team. Due to extensive training, coordination, near-perfect crew resource management (CRM) and aeronautical decision-making (ADM), this was an event and not a disaster. I emphasize this not to impress the reader but to emphasize that, had many factors beyond our control in our training and crew pairing not aligned perfectly, the outcome may have been different.
Lessons
That different types of smoke and their sources (e.g., electrical versus oil) require different procedures was driven home to me after this event. The published procedures clearly but very subtly reflect this difference. In the future, I will be better prepared for different types of smoke and fumes. Also, blind cockpit drills in my training greatly assisted me in quickly finding the bleed air switches and prevented more smoke from being pumped into the cockpit.
I did not follow the written procedure in securing the bleed air valves fully and one at a time. I did not feel I needed to nor had the time to isolate each valve. After securing both environmental valves, cabin pressurization was minimally affected, if at all.
In hindsight, I could have partially dumped the cabin pressure to evacuate the smoke. I didn’t because I incorrectly thought the cabin would entirely and immediately lose pressurization. I have since been informed the cabin dump switch can be momentarily activated to release partial pressure. I could have also raised the cabin altitude slowly, further decreasing the smoke in the aircraft.
The keys to our success were training, knowledge of the environment and remembering to fly the airplane.
The Beech/Raytheon/Textron Super King Air 300
The aircraft involved in this event is a variant of the most popular general aviation turboprop ever built, the Beech King Air. The Super King Air 300 is available in two versions, offering either a maximum takeoff weight of 14,000 lbs. or 12,500 lbs., in a lightweight model.
At A Glance:
Powerplants/shp: P&WC PT6A-60/1050
Max. Range: 1480 NM
Max. Cruise Speed: 320 KTAS
Max. Altitude: 35,000 feet
Training, Practice and Crew Communication
The company instructors who initially trained me all discussed, allowed and encouraged me to practice for smoke and fumes in the cockpit, including practice putting on the oxygen mask and goggles. This significantly countered the initial panic I felt in this event as I had “already been here.” I wish I had practiced more because during the actual emergency, locating, donning and properly wearing the mask and headset was difficult. The mask fits well, but partially obstructs vision and makes a lot of noise when breathing, so communications can be very difficult.
The smoke goggles were not needed because this was an oil-based smoke and there was very little eye irritation. Had this been an electrical fire, the goggles provided would have been nearly useless. They do not seal, so smoke would be trapped inside the goggles, and they are not stored in a convenient location if required immediately. I will be using a pair of sealable swim goggles and have them readily available in the future. I’ll also frequently practice using the oxygen mask, goggles and headset to the point of complete proficiency.
Having very standardized procedures for everything was critical during this emergency. Crew verbal and non-verbal communication was highly degraded. Having standardized navigation and cockpit processes was critical. The formal checklists and informal reminder checklists we have led us to set up our displays and navigation systems predictably. On several occasions, the crew acted predictably and without verbal instruction. Things as simple as the crewman using the camera to scan forward for terrain, check the landing gear was down and the pilots thinking alike probably prevented this incident from turning catastrophic.
EVAS Recommendation
Since this event, I have been made aware of a system called EVAS (Emergency Vision Assurance System), produced by VisionSafe for a variety of aircraft, mostly Part 25 transports and business jets. I was able to visit the company, try the system and understand how it is used and operates. I’m convinced having EVAS would have minimized our reliance on luck, as discussed in this article.
Had any one of our “luck factors” not been present, the situation could have ended in the complete loss of a multi-million-dollar asset, the loss of support the asset provides to protect the lives of our military, a victory for our enemies and the loss of three American lives.
Based on these factors, I recommended a cost-benefit analysis be conducted on the purchase and use of the EVAS system for every crewmember involved in these operations. Or we can continue to rely on luck.
Crew Status
It helped that this crew was flying over familiar terrain, and may all your emergencies happen 20 miles from your home plate’s initial approach fix, with gobs of altitude. But there’s no doubt a well-trained, experienced and proficient crew was a key factor in the favorable outcome of this event. For example:
All crewmembers were highly experienced for this mission and intimately familiar with the operating area.
All crewmembers had previously flown together at various times but never all at the same time. Having highly standardized procedures was key.
The PIC had flown regularly in the previous five weeks and is an instructor pilot.
This was the SIC’s first flight after returning from a 60-day break, and this flight was his evaluation following his time off.
The cabin crewmember had flown regularly in the previous two weeks.
– Jeb Burnside, Editor-in-chief, Aviation Safety magazine
A United Airbus A319-100, registration N802UA performing flight UA-2333 from Newark,NJ to Miami,FL (USA) with 129 passengers, was enroute at FL360 about 30nm southwest of Norfolk,VA (USA) when the crew received a forward cargo smoke indication and decided to divert to Norfolk. Descending towards Norfolk the crew reported the indication had extinguished. The aircraft continued for a safe landing on Norfolk’s runway 05 about 16 minutes after leaving FL360 and stopped on the runway, shut down both engines and requested emergency services to check for any thermal signatures. Following inspection by emergency services the aircraft taxied to the apron on own power.
The FAA reported on Sep 8th 2020 the aircraft diverted to Norfolk due to a fire in the forward cargo hold. The occurrence was rated an incident, the damage is still unknown.
A replacement A319-100 registration N889UA reached Miami with a delay of about 5:15 hours.
The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground for about 27 hours, then positioned back to Newark, where the aircraft remained on the ground for another 43 hours before returning to service.
An Envoy Embraer ERJ-145, registration N668HH performing flight MQ-3443/AA-3443 from La Crosse,WI to Chicago O’Hare,IL (USA) with 51 people on board, was descending towards Chicago when the crew reported the smell of smoke in the cockpit, subsequently advising they wouldn’t evacuate on the runway but vacate the runway and then stop. The aircraft landed safely on runway 10C and vacated the runway. Following an inspection by emergency services the aircraft taxied to the apron.
The aircraft is still on the ground in Chicago about 8 hours after landing.
A passenger plane, en route from Khabarovsk to Moscow, made an emergency landing at the airport in Krasnoyarsk after smoke was detected in the baggage compartment, a source in the law enforcement agencies told TASS on Saturday.
“The plane has successfully landed,” the source said.
The Boeing 747-412 owned by Rossiya airline was carrying 421 people.
A Sprint Air Avions de Transport Regional ATR-72-200 freighter, registration SP-SPE performing flight P8-1905 from Ljubljana (Slovenia) to Cologne/Bonn (Germany) with 2 crew, was in the initial climb out of runway 12 when the crew stopped the climb at about 2700 feet reporting smoke in the cockpit. The aircraft performed a tear drop procedure and returned to land on runway 30 about 5 minutes after departure. Emergency services checked the aircraft and subsequently escorted the aircraft to the apron.
The aircraft returned to service about 40 hours after landing back.
A Gojet Canadair CRJ-550, registration N502GJ performing flight G7-4527 from St. Louis,MO to Chicago O’Hare,IL (USA), was in the inital climb out of St. Louis’ runway 29 when the crew stopped the climb at 5000 feet reporting they had “a smoke in the lav” and declaring emergency. The aircraft returned to St. Louis for a safe landing on runway 30R about 12 minutes after departure.
A replacement CRJ-550 registration N533GJ reached Chicago with a delay of about 90 minutes.
The occurrence aircraft returned to service about 24 hours after landing.
A NORRA Nordic Regional Airlines Avions de Transport Regional ATR-72-212A, registration OH-ATE performing flight AY-436 from Oulu to Helsinki (Finland), was accelerating for takeoff from Oulu’s runway 30 when the crew rejected takeoff due to smell of smoke on the flight deck. The aircraft slowed safely and vacated the runway 1300 meters/4300 feet down the runway.
The flight was cancelled, the passengers were rebooked onto the afternoon flight about 4:45 hours later.
The aircraft remained on the ground for about 29 hours, then positioned to Helsinki.
A Jazz de Havilland Dash 8-400, registration C-GKUK performing flight QK-8991 from St. John’s,NL to Halifax,NS (Canada), was climbing out of St. John’s about 30nm west of the airport when the crew detected smoke in the cockpit, at the same time a flight attendant reported haze in the cabin. The crew further received “FLT COMP HOT” and “#2 BLEED HOT” indications followed by a lavatory smoke detector triggering. The flight crew donned their oxygen masks, declared Mayday and returned to St. John’s for a safe landing about 25 minutes after departure. Emergency services inspected the aircraft from the outside and reported they did not find any evidence of smoke or fire, the aircraft taxied to the apron.
The Canadian TSB reported the aircraft is currently undergoing maintenance.
An Air France Boeing 777-300, registration F-GSQP performing flight AF-671 from Reunion (Reunion) to Paris Charles de Gaulle (France) with 468 people on board, was enroute at FL320 about 1160nm northnortheast of Reunion when the crew decided to return to Reunion. The aircraft descended to FL270 and landed safely back about 4:45 hours after departure.
Local media reported the crew reported smoke in the cockpit.
The airline reported the aircraft returned due to a technical problem. The flight was postponed by 24 hours.
There were some tense moments this morning for the passengers and crew on board an Air Canada flight. The Dash Eight aircraft departed St. John’s 7:30 this morning heading to Halifax. About 15 minutes into the flight, they reported smoke in the cockpit and declared an emergency. Around Norman’s Cove, the decision was made to divert back to St. John’s. Rescue personal responded to the airport, where the aircraft was able to make a safe landing.
A Binter Canarias Avions de Transport Regional ATR-72-212A, registration EC-KGJ performing flight NT-932 from Funchal to Porto Santo (Portugal), was in the initial climb out of Funchal when a burning odour developed in the cabin and thick black smoke began to emerge. The aircraft stopped the climb at about 700 feet and returned to Funchal for a safe landing about 5 minutes after departure.
A Condor Airbus A320-200 registration D-AICD performing flight DE-1570 from Frankfurt/Main (Germany) to Funchal was on final approach to runway 23 descending through about 900 feet AGL when the crew was instructed to go around to give way to incoming emergency. The A320 positioned for another approach and landed safely about 12 minutes after the Binter ATR.
The ATR remained on the ground for about 6 hours, then departed again and reached Porto Santo with a delay of about 7 hours.
A NORRA Nordic Regional Airlines Avions de Transport Regional ATR-72-212A on behalf of Finnair, registration OH-ATG performing flight AY-1014 from Tallinn (Estonia) to Helsinki (Finland) with 15 passengers and 4 crew, was on approach to Helsinki’s runway 04R at 12:03L (09:03Z) when the crew reported smoke in the cockpit. The aircraft landed and vacated the runway onto a taxiway about 2200 meters past the runway threshold and stopped clear of the runway. The aircraft was evacuated, there were no injuries.
The airline reported the smoke was caused by a failure in the power supply of the propeller anti-icing unit.
Emergency services reported the aircraft had a slight smoke generation in the cockpit after the aircraft landed at Vantaa Airport. The passengers were safely taken to the terminal.
In the evening of Jun 30th 2020 Finland’s Onnettomuustutkintakeskus (AIBF) announced, they have opened a preliminary investigation into the occurrence rated a serious incident. The passengers of a NORRA aircraft had to be evacuated due to smoke.
A Karun Airlines Fokker 100, registration EP-AWZ performing flight NV-2633 from Ahwaz to Rasht (Iran), was climbing out of Ahwaz’s runway 12 when the crew stopped the climb at FL180 reporting smoke in the cabin. The aircraft returned to Ahwaz for a safe landing on runway 30 about 30 minutes after departure.
Passengers reported the cabin filled with thick smoke that began to emerge from the back of the cabin.
The airline reported a technical defect in an aircraft system prompted the return to Ahwaz. All passengers are in “perfect health”. An alternative transportation to Rasht is being organized.
A LATAM Brasil Airbus A321-200, registration PT-XPO performing flight JJ-3366 from Sao Paulo Guarulhos,SP to Joao Pessoa,PB (Brazil), was enroute at FL310 about 220nm northeast of Sao Paulo when the crew decided to return to Sao Paulo reporting a burning odour and white smoke in the cockpit and cabin. The crew worked the related checklists, after working the checklists and turning off pack #1 the smoke dissipated. The aircraft landed safely back at Guarulhos Airport about 75 minutes after departure.
A replacement A320-200 registration PR-MHW reached Joao Pessoa with a delay of 3.5 hours.
The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Sao Paulo about 25 hours after landing back.
A MASwings-owned ATR aircraft carrying 29 passengers on a flight from Miri International Airport to Labuan has to turn around when smoke emanated from the cabin Sunday afternoon.A Sarawak Fire and Rescue operations centre spokesman said based on information received from airport firefighters, the pilot had contacted Miri International Airport on the incident. There were 25 passengers, two pilots and two flight attendants onboard.He said seven personnel and two fire engines from Miri International Airport Fire and Rescue team were dispatched to prepare the runway as soon as the distress call was received at 4.32pm.
“The plane departed from Miri for Labuan at 4.05pm but turned around and landed safely at 4.24pm. All passengers and crew were safe,” he said.
He said Miri International Airport authorities confirmed no fire occurred but the flight was cancelled.
A First Air Avions de Transport Regional ATR-42-300, registration C-FIQR performing flight 7F-3084 from Iqaluit,NU to Cape Dorset,NU (Canada) with 6 people on board, was on final approach to Cape Dorset when the crew noticed the smell of smoke on the flight deck, no smoke was visible. The crew checked with the flight attendant, who reported no odour in the cabin. No circuit breakers had popped and no anomaly was visible on the instruments. The crew continued the landing for a safe landing at Cape Dorset. The smell dissipated after landing.
The Canadian TSB reported maintenance replaced the #1 air intake valve and returned the aircraft to service.
A Piedmont Embraer ERJ-145 on behalf of American Airlines, registration N672AE performing flight AA-4799 from Philadelpha,PA to Detroit,MI (USA) with 40 people on board, was enroute at FL240 about 20nm southwest of Harrisburg,PA (USA), when the crew decided to divert to Harrisburg reporting smoke in the cockpit. The aircraft landed on Harrisburg’s runway 13 about 18 minutes after the decision to divert. The aircraft stopped on the runway for assessing the situation, emergency services reported they didn’t see any smoke on the outside of the aircraft, the aircraft subsequently taxied to the apron with emergency services following the aircraft.
A Jazz Canadair CRJ-705, registration C-GFJZ performing flight QK-8831 from Montreal,QC to Toronto,ON (Canada) with 12 passengers and 3 crew, had just reached cruise FL330 when the crew declared emergency reporting smoke in the cabin. The aircraft returned to Montreal, on approach to Montreal the crew requested ambulances and advised of the possibility to evacuate the aircraft on the runway. The aircraft landed safely on runway 06R about 21 minutes after reporting smoke in the cabin and stopped on the runway. Emergency services inspected the interior of the aircraft and assessed the condition of the passengers, then the aircraft taxied to the apron, where the passengers disembarked normally.
Emergency services reported there was no visible smoke in the cabin, however a strong smell of an eletrical fire was present.
The Canadian TSB reported maintenance identified a light ballast in the cabin as source of the odour and replaced the ballast.
An Atlas Air Boeing 767-300, registration N1181A performing freight flight 5Y-3713 from Miami,FL to Wilmington,OH (USA) with 2 crew, was in the initial climb out of Miami’s runway 08R when shortly after contacting departure the crew declared Mayday reporting smoke in the cockpit. The crew stopped the climb at about 4800 feet and requested runway 09 for the return. The aircraft landed safely on runway 09 about 12 minutes after departure. After landing the crew requested to taxi to the cargo apron advising, they didn’t think the smoke came from the aircraft itself, and accepted the offer by tower that emergency vehicles would follow the aircraft to the apron.
A replacement Boeing 767-300 registration N663GT reached Wilmington with a delay of about 3 hours.
The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Miami about 22 hours after landing back.
A Canadian North Boeing 737-200, registration C-GOPW performing flight 5T-228 from Yellowknife,NT to Kuglutuk,NT (Canada) with 4 passengers and 4 crew, was climbing out of Yellowknife’s runway 34 when the crew smelled und subsequently observed smoke on the flight deck and suspected, the smoke was related to the captain’s side window heat plug. The crew stopped the climb at about 14,000 feet MSL, worked the related checklists, unpowered the side window’s heating and the smoke dissipated. The aircraft returned to Yellowknife for a safe landing on runway 16 about 40 minutes after departure.
The Canadian TSB reported maintenance identified a faulty window heater.
A passenger jet en route to Moscow from Yekaterinburg has been forced to emergency land in the airport of departure due to smoke in the cockpit, the emergency services told TASS.
“The landing was carried out as normal. There were no victims,” the source said.
After leaving the Yekaterinburg airport, some smoke started coming out in the cockpit. “After that, the crew made the decision to return to the airport of departure,” the source informed. The reasons behind the smoke are being studied now, the plane is being checked by technical services.
Magnolia Highway residents may have heard the rush of emergency personnel that responded to an emergency landing at the South Arkansas Regional Airport Thursday in the early afternoon.
Jonathan Estes, airport manager at the SARA, said the incident, an emergency landing of a small aircraft, resolved with no injuries to either the pilot or passenger who were on board. Along with Estes, emergency personnel from the Union County Sheriff’s Office, El Dorado Fire Department, El Dorado Police Department, Pro-Med ambulance service and the Office of Emergency Management responded to the plane’s declared emergency.
“Declaring an emergency is no small thing,” Estes said. “It’s like calling 911 … You don’t want to declare an emergency unless there is one, and his was.”
Estes was the lone airport staff member working Thursday at around 1:50 p.m. when he received notification from the Dallas/Ft. Worth Air Traffic Control office that a Mooney M20F in local airspace had declared an emergency, citing smoke in the plane’s cockpit, possibly resulting from an electrical fire. Two people were onboard the aircraft.
After alerting emergency services, Estes contacted the plane (call sign N14483). The pilot said the craft was about five miles out from the fourth runway at the airport, but did not provide a status update.
“I didn’t know if the status had gotten any worse or better,” Estes said. “Normally when people are stressed, they’re not wanting to talk. They’re kind of focused on the task at hand.”
The SARA Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting (ARFF) truck was positioned to follow the Mooney down the runway once it landed in order to respond to the craft’s needs immediately. However, when the plane landed, all appeared to be fine.
“I was about 100 feet away from where they landed,” Estes said. “I couldn’t see any smoke or fumes inside the cabin or flowing outside of the aircraft.”
“Long story short, he ended up making it to the ramp safely,” Estes said.
The cause of the initial fire onboard is still under investigation, which is typical per Federal Aviation Administration regulations, Estes said. The pilot told first responders he pulled a breaker or fuse connected to an alternator, which is what had caused the smoke in the cockpit, before landing.
This is not the first time the SARA has responded to an emergency landing necessitated by smoke inside the aircraft. In March 2016, a United Express flight carrying 66 passengers and four crew declared an emergency over El Dorado when smoke was spotted in the rear of the plane. The craft landed safely with no injuries, and no cause was discovered for the smoke, Estes said.
Estes said it is generally held that from the time smoke is detected on an aircraft, the crew has 15 to 20 minutes to get on the ground, since smoke can impact visibility. The United Express plane that emergency landed at SARA in 2016 landed in 12 minutes, impressive for a twin engine commercial jet that was cruising at 37,000 feet when the smoke was detected.
“[Smoke] fills the cabin,” Estes said. “If you’ve ever stood next to a campfire, imagine trying to fly like that, and in a plane, there’s no way to ventilate that smoke.”
SARA is currently struggling financially as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Estes told El Dorado city officials earlier this week that at least one airport staff member would need to be laid off as fuel expenses outpace revenue. Last Sunday, Estes reported having seen only one commercial passenger this month.
A commercial jet made an emergency landing at the St. George Regional Airport after the pilot declared an emergency when the crew reported smoke in the cockpit.
Just before 1 p.m., airport operations received information from the Los Angeles Air Route Traffic Control Center that a regional commercial airliner declared an emergency when the pilot reported smoke in the cockpit during a flight from Denver to San Luis Obisbo, California.
The plane was diverted to the St. George Regional Airport due to it being the closest airport that is approved for that particular type of emergency landing, said Brad Kitchen, airport operations supervisor.
“The plane had five people on board and declared an emergency 50 miles out,” he said.
While preparations were being made for the RJ-200, a 50-seat airliner carrying three crew members and two passengers, to make an emergency landing, Kitchen was able to make direct contact with the pilot when the aircraft was still 25 miles out.
Emergency and fire units from airport operations, the St. George Police Department, St. George Fire Department and Gold Cross Ambulance responded to the scene where they set up on a long-based runway known as Runway 1-9.
The emergency response units were all in place by the time the plane landed on the runway where responders conducted an exterior examination of the aircraft while the passengers and crew were evacuated and then checked by emergency medical personnel at the scene.
Finding no evidence of smoke or fire on the outside of the plane, crews entered the fuselage where they detected a faint smell of smoke, Kitchen said. But finding no other evidence of a fire, he said, the St. George Fire Department brought in thermal imaging equipment that can detect areas of heat through thick smoke, darkness or any heat-permeable barriers.
St. George Fire Chief Robert Stoker said the department sent three engines and pulled onto the runway just before the plane landed, he said, adding that they are required to respond to any “Alert 2” situation automatically, a system designed to provide as many resources as possible that can be on scene quickly with very little notice to address whatever is going on with the aircraft quickly.
Meanwhile, LA Center was notified that the plane landed safely and all occupants were accounted for. Kitchen also said the commercial carrier was also notified and will fly in a mechanic to check out the plane, while travel arrangements for the passengers and crew will be handled through the airline company as well.
Kitchen said the rapid response time is critical when a situation like what happened Tuesday is reported, particularly when it involves a fire on board or in the cockpit of an aircraft, which can be very dangerous as it has a tendency to spread quickly through the fuselage and can be deadly.
That is one of the reasons that under FAA guidelines, he said, emergency crews have three minutes from the moment the page comes in to be on the runway and ready to go. Otherwise, the airport could face a heavy fine if it takes any longer than that.
That rapid response is critical in these types of situations and is one reason airport operations crews undergo specific training to handle aircraft fires, which can present unique challenges that are specific to an aircraft, training that includes annual exercises that take place inside of a burning fuselage where temperatures can exceed 1,000 degrees.
Tuesday’s incident was categorized as an “Alert 2” emergency by the Federal Aviation Administration, Kitchen said. An “Alert 1” is when an aircraft is having minor difficulties but a safe landing is expected; an “Alert 2” involves an aircraft that is having major difficulties, such as a fire on board or in the cockpit, for example, where a difficult or crash landing can be expected; and an “Alert 3” involves a plane that has already crashed, or has a high probability of crashing.
A Batik Air Airbus A320-200, registration PK-LAI performing flight ID-6880 from Jakarta to Kuala Namu (Indonesia), was enroute at FL360 about 30nm south of Pekanbaru (Indonesia) when white smoke appeared from the bottom of the right side of the pedestal accompanied by a burning smell. About 2 seconds later the smoke disappeared, the smell however remained. The crew decided to divert to Pekanbaru for a safe landing on runway 36 about 20 minutes after leaving FL360.
The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground in Pekanbaru for about 58 hours before returning to service.
Indonesia’s KNKT rated the occurrence a serious incident and opened an investigation.
A Canadian North de Havilland Dash 8-100, registration C-GRGO performing flight 5T-656 from Yellowknife,NT to Kugaaruk,NU (Canada) with 28 people on board, was descending through 10,000 feet towards Kugaaruk when smoke appeared in the cockpit. The crew donned their oxygen masks, worked the related checklist, which caused the smoke to dissipate. The crew declared emergency and diverted to Gjoa Haven,NU (Canada) requesting emergency services to meet the aircraft and landed safely without further incident. The passengers deplaned safely.
The Canadian TSB reported there was no evidence of a fire, the operator’s maintenance is investigating.
The aircraft returned to service on Mar 21st 2020.
On the heels of a recent emergency landing earlier this year at the Northwest Regional Airport, WestJet has had another incident, this time with a notification of smoke in the cargo hold of Flight 3108.
The plane left Terrace at 7:30 pm last night, on its way to Vancouver and soon after, requested a return to Terrace. Regional Airport General Manager, Carmen Hendry, provided the details of the incident and their response.
“Their protocol was to return to the airport. They notified the airport of course. The airport enacted our emergency response plan which includes notifying 9-1-1 so that we are prepared. The city fire department and Thornhill fire department, police and ambulance arrived on site as per requirements of our emergency response plans. Aircraft landed without issue. Passengers were deplaned and taken to the terminal building. Aircraft was removed from the runway. At approximately 9 o’clock, the airport operations resumed.”
He said the smoke notification could be due to a faulty sensor noting that they didn’t notice any smoke upon inspection of the craft.
He indicated that the aircraft involved was the same make and model as the WestJet that suffered the partial nose-wheel collapsed earlier this year.
In an email to CFTK, WestJet wrote that guests were later rebooked for completion of their journey. They would like to apologize to their passengers on board for the delay.
A Jetstar Airbus A320-200, registration VH-VGT performing flight JQ-660 from Sydney,NS to Ayers Rock,NT (Australia), was enroute at FL340 about 140nm north of Mildura,VI (Australia) when the crew received a cargo smoke indication and diverted to Mildura. The aircraft landed safely on Mildura’s runway 09 about 26 minutes later.
The airline reported the crew received indication of a cargo issue, media reports of a cargo fire were incorrect however.
The aircraft remained in Mildura for about 12 hours, then climbed to FL240 and positioned to Melbourne,VI (Australia).
A Polar Air Cargo Boeing 747-400, registration N450PA performing freight flight PO-717 (dep Mar 13th) from Los Angeles,CA (USA) to Tokyo Narita (Japan), was enroute at FL380 about 230nm southeast of Petropavlovsk (Russia) when the crew descended the aircraft to FL250, declared emergency and diverted to Petropavlovsk. Due to weather the aircraft could not land in Petropavlovsk (like four other domestic Russian flights) and entered a hold for about 20 minutes. The aircraft subsequently diverted to Shemya,AK (USA) where the aircraft landed safely about 2.5 hours after leaving FL380 and about 90 minutes after exiting the hold near Petropavlovsk.
A local Russian media reported according to preliminary data the Boeing attempted to divert to Petropavlovsk due to a fire on board.
Russian aviation fora report the aircraft attempted to divert to Petropavlovsk reporting “something like a fire”.
Russia’s news agency TASS reported four domestic flights could not land in Petropavlovsk and diverted due to a “Pacific Cyclone” with heavy snow fall and winds of up to 40 knots affected the southern part of Kamchatka (including Petropavlovsk). The agency later reported the crew received a fire indication on board and could not land in Petropavlovsk, too, and diverted to Shemya.
The aircraft remained on the ground in Shemya for about 26.5 hours, then continued the flight to Tokyo and continued service.
A father, mother, and son are very fortunate to have made it to a Barnstable Municipal Airport runway where they landed safely after what was described as a “catastrophic” engine failure while in-flight somewhere out over Hyannis Port last evening.
According to Captain Jeffrey Huska of the Hyannis Fire Department, the single engine airplane “came in hot” shortly after 7:00 p.m. last evening, after engine pistons blew through part of the engine, causing oil to “let go,” covering the windshield, and filling the cockpit with smoke.
The family of three were on their way to Martha’s Vineyard, with the father flying the small plane, when the engine began failing somewhere out over Hyannis Port. It’s a miracle the plane had enough power to make it to Barnstable Municipal Airport on time. Landing the plane in those circumstances “took skill” according to Captain Huska, who was impressed with how calm the pilot seemed after landing safely, just having averted catastrophe with his family onboard.
Firefighters had to clean up an oil spill caused by engine parts breaking through the engine. The windshield was covered with oil and it is believed the pilot must have used instruments to find his way to the runway.
Captain Huska gave the family a ride back to the airport terminal and as you will see in the following HN Video, the plane was eventually towed back to Griffin Avionics.
A Jazz Canadair CRJ-900, registration C-FNJZ performing flight QK-8839 from San Francisco,CA (USA) to Vancouver,BC (Canada) with 71 people on board, was climbing out of San Francisco’s runway 01R when the crew declared Mayday reporting smoke on board, stopped the climb at 2000 feet and positioned for an immediate return to runway 28R. The crew reported they were showing smoke in both lavatories and they did smell smoke in the cockpit. The aircraft landed on San Francisco’s runway 28R about 6 minutes after departure, turned off the runway and stopped clear of the runway. The aircraft was evacuated.
Ground instructed all aircraft on frequency to hold position advising of an indefinite delay, however, resumed normal operation about 10 minutes after the landing.
An Easyjet Europe Airbus A320-200, registration OE-ICZ performing flight U2-5831 from Berlin Tegel (Germany) to Tel Aviv (Israel) with 167 people on board, was descending towards Tel Aviv when the crew reported smoke in the cockpit. The aircraft landed safely on Tel Aviv’s runway 21 and stopped on the runway for a check by emergency services for about 5 minutes, then taxied to the apron.
The aircraft was able to depart for the return flight after about 2.5 hours on the ground and reached Berlin with a delay of 1 hour.
A Spirit Airlines Airbus A321-200, registration N682NK performing flight NK-632 from Santiago (Dominican Republic) to Fort Lauderdale,FL (USA) with 227 passengers and 5 crew, was enroute at FL340 about 80nm southsoutheast of Nassau (Bahamas) when the crew received an aft cargo smoke indication. The crew worked the related checklists and diverted to Nassau for a safe landing about 17 minutes later.
The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground for about 6 hours, then continued the flight to Fort Lauderdale and reached the destination with a delay of 6 hours.
The Bahama AAID reported: “The aircraft landed safely without incident, was deplaned and inspected by appropriate maintenance personnel. There were no injuries reported and the aircraft received no damages. A limited scope investigation was conducted and no safety recommendations issued.”
A Sunwing Boeing 737-800, registration C-GYUK performing flight WG-596 from Cancun (Mexico) to Calgary,AB (Canada), was enroute at FL360 about 150nm southsouthwest of Memphis,TN (USA) when the crew reported smoke in the cabin and diverted to Memphis for a safe landing on runway 36L about 30 minutes later.
Passengers reported an e-cigarette of a fellow passenger caught fire.
The airline reported the aircraft diverted to Memphis due to smoke in the cabin. It is believed a passenger’s vape pen was accidentally discharged on board of the aircraft.
The Canadian TSB reported on Feb 26th 2020 that the “suspected cause of smoke is a battery from an e-cigarette.”
A replacement Boeing 737-800 registration C-FEVD was dispatched to Memphis, resumed the flight and reached Calgary with a delay of 8.5 hours.
The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground in Memphis for about 20 hours, then positioned to Calgary as flight WG-9596.
A Cathay Pacific Boeing 777-300, registration B-KPQ performing flight CX-865D from Vancouver,BC (Canada) to Hong Kong (China) with no passengers and 18 crew, had just levelled off at FL320 after departure from Vancouver when the crew detected smoke in cockpit and cabin, declared emergency and returned the aircraft to Vancouver. The aircraft dumped 84 tons of fuel and performed a safe landing 11 tons over maximum landing weight about 45 minutes after departure.
The aircraft had arrived in Vancouver on Jan 30th 2020 as flight CX-865 from New York JFK. The aircraft was to position onwards to Hong Kong, returned to Vancouver however. Another attempt to position to Hong Kong on Feb 8th also prompted the crew to return to Vancouver. The aircraft finally departed for and reached Hong Kong on Feb 14th 2020.
The Canadian TSB reported: “Maintenance conducted an overweight landing inspection with no faults found. They verified that the smoke was in fact oil fumes/haze caused by an oil contaminated air conditioning system. They traced the origin of the oil source to the aircraft’s APU. Numerous components of the air conditioning system were replaced and the ducting was removed and cleaned. The APU was deactivated for the return flight to VHHH and the aircraft has returned to service.”
A United Airbus A320-200, registration N437UA performing flight UA-1456 from Newark,NJ (USA) to Nassau (Bahamas), was enroute at FL360 about 140nm east of Daytona Beach,FL (USA) when the crew decided to divert to Daytona Beach due a passenger’s battery charger suffering from a thermal runaway emitting heat, smoke and fire in the passenger’s bag. Cabin crew extinhguished and secured the device while the flight crew landed the aircraft safely in Daytona Beach about 30 minutes later.
Daytona Beach Airport reported the battery charger caught fire, the fire was contained within the passenger’s bag. Cabin crew put the bag into a fire retardant container.
The aircraft departed Daytona Beach after about 70 minutes on the ground and reached Nassau with a delay of 2 hours.
It was meant to be a fun father-son outing: a military pilot taking advantage of the rare February sunshine over Victoria to log some flight time and show his dad a view of the city from the cockpit of a single-engine plane.
But the outing would end with the two men hanging from their seatbelts, injured but alive, their borrowed Cessna upside down and filling with smoke in a Saanich blueberry field.
Warren McCall says his son is a hero.
“I’m alive because of him,” the 54-year-old father from North Saanich tells CTV News.
Ryan McCall is a pilot out of Victoria’s 443 Maritime Helicopter Squadron. The 26-year-old has been racking up flying hours on his downtime in anticipation of flying one of the base’s new Cyclone helicopters.
On Tuesday morning, the pair took off from the Victoria airport, cruising out over Cordova Bay where the southern cloud ceiling seemed limitless.
“We had lots of clearance out up to 2,500 feet,” the elder McCall says. “We got to 1,300 feet and the engine stumbled.”
While the clunk wasn’t cause for serious alarm, Ryan banked the 40-year-old Cessna back towards the airport, just in case.
Almost immediately the cockpit began to fill with black smoke.
“He called a mayday and as we’re making our turn to go back north, the engine starts spewing oil all over the windscreen,” Warren says. “Within 15 seconds you could see zero.”
Panicking, the father and son ripped open the cockpit’s side windows and immediately started searching through swirling smoke for a piece of flat ground among the rugged hills.
“Ryan’s now flying with his face pressed up against the side window which only opens up about two to three inches to see out with one eye,” Warren says. “He’s holding himself out there, his face in the wind and one hand on the control.”
Warren estimates it was 90 seconds between the moment they heard the engine sputter and the moment it seized and died completely.
“When the engine seized, we didn’t know it at the time, but it actually sheared the propeller right off and it fell to the ground. We found out after the fact when we were in the hospital. We couldn’t see anything.”
‘Find a field! Find a field!’
Roofer Dale Albury was finishing a job on a Saanich rooftop when he looked up to see the doomed plane failing overhead, losing altitude and then losing its propeller over Mount Douglas Park.
Without an engine, the four-seat Cessna 172 was now a glider and its smoke-blind occupants were in serious trouble.
“Ryan’s saying, ‘Find a field! Find a field!” Warren says.
“I’m trying to look out my side and I point out a couple of things but he rejected those because we didn’t have the altitude for them. Then I saw one up ahead and he said, ‘That’s the one.'”
The two men didn’t know it at the time, but “the one” was right next to a school full of children just arriving for class.
“All we knew was there was a field, totally empty, and we just knew we have to get over the power lines.”
The Cessna cleared the power lines as a teacher at St. Margaret’s School looked on.
“We clear the power lines, he put down the flaps and brought it right to the ground when the stall horn starts going off,” Warren says.
“That berry field that looked very flat – we didn’t know about the irrigation hoses.”
The field is crisscrossed with hoses that deliver water to the crops. One of the hoses caught on the landing gear, flipping the plane up onto its nose and over.
“Now we’re hanging upside down,” Warren says. “We pull the seatbelts off and crawl out and give each other a big hug. My son’s a freaking hero.”
The McCalls walked away relatively unscathed from the ordeal. Warren says their knees, shins, necks and shoulders are battered from bouncing around in the cockpit, but otherwise they’re fine.
“I feel like I just finished a rugby game or something,” Warren says. “But we know we’re so lucky to walk away from that thing.”
The plane wreckage was hauled away from the Beckwith Avenue farm Tuesday afternoon. The Transportation Safety Board continues to investigate.
An Easyjet Airbus A319-100, registration G-EZIX performing flight U2-8871 from London Gatwick,EN (UK) to Amsterdam (Netherlands), was enroute at FL210 nearing the top of descent into Amsterdam when the crew declared PAN PAN reporting smoke coming from the aft galley. The aircraft landed safely on Amsterdam’s runway 18R about 20 minutes later. Emergency services checked the aircraft externally, the aircraft subsequently taxied to the apron.
The aircraft was able to depart for the return flight about 2:20 hours after landing and reached Gatwick with a delay of about 70 minutes.
A British Airways Airbus A319-100, registration G-EUPY performing flight BA-359 from Lyon (France) to London Heathrow,EN (UK), was climbing out of Lyon’s runway 17R when the crew stopped the climb reporting smoke in the cockpit. The aircraft returned to Lyon for a safe landing on runway 17L about 20 minutes after departure. Emergency services found no trace of fire or heat.
The flight was cancelled.
The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground for about 22 hours, then positioned to Heathrow.
British Airways flight BA2167, a Boeing 777-200ER, diverted to Bermuda after a smartphone began to emit smoke.
It appeared the phone was wedged in a seat, damaging the lithium-ion battery and causing a thermal runaway event.
A flight to the Bahamas from New York, with 143 people aboard, diverted to Palm Beach International Airport on Thursday afternoon after a report of smoke in the cockpit led the crew to declare an emergency, local and federal authorities said.
No one was hurt when JetBlue Airways Flight 421, headed to Nassau from John F. Kennedy International Airport, landed at PBIA without incident, according to the Federal Aviation Administration and Palm Beach County Fire Rescue.
Fire Rescue said the smoke was limited to the cockpit and had dissipated by the time firefighters came aboard.
A Safair Boeing 737-400, registration ZS-DMI performing flight FA-369 from Johannesburg to Port Elizabeth (South Africa), was climbing through FL280 out of Johannesburg when the crew stopped the climb due to a water leak in the cockpit, the leaking water ingressing some aircraft systems resulting in smoke in the cockpit. The aircraft landed safely back on Johannesburg’s runway 03L about 30 minutes after departure.
South Africa’s CAA have opened an investigation into the occurrence.
A Tway Airlines Boeing 737-800, registration HL8069 performing flight TW-667 from Seoul Gimpo (South Korea) to Taipei Songshan (Taiwan), was descending towards Taipei when a passenger’s power bank began smoking. Cabin crew responded, a fire extinguisher was discharged and the passenger’s bag and device were secured. The aircraft continued for a safe landing at Songshan Airport.
The airline confirmed the occurrence reporting the power bank overheated and began to emit smoke, however, did not catch fire. The aircraft did not receive any damage.
The aircraft performed the return flight after 3 hours on the ground and reachd Gimpo Airport with a delay of 100 minutes.
A British Airways Airbus A320-200, registration G-GATL performing flight BA-2702 from London Gatwick,EN (UK) to Tenerife Sur Sofia Reina,CI (Spain), was descending through about 10,000 feet towards Tenerife when the crew declared PAN reporting fumes on board. The aircraft continued for a safe landing on runway 07 with emergency services on standby.
The return flight BA-2703 was cancelled. The aircraft remained on the ground for about 30 hours, then positioned back to Gatwick as flight BA-9271. The aircraft remained on the ground in Gatwick for about 7 hours over night, then performed flight BA-2780 to Funchal and remained on the ground in Funchal for 24 hours before performing the return flight BA-2781 and continuing service.
The Aviation Herald received information that the aircraft had been assigned an ILS approach to runway 07 and was descending through about 10,000 feet when the captain noticed an unusual odour in the cockpit, the first officer confirmed smelling the odour, too, the odour quickly intensified. The first officer, pilot flying, donned his oxygen mask, while the captain decided to continue without the oxygen mask. The crew attempted to isolate the source of the fumes by turning off air conditioning pack #1. Although the airport is designated to be a “captain’s landing only”, the first officer continued to fly the approach while the captain declared PAN with ATC reporting fumes on board. The odour further intensified, the captain felt his eyes started stinging. The captain took control of the aircraft for the final stages of the landing following the first officer having flown the final approach. After landing the captain taxied the aircraft to the apron with emergency services in trail. After shutting down the conditions in the cockpit improved considerably when the cockpit door was opened, the odour was still present however. Both pilots looked extremely pale and had distorted perceiption of senses, both pilots thought they were much farther apart than they were, both felt dizzy and faint, both felt they had difficulties in thinking and developing clear thoughts, which made decision making much harder.
The crew requested an engineer to attend to the aircraft. The tech log had indicated a crew had heard a grating noise from the #1 engine (V2527, left hand) on Feb 6th 2020, the maintenance engineer suspected a loose bearing. The engineer responding to the captain’s request on Feb 7th suspected the fumes were due to oil ingress into the left hand engine. After working for about 45 minutes the engineer was able to reproduce the odour, both pilots confirmed this was the same odour they had noticed in flight. The engineer grounded the aircraft.
Both pilots were told to visit the local hospital for blood and urine tests, the hospital however advised they did not have the relevant equipment to perform those tests. Feeling tired and fatigued the crew went to their hotel, the first officer started coughing up blood, the captain felt increasingly sick, The following day both crew consulted with Medaire.
A Vueling Airbus A320-200, registration EC-MAN performing flight VY-7332 from Bacelona,SP (Spain) to Marrakesh (Morocco), was enroute at FL370 about 30nm northeast of Malaga,SP (Spain) when the crew decided to divert to Malaga due to a burning odour on board/smoke in the cockpit. The aircraft landed safely on runway 13 about 20 minutes later.
The airline reported the aircraft diverted to Malaga due to technical problems.
A passenger reported there was a burning odour in the forward section of the aircraft.
Another passenger reported the cabin fusebox blew, all cabin power was cut. A slight burning smell developed on board.
Spanish ATC reported the crew reported smoke in the cockpit.
A replacement A320-200 registration EC-MJB reached Marrakesh with a delay of 3 hours.
An American Airlines Airbus A321-200, registration N970UY performing flight AA-1852 from Charlotte,NC (USA) to San Juan (Puerto Rico) with 185 people on board, was enroute at FL330 about 150nm east of Nassau (Bahamas) when the crew reported smoke in the cabin and diverted to Nassau. The aircraft landed safely about 30 minutes later.
The aircraft remained on the ground for about 30.5 hours, then returned to Charlotte and remained on the ground in Charlotte for another 17.5 hours before returning to service.
Bahama’s AAID reported: “The crew reported that while enroute to Luis Munoz Marin International Airport, San Juan, Puerto Rico, while some 45miles off the coast of New Providence, Bahamas, smoke was detected in the cabin of the aircraft. The aircraft diverted from its original course and landed at the Lynden Pindling International Airport, Nassau, Bahamas without further incidence. There were 185 souls on board. No injuries were reported. A limited scope investigation was conducted and no safety recommendations were issued as a result of this occurrence.”
A Mesa Airlines Canadair CRJ-700 on behalf of United, registration N501MJ performing flight UA-6011 from Charlotte,NC to Washington Dulles,DC (USA) with 50 people on board, was in the initial climb out of Charlotte’s runway 36R when the crew reported smoke in the cabin, actually a bad odour/smoke in the cabin. The crew requested to return to Charlotte, subsequently advised the situation was improving, they expected to be able to vacate the runway. The aircraft landed safely on runway 36C about 10 minutes after departure.
A passenger reported they had problems at engine start, ground equipment was brought in, then engine start succeeded. The aircraft departed and had to turn back, the aircraft landed hard, thrust reversers were not used. Emergency services were chasing them down the runway. The passenger did not report any odour or smoke. Later the passenger added: “There was smoke and odour in the cabin on the initial attempt at engine start with equipment, but they vented the cabin by opening the main door at the gate. We did not notice any odours when we turned back for the landing, and the whole situation was odd because they did not provide any information of the situation once we landed.”
A replacement CRJ-700 registration N518LR reached Washington with a delay of 4 hours.
A Lufthansa Airbus A380-800, registration D-AIMG performing flight LH-460 from Munich (Germany) to Miami,FL (USA) with 266 people on board, was enroute at FL380 about 300nm west of Brest (France) when the crew received a cargo smoke indication and decided to turn around and divert to Paris Charles de Gaulle (France). The aircraft descended to FL370 on the way to Paris but did not start the descent towards Paris and instead carried on to return to Munich (Germany), where the aircraft landed safely about 2:15 hours after turning around.
The airline reported the crew discharged the fire suppression system in the cargo bay which extinguished the indication. Therefore the aircraft did not land in Paris but carried on to Munich. A defective fan heater in the cargo bay had been smoking causing the smoke detectors to trigger.
The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Munich about 5 hours after landing back.
A Ryanair Boeing 737-800 had to return to its departure airport earlier today as the cabin was filled with smoke. The aircraft, already a replacement for the scheduled service, landed safely back at Bucharest Otopeni Airport in Romania. Passengers were unharmed and subsequently picked up by a different Ryanair plane.
The Aviation Herald has reported today on an incident in Romania involving a Ryanair aircraft. The floight, FR-1006, was due to leave Bucharest at 06:40 this morning, heading to London Stansted Airport. However, due to difficulties with the assigned aircraft, passengers had to wait for a replacement aircraft, EI-EVH, to be prepared to take them.
Conditions in Bucharest are pretty cold at this time of year, with temperatures that early in the morning hovering at around -4°C (24°F), so the aircraft needed to be de-iced before it could make the journey. Eventually, the flight an all its passengers departed the stand at 10:57 local time. The approximately 2 hour 45 mins flight should have seen them landing at London in time for lunch, however, things did not go to plan. Just minutes into the flight, as the aircraft was climbing through around 5,000 feet, the crew declared Mayday Mayday, signaling an emergency in progress. Flight crew advised the airport that there was smoke in the cabin, and that they needed to return to Otopeni Airport.
A BA Cityflyer Embraer ERJ-190, registration G-LCAB performing flight BA-4473 from Dublin (Ireland) to London City,EN (UK), was enroute at FL370 about 50nm west of Manchester,EN (UK) when the crew decided to divert to Manchester due to a burning odour on board, that had been detected by a number of passengers and two flight attendants. The aircraft landed safely on Manchester’s runway 23R about 25 minutes later. Emergency services did not detect any trace of fire, heat or smoke.
A passenger reported several passengers detected a burning odour believed to originate from burning fabric, the flight attendants confirmed smelling the odour too and thought it was an electrical burning odour. The captain soon announced they were diverting to Manchester, where they were received by emergency services, who checked the aircraft out. The passengers disembarked normally shortly after. The passenger observed the crew was treated by paramedics.
An Air Italy Boeing 737-700, registration EI-FFM performing flight IG-1113 from Olbia to Rome Fiumicino (Italy), was climbing out of Olbia when passengers alerted the crew to smoke developing throughout the cabin. The flight crew stopped the climb and returned to Olbia for a safe landing about 20 minutes after departure. The passenges disembarked normally. A number of passengers were checked for possible smoke inhalation by medical staff, however, no injuries were reported.
A replacement Boeing 737-800 registration EI-FDS reached Rome as flight IG-6113 with a delay of about 2:45 hours.
Passengers reported smoke developed throughout the entire cabin, they alerted cabin crew. Although suffering from sore throats, coughing and some panic nobody needed medical assistance following an initial check.
EI-FFM had landed in Olbia on Jan 14th 2020 as flight IG-1116 from Rome Fiumicino and had not flown since. Following the air return the aircraft remained on the ground for 24 hours and departed on Jan 18th 2020 for flight IG-1113 this time reaching Rome.
A Delta Airlines Airbus A330-300, registration N815NW performing flight DL-162 (dep Dec 15th) from Minneapolis,MN (USA) to Amsterdam (Netherlands) with 289 people on board, was enroute at FL370 about 530nm southwest of Keflavik (Iceland) when a flight attendant noticed smoke and sparks from a screw head on the aft galley floor and discharged a fire extinguisher. The flight crew was notified, worked the related checklists and pulled the related circuit breakers. After consultation with dispatch and maintenance the crew declared Mayday and diverted to Keflavik for a safe landing.
The Canadian TSB reported maintenance found discolouration in portions of the galley floor and replaced the floor panels. The floor heating was de-activated under minimum equipment list requirements and the aircraft returned to service.
The aircraft remained on the ground for about 2.5 hours, then continued the flight and reached Amsterdam with a delay of about 3:15 hours.
An Air Canada Airbus A321-200, registration C-FJNX performing flight AC-119 from Toronto,ON to Vancouver,BC (Canada) with 190 passengers and 6 crew, was enroute at FL320 about 210nm eastsoutheast of Calgary,AB (Canada) when the crew detected a smell of smoke on the flight deck, cabin crew reported a burning odour in the forward galley. The crew declared PAN PAN, shut packs 1 and 2 down and diverted to Calgary, where the aircraft landed safely about 40 minutes later.
A replacement A321-200 registration C-FGKN reached Vancouver with a delay of 6 hours.
The Canadian TSB reported maintenance identified the left hand recirculation fan as source of the odour. The fault was addressed and the aircraft returned to service.
The occurrence aircraft returned to service about 17 hours after landing.
A Spirit Airlines Airbus A319-100, registration N529NK performing flight NK-1035 from Newark,NJ (USA) to Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic) with 149 people on board, was enroute at FL370 about 210nm southsoutheast of Newark and about 150nm southsoutheast of Atlantic City,NJ (USA) when the crew donned their oxygen masks and decided to divert to Atlantic City reporting an electrical burning odour in the cockpit, the source apparently being some fan. The aircraft turned around and descended towards Atlantic City, the crew advised the odour was still present, however, no evacuation was to be expected. The aircraft landed safely on Atlantic City’s runway 31. The aircraft stopped briefly on the runway, then taxied to the apron with the emergency services in trail.
The aircraft remained on the ground in Atlantic City for about 4 hours, then continued the journey and reached Santo Domingo with a delay of 4.5 hours.
No one was injured Monday when a two engine plane flying from Omaha to Perry made an emergency landing in Atlantic following reports of smoke in the cockpit. The Atlantic fire department was dispatched to the airport at around 2:50 p.m. following a call from Minneapolis Air Traffic Control stating the plane had smoke in the cockpit and would be landing in five minutes. The plane landed without incident and the cause turned out to be a “burnt-up” vent motor. KJAN News reported that the plane is registered to Dutch Aviation, LLC., in Perry and was piloted by Nick Lambert, of Perry. There was one male passenger on board. The plane, a 1985 twin-engine Beechcraft King Air TurboProp A90, was inspected and resumed its flight after about an hour.
A Spirit Airlines Airbus A319-100, registration N534NK performing flight NK-1030 from Cancun (Mexico) to Baltimore,MD (USA) with 150 people on board, was enroute at FL370 about 150nm southwest of Tampa,FL (USA) when the crew donned their oxygen masks and decided to divert to Tampa due to fumes on board. The aircraft landed safely on runway 01L about 28 minutes later, at least one of the pilots still on oxygen. The aircraft vacated the runway, the crew requested to taxi to an international gate and advised through oxygen mask “not feeling well, passengers, due to fumes”. The aircraft taxied to the international terminal with emergency services following the aircraft. Emergency services advised they had two medical units available to treat passengers feeling unwell, the captain advised he was just informed two flight attendants were vomitting, one of them getting a tightness in the chest.
The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground in Tampa for 16 hours, then positioned to Orlando,FL (USA), remained on the ground in Orlando for another 8 hours and resumed service.
An El Al Israel Airlines flight bound for Tel Aviv from Newark, New Jersey was forced to make an emergency landing in Halifax late on Thursday night.
The diversion to Halifax Stanfield came after reports of smoke in the cockpit of El Al flight #LY26.
Spokesperson for the Halifax International Airport Authority, Tiffany Chase, said the pilot declared an emergency just after 11 p.m.
“That flight did arrive safely,” she said. “Our emergency response team was on standby, ready to respond if needed, but no assistance was required and the pilot was able to taxi to the gate with no issues.”
A Halifax Fire official said there were no injuries to anyone on board.
“The aircraft is still here and the passengers were deplaned once it was determined the flight would not continue last night,” HIAA spokesperson Tiffany Chase shortly after 6 a.m. Thursday.
The Boeing 777 was scheduled to depart Newark at 9 p.m. ATL, and arrive in Israel just before 4 a.m. local time in Tel Aviv.
A British Airways Airbus A320-200, registration G-EUYM performing flight BA-633 from Athens (Greece) to London Heathrow,EN (UK), was on final approach to Heathrow’s runway 27R about 4nm before touchdown when the captain donned his oxygen mask and declared Mayday, Mayday advising he was going to continue the approach. The aircraft touched down safely on runway 27R about 2 minutes later.
On Jan 4th 2020 The Aviation Herald received information that on final approach the first officer passed out, the captain smelled the odour of old socks, immediately donned his oxygen mask, declared emergency and continued for a safe landing. Passengers and cabin crew remained unaware until after landing.
On Jan 5th 2020 The Aviation Herald received more details: On approach to Heathrow the captain noticed the odour of dirty old socks, the first officer, pilot flying, did not smell anything. The captain believes the odour is dissipating. Then the first officer started breathing heavily, slumps forward and no longer responds to questions by the captain. The captain therefore takes control, dons his oxygen mask, declares Mayday, configures the aircraft for landing and lands safely. After landing, in care by medical staff, the first officer recovers.
The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Heathrow about 60 hours after landing.
An AirAsia Airbus A320-200, registration 9M-AGU performing flight AK-9327 from Langkawi to Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) with 151 passengers and 5 crew, was in the initial climb when the flight crew decided to return to Langkawi reporting smoke in the cabin. The aircraft landed safely back in Langkawi about 13 minutes after departure. The aircraft vacated the runway and taxied to the apron, then an emergency evacuation via both left and right forward doors and slides took place.
A replacement A320-200N registration 9M-RAP reached Kuala Lumpur with a delay of about 8.5 hours.
A Lufthansa Airbus A319-100, registration D-AIBC performing flight LH-1853 from Milan Malpensa (Italy) to Munich (Germany), was descending towards Munich when a light cheesy odour reminding of old wet cellar/old socks developed on board, that did not subside. The aircraft continued for landing on Munich’s runway 08R, immediately after touchdown while reverse thrust was active the odour suddenly and strongly increased. The aircraft taxied to the apron.
On Dec 27th 2019 The Aviation Herald received information that immediately after reaching the stand cabin crew opened doors 1L, 3L and 1R to ventilate the cabin. The purser however was white, sweaty and vomitted complaining about feeling dizzy and suffering from headache, the two other cabin crew also complained about headache and dazed feeling. First officer and all three cabin crew went to see a doctor. The purser was hospitalized due to circulatory weakness and continued to vomit until in hospital care.
The occurrence aircraft returned to service after about 46 hours on the ground.
An Azul Linhas Aereas Embraer ERJ-195, registration PR-AXH performing flight AD-5179 from Iguasso Falls,PR to Porto Alegre,RS (Brazil) with 82 people on board, was climbing through FL280 out of Iguasso Falls when the crew reported smoke in the cabin and decided to divert to Chapeco,SC (Brazil). During the approach the smoke subsided. The aircraft landed safely in Chapeco.
Following an inspection the aircraft departed again and reached Porto Alegre with a delay of 3:15 hours.
The airline reported the aircraft made a technical landing in Chapeco for inspection of the aircraft. After evaluation by Azul’s maintenance team the aircraft was return to service.
A passenger reported the crew announced a faulty air conditioning system.
An AirAsia Airbus A320-200N, registration 9M-AGL performing flight AK-130 from Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) to Hong Kong (China), was enroute at FL350 about 200nm south of Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam) when a backup battery for a mobile phone suffered a rapid thermal runaway causing fire, that burned the owner of the phone (26) at his left arm, left leg, left buttocks and the back of left thigh, overall about 20% of skin surface. Cabin crew extinguished the fire, cooled the battery down, secured it in a safe container and provided first aid to the passenger, while the flight crew diverted the aircraft to Ho Chi Minh City where the aircraft landed safely about 35 minutes later. The passenger was taken to a hospital and following treatment could be discharged the following day.
A replacement A320-200N registration 9M-AGX reached Hong Kong the following day with a delay of 17 hours.
The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground for about 20.5 hours, then resumed service.
A Jazz Canadair CRJ-900, registration C-GJAN performing ferry flight QK-7134 from San Diego,CA (USA) to Vancouver,BC (Canada) with 2 crew, was descending towards Vancouver when the flight crew received an aft lavatory smoke indication. The captain stepped out of the cockpit and saw visible smoke from the aft lavatory. The crew worked the related checklists which included pulling the circuit breakers for the lavatory, the smoke indication ceased. The crew declared PAN PAN and continued for a safe landing. The aircraft taxied to a hangar, emergency services boarded the aircraft and did not see any smoke but perceived the smell of smoke.
The Canadian TSB reported maintenance found chaffing in the cabin overhead lighting wiring at row 27 D/F, the wires were contacting the lavatory enclosure. The wires were adjusted for clearance and protected from outside contact.
An Austrian Airlines Airbus A320-200, registration OE-LXC performing flight OS-157 from Vienna (Austria) to Dusseldorf (Germany), was enroute at FL380 about 80nm eastnortheast of Munich (Germany) when the crew decided to divert to Munich reporting the smell of smoke in the cockpit. The aircraft landed safely on Munich’s runway 08L about 25 minutes later.
The aircraft returned to service about 14 hours after landing.
The body tasked with ensuring aircraft safety in SA had to ground its own plane after smoke billowed into the cockpit just before takeoff from Lanseria airport.
The twin-engine 12-seater Cessna owned and operated by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) screeched to a halt on the runway on November 8. The takeoff was aborted and the plane limped back to a hangar. Both rear tyres deflated as a result of heat generated by the emergency braking.
A British Airways Airbus A319-100, registration G-EUPY performing flight BA-902 from London Heathrow,EN (UK) to Frankfurt/Main (Germany), was climbing out of Heathrow’s runway 09R when the crew declared PAN PAN reporting fumes in the cockpit, stopped the climb at 7000 feet and decided to return to Heathrow. The aircraft landed safely on Heathrow’s runway 09L about 25 minutes after departure.
The airline reported a “suspected minor technical issue” prompted the return to Heathrow as a precaution.
A passenger reported a few minutes after departure a short announcement was made that the senior flight attendant should contact the flight deck via intercom. The flight attendants subsequently closed the curtains dividing galley and cabin. About 15 minutes into the flight the captain made another announcement that they had fumes in the cockpit and were returning to Heathrow. The passenger reported: “He was visibly breathing through oxygen mask every few seconds during PA.” About 10 minutes later they landed, the aircraft vacated the runway and stopped. The captain advised ground crew was inspecting the aircraft. The aircraft subsequently taxied to the apron. The captain announced local police needed to check the cockpit as per local procedures before the passengers could disembark. The captain subsequently came out of the cockpit and made an announcement in the cabin before the passengers explaining that shortly after takeoff they started smelling fumes in the cockpit, they worked the related checklists to isolate this from the cabin, the smell grew stronger in the cockpit so that they had to don their oxygen masks. They obviously couldn’t continue to Frankfurt with this aircraft and returned to Heathrow. Mainteance would not check the aircraft. The captain ended the announcement with the assurance that the fumes hadn’t spread to the cabin. The passenger confirmed that indeed he hadn’t smelled anything unusual (except for the kersosene smell during engine start). A few minutes later they disembarked, received food vouchers and were redirected onto the replacement flight.
A replacement A319-100 registration G-EUPE reached Frankfurt with a delay of 4 hours.
A Delta Airlines Boeing 767-400, registration N843MH performing flight DL-110 from Buenos Aires,BA (Argentina) to Atlanta,GA (USA), was enroute at FL310 about 350nm north of Buenos Aires when the crew turned the aircraft around due to smoke in the cabin and returned to Buenos Aires, where the aircraft landed safely about one hour later.
Passengers reported smoke developed in the cabin.
Argentina’s JIAAC reported N843MH was involved in an occurrence, there were no injuries and no damage. The JIAAC’s headquarter opened an investigation.
An ANA All Nippon Airways Boeing 777-300, registration JA754A performing flight NH-52 from Sapporo to Tokyo Haneda (Japan) with about 350 people on board, was climbing out of Sapporo’s runway 01L when the crew stopped the climb at 4000 feet due to smoke in the cabin and returned to Sapporo for a safe landing on runway 01R about 10 minutes after departure.
A replacement Boeing 777-300 registration JA753A reached Tokyo with a delay of 3:15 hours.
The airline reported there were no injuries. It was dust that was released by the air conditioning ducts. The cause is unknown, a detailed investigation was underway.
The occurrence aircraft returned to service about 30 hours after landing.
Dramatic images and video has begun to emerge from inside a Qantas jet from which passengers had to evacuate via slides after the cabin began to fill with smoke. Some passengers were injured as the incident took place this morning in the skied west of Sydney. One man said he had “blood gushing out” from an injury sustained during the evacuation.
Qantas has said passengers experienced a “very unusual and probably alarming experience”.
Flight QF575 took off from Sydney Airport at around 8.45am (AEDT) Sunday morning. It was forced to return to the airport after the issue was detected, touching back down shortly before 9.30am. The flight was forced to turn back after an issue with the plane’s hydraulics shortly after takeoff.
The Airbus A330 landed safely but was unable to taxi and had to be towed to the gate.
“Once back at the gate, the captain made the decision to evacuate the aircraft as a precaution and three emergency slides were deployed,” the airline said in a statement.
“Passengers were evacuated through both the slides and normal exits.” Qantas insisted the incident did not fit its definition of an “emergency”.
One passenger described the incident on Twitter as “terrifying”.
“Everything was calm and then the captain said evacuate, evacuate, evacuate,” one mum told Channel 9.
Aswin De Silva was sporting an injury after he took to the escape slide.
“I landed on my elbow and I saw blood gushing out.”
Two passengers were treated for injuries sustained from using the slides and another passenger was taken to hospital as a precaution. Some customers reported sore eyes and itchy throats. Video has emerged of passengers flinging themselves down escape slides and of what appeared to be smoke seeping into the cabin.
At least one passenger reported the cabin filling with “pungent” smoke before passengers were told to evacuate.
“Initially it was just the smell, we could smell something but after a few minutes this fume starting building up in the cabin,” Sydney mechanic Rahman Akbari, 23, told The Daily Telegraph.
He said the captain appeared calm but it was a “little bit” scary when the crew began yelling “evacuate, evacuate” on the tarmac.
“Once the aircraft was back on the gate there were reports of a thick haze in the cabin, likely caused by hydraulic fluid entering the airconditioning unit. “While customers may have thought it was smoke, there was no fire,” the airline said.
Qantas Fleet safety captain Debbie Slade said the airline understands the incident would have been a “very unusual and probably alarming experience for our customers”.
We thank them for giving crew their full co-operation,” Ms Slade said in a statement.
“The crew did a great job of putting their training into action and following the procedures for a set of circumstances like this.
“We’ll investigate exactly what happened, including liaising with Airbus, before this aircraft is returned to service.”
Engineers have inspected the aircraft. But the emergency return to Sydney Airport may have in fact saved a life. Flight industry veteran Clifton Brock told The Daily Telegraph he had been flying to Perth to care for his 97-year-old mum. She called him after the unexpected landing to say she needed an ambulance, and the former aviation worker advised her to use a medical emergency button. The call wouldn’t have come through if her son had been in the air, as he would have been had the flight not returned to Sydney.
He said the plane “did a short landing and hit the brakes really hard”.
“It was really fast, everyone had to be out in 90 seconds,” he said.
At least some stranded Qantas passengers have now been placed on replacement flights to Perth. The Civil Aviation Safety Authority and the Australian Transport Safety Bureau have been notified of the incident, Qantas said. The airline says it will assist the bureau with its investigation. “Qantas is providing support to customers on the affected flight and managing some delays to other flights that occurred as a result of this incident,” the airline said.
“The airline extends its thanks to all customers for their patience and understanding.”
A Tigerair Australia Airbus A320-200, registration VH-XUH performing flight TT-644 from Adelaide,SA to Sydney,NS (Australia), was enroute at FL380 about 170nm northnorthwest of Melbourne when passengers complained about fumes on board, a number of them also complained about ear pain. The crew decided to turn south and divert to Melbourne, where the aircraft landed about 35 minutes after leaving FL380. Two passengers were taken to a hospital.
The airline reported the aircraft diverted as a precaution due to an unusual odour in the cabin. The passengers were rebooked onto other flights.
All lanes along Interstate 5 were shutdown Thursday night after a single-engine Cessna was forced to make an emergency landing, Carlsbad police said. The incident was reported at around 7:12 p.m., according to California Highway Police logs.
A male and female riding inside the crashed plane told firefighters that smoke was filling the cockpit and that the Cessna’s system shutdown. Firefighters said the the plane made a nosedive into the center divide and came to rest in the southbound lanes near Tamarack Avenue. The couple were flying from El Monte and destined to land only few miles away at the Palomar Airport. They were not injured in the crash.
No cars were damaged in the incident. At least two lanes have been re-opened. There was no word on when the remaining lanes would open.
A plane has landed safely at Auckland Airport after the pilot called for assistance when a smoke warning light came on. A full emergency was declared at the airport, which happens when a plane attempting to land experiences an issue. An Air New Zealand spokeswoman said flight NZ8109, travelling from Auckland to Palmerston North, returned to Auckland after a smoke indicator light illuminated.
A GoAir Airbus A320-200N, registration VT-WJJ performing flight G8-28 from Singapore (Singapore) to Bangalore (India) with 158 people on board, was climbing out of Singapore when the crew stopped the climb at FL240 due to a strong smell of oil in the cabin. The aircraft returned to Singapore for a safe landing about 40 minutes after departure.
A passenger reported there was a strong smell of oil on board, another passenger reported heavy smoke in the cabin. The passengers complained they were stranded in Singapore for about two days.
The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground for 41 hours, then departed for flight G8-28D (delayed) and reached Bangalore with a delay of about 42 hours.
An American Eagle flight bound for Washington, D.C., from Florida landed safely Monday after the pilot reported smoke in the cockpit, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
A statement from the FAA said the pilot of American Eagle flight 5082 from Tallahassee International Airport reported the smoke as the plane was on final approach to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Monday. The crew declared an emergency, and the CRJ-200 landed safely.
According to news outlets, American Airlines said in a statement that there were no injuries among the 48 passengers and three crew members.
The flight stopped on a taxiway, where passengers exited the aircraft by stairway, the FAA said. They were taken to the terminal by bus.
A PSA Airlines Canadair CRJ-200 on behalf of American Airlines, registration N256PS performing flight AA-5082 from Tallahassee,FL to Washington National,DC (USA), was on final approach to Washington’s runway 01, when upon contacting tower the crew, already having donned their oxygen masks, declared emergency reporting fumes in the cabin and advised they were continuing for landing on runway 01. The aircraft continued for a safe landing on runway 01 while tower cancelled the approach clearances to a number of aircraft already cleared for the approach. The aircraft vacated the runway and held short of all runways, the aircraft was evacuated via the aircraft’s own stairs at the intersection of taxiways J and S. There were no injuries, emergency services attended to the aircraft and did not find any trace of fire or heat. The passengers were bussed to the terminal.
Both runways 01/19 and 15/33 were closed for some time until passengers had been all collected and bussed to the terminal. A number of aircraft waiting for departure shut down their engines.
The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground about 8 hours after landing.
December 10, 2019
December 9, 2019
Source: Simon Hradecky | www.avherald.com
An Air Canada Boeing 777-300, registration C-FIUW performing flight AC-849 from London Heathrow,EN (UK) to Toronto,ON (Canada) with 253 people on board, had just passed the top of climb out of London when the flight crew declared PAN PAN following a report of smoke in a lavatory. Cabin crew identified a passenger’s laptop as source of the smoke, the laptop was put into an according bag and cooled with water, the smoke ceased. After the source of the smoke was confirmed the flight crew cancelled PAN and continued the flight to Toronto for a safe landing.
A SpiceJet flight from Dubai to Kochi had to make an emergency landing at Muscat airport. Earlier today, flight SG 18 reportedly experienced some technical issues, forcing the pilot to land the plane in the Omani capital. Passengers, who reported seeing smoke on-board, were brought to safety by the Spice Jet team. An investigation is underway to determine the cause of the technical issue
An Azul Linhas Aereas Embraer ERJ-195, registration PR-AYK performing flight AD-2709 from Recife,PE to Fortaleza,CE (Brazil), was climbing out of Recife when the crew stopped the climb due to a strong smell of smoke in the cabin and returned to Recife for a safe landing about 15 minutes after departure. The aircraft was towed off the runway.
The runway was closed for about 25 minutes as result. A replacement ERJ-195 registration PR-AYV reached Fortaleza with a delay of about 4 hours. The airline reported the aircraft returned to Recife due to a technical problem. Passengers reported the captain announced a strong smell of smoke in the cabin as reason for the return.
The airport reported the crew requested to return to Recife shortly after takeoff. After landing the aircraft was towed to be returned to the apron, where passengers disembarked normally. The runway was closed for about 25 minutes.
A Laudamotion Airbus A320-200, registration OE-LOX performing flight OE-1342 from Vienna (Austria) to Dublin (Ireland) with 179 people on board, was climing out of Vienna when upon contacting Vienna Radar the crew was unable to establish two way communications, it became clear ground stations could hear the aircraft, but the aircraft could not hear the ground stations on any of their three onboard radios. After trying several frequencies a frequency was found in which two way communication was possible, ATC throughout Europe subsequently arranged specific frequencies for the remainder of the flight to Dublin. The aircraft initially maintained FL300, but near Erfurt (Germany) descended to FL240 on ATC instruction for the remainder of the cruise flight in response to the frequency problem. At about the same time during climb flight attendants noticed a strange odour in the cabin, similiar to menthol or disinfection fluids, for some brief moments, the smell dissipated again. Later into the flight a female passenger fainted and became unconscious for a brief period of time. A doctor on board was called and treated the woman, who became conscious again and was provided with water and cooling compresses. Medical services were requested for the arrival in Dublin, emergency services thus took their standby positions for the arrival in Dublin. During the descent towards Dublin, while descending towards Dublin an intense odour of dirty/old socks was detected by cabin crew, the first officer confirmed smelling that odour, too. Cabin crew reported being dizzy and suffering from headaches, the flight crew remained unaffected so far, maintained routine communication, performed the intercept to final approach and landed on Dublin’s runway 10 about 2.5 hours after departure. Two cabin crew went to see doctors in a Dublin hospital.
The aircraft was unable to perform the return flight and remained on the ground for about 54 hours before returning to Vienna. The aircraft returned to service about 15 hours after landing in Vienna and about 72 hours after landing in Dublin.
The airline told Austrianwings about technical problems on the flight without further clarification despite three attempts by Austrianwings to get more detail. The spokeswoman reported a replacement Ryanair Boeing 737-800 transported the passengers booked onto the return flight to Vienna.
On Nov 28th 2019 The Aviation Herald obtained information about the sequence of events on board of the flight, the source commented: “Due to the rapid fleet expansion Laudamotion apparently did the one or other bad purchases”.
OE-LOX (MSN 3272, former RP-C3244) had been stored in Indonesia and had joined Laudamotion on Nov 20th 2019 arriving in Vienna on Nov 20th 2019 at about 05:00Z (via intermediate stops in India and United Arab Emirates) and was on the first revenue flight for Laudamotion, when the occurrences took place.
On Nov 29th 2019 Austrocontrol, acting as Civil Aviation Authority of Austria, reported that the airline was put under heightened monitoring due to an unusual high number of occurrences in recent months. An investigation had already been opened in September 2019. The Austrian Ministry of Transport reported administrative proceedings are underway which may result in a high penalty.
A Spirit Airlines Airbus A321-200, registration N675NK performing flight NK-756 from San Jose (Costa Rica) to Fort Lauderdale,FL (USA) with 177 people on board, was enroute at FL340 about 80nm southsouthwest of George Town (Cayman Islands) when the crew decided to divert to George Town due to loud noise, that the crew could not completely locate either from the outside of the aircraft or the overhead panel, fumes developed in the cockpit. The aircraft landed safely in George Town about 18 minutes after leaving FL340.
The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground for about 15.5 hours, then positioned to Fort Lauderdale.
According to information received from Grand Cayman something in the overhead panel was shaking, there were fumes in the cockpit.
A Hawaiian bound charter Boeing 767 was forced to turn back to Las Vegas after the cockpit reported smoke. The aircraft was carrying 127 passengers on board but managed to safely land back at McCarran International Airport. As reported by CNBC 3 News Las Vegas, Omni Air Express flight 112, flown by a Boeing 767-200 had taken off from the glittering desert city at 9:28 AM when the cockpit reported smoke in the cabin at around 10:00 AM.
The aircraft decided to return back to Las Vegas and was able to land without any problems. It is unclear if the aircraft was met by fire trucks on the runway and passengers evacuated with slides, or if the aircraft taxied to the terminal and disembarked. You would expect it to be the former but all we know is that the fire department at the airport inspected the aircraft and found no signs of fire nor smoke.
Omni Air International is a charter airline that operates routes from private companies or wet-leasing for airlines. It actually originally got its start running narrowbody freight operations for FedEx and DHL but since moved into passenger charter flights.
A British Airways Airbus A320-200, registration G-GATL performing flight BA-2676 from London Gatwick,EN (UK) to Paphos (Cyprus), was descending through 8000 feet to 6000 feet towards Paphos when the first officer noticed an unusual odour in the cockpit and queried the captain whether he would also smell onion bahjis, the captain indicated he did not. About 30 seconds later the first officer felt his arms and legs were tingling and he had the impression he was about to faint. He donned his oxygen masks and made sure oxygen was set to 100%. He then turned to the captain telling him, he didn’t feel good, but there was no response, the first officer then indicated he was incapacitated, still no response from the captain. After a couple of seconds the captain finally reacted stating very slowly he didn’t feel good, too, and donned his oxygen mask. Both pilots verified the captain’s oxygen was set to 100%. During that time several calls by ATC to descend to 4000 feet went unnoticed. The pilots recovered a bit, however, could not establish two way communication between them with the oxygen masks on, they figured the captain could hear the first officer but the first officer could not hear the captain. The captain was pilot flying and began to point to the checklist to be executed (smoke, fire, fumes), then throughout the approach pointed to the relevant levers to be operated for flaps and gear extension while the first officer continued to communicate with ATC and read the checklists. The aircraft landed safely on Paphos’ runway 29 about 13 minutes after the onset of trouble, the crew opened the cockpit windows immediately after roll out before taxiing to the stand.
Following shut down at the stand the captain went to the lavatory almost immediately, while the first officer checked with the cabin whether there was everything okay. The cabin had not noticed anything untoward, however, the flight attendant was shocked by the view of the first officer being completely pale. She stated there was a strong smell of fuel from the cockpit when the cockpit door opened. The tingling, confusion and difficulties to concentrate continued past the landing despite the oxygen mask. Both pilots went to a hospital where they were both diagnosed with very low blood oxygen saturation and feaver. The doctors recommended the flight crew to stay in hospital overnight for monitoring, however, the pilots preferred to go to the hotel and returned to London the next day as passengers, refusing to fly on the occurrence aircraft.
The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground for about 27 hours, then returned to London Gatwick as flight BA-2675 and continued service.
An Indigo Airbus A320-200, registration VT-IKI performing flight 6E-892 from Coimbatore to Chennai (India) with 168 people on board, was descending towards Chennai when the crew received a cargo smoke indication. The crew declared emergency and continued to Chennai for a safe landing.
A replacement A320-200 registration VT-IHB performed the remaining sectors of flight 6E-892 with a delay of about one hour.
The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground about 18 hours after landing.
Passengers of a Delta Air Lines flight from Madrid to John F. Kennedy International Airport have been forced to evacuate after smoke filled the plane’s cabin just before takeoff.
Filmed on Tuesday (November 19), the footage shows passengers leaving their seats as a member of staff can be heard instructing everyone to evacuate the aircraft.
Rocco Govas, who filmed this video, told Newsflare: “There was smoke in the back, and it started spreading everywhere.
“The Delta crew told us to wait, then told us to get our stuff and 5 minutes later the captain said to leave everything behind and to leave the plane right away.
“I’m still in Madrid. They don’t know what has happened to the plane or that’s what they are saying.
“Some people are getting rebooked. Somehow I tried to get on another flight but they can’t do mine yet. They have not said anything else after that and provided us with water and chips.”
Source: Artemis Moshtaghian and Eric Levenson | www.cnn.com
A backpack emitting smoke aboard a stationary Southwest Airlines flight on Monday drew a response from the bomb squad at Chicago’s Midway International Airport.
Southwest said that Flight 285 to Austin, Texas, was in the process of boarding when smoke began showing around a customer’s backpack. Flight attendants placed the backpack in a fire-resistant bag and asked the customers to leave the plane, the airline said.
The flameproof bag was moved to the jetway, where Chicago police’s bomb squad and arson unit responded.
Chicago Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford told CNN that the passenger carrying the backpack heard a pop and then saw smoke coming from his backpack. Only about 12 rows had been boarded at the time of the incident, and the seat the bag was sitting on did not ignite, Langford said.
There were no reported injuries or requests for medical attention, Southwest Airlines said.
“The flight will continue using a different aircraft and we thank our customers for their patience as we place nothing higher in importance than ultimate safety,” the airline said in a statement.
A Spirit Airlines Airbus A319-100, registration N510NK performing positioning flight NK-8802 from Sacramento,CA to Las Vegas,NV (USA) with just crew on board, was climbing out of Sacramento’s runway 16L when the crew donned their oxygen masks and stopped the climb at about 8000 feet reporting they were working a fumes event in the cockpit. The aircraft returned to Sacramento for a safe landing on runway 16L about 14 minutes after departure and taxied to the apron.
The airport reported the aircraft had had maintenance issues earlier the day and was about to position to Las Vegas, when the aircraft turned around due to the smell of fumes. Emergency services checked and cleared the aircraft. There was smoke in the cockpit. The aircraft carried no passengers.
An Air France Boeing 777-200, registration F-GSPA performing flight AF-852 from Paris Orly (France) to Cayenne (French Guiana) with 299 people on board, was enroute at FL350 about 530nm southwest of Lajes (Azores Islands, Portugal) when the crew decided to turn around due to a burning odour in the cabin and divert setting course towards the Canary Islands about 900nm southeast of their position. Over the Canary Islands the crew turned again to return to Paris. The aircraft landed safely on Charles de Gaulle’s runway 26L about 6 hours after the decision to turn around and about 10:15 hours after departure.
According to information The Aviation Herald received about 25% of the inflight entertainment video screens became inoperative and the IFE control panel became inoperative.
An Air Canada Rouge Airbus A320-200 on behalf of Air Canada, registration C-GKOE performing flight AC-782 from Los Angeles,CA (USA) to Montreal,QC (Canada) with 139 people on board, was accelerating for takeoff from Los Angeles’ runway 25R when fumes and smoke developed in the cabin. Cabin crew reported the observation to the flight deck after the aircraft rotated, the flight crew donned their oxygen masks, stopped the climb at 5000 feet for a return to Los Angeles. Working the related checklists the odour and smoke dissipated. The aircraft landed safely back on Los Angeles’ runway 25L about 14 minutes after departure. Emergency services checked the outside of the aircraft before the aircraft taxied to the apron.
The Canadia TSB reported two cabin air re-circulation filters were replaced, both engines (CFM56) received a compressor wash.
A Southwest Airlines flight travelling from Baltimore, Maryland to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic on Wednesday was forced to make an emergency landing after a coffee pot on board caught fire and caused the cabin to fill with smoke. Flight WN-811 departed from Baltimore on Wednesday at 8:51 a.m. and was due to arrive in the Dominican Republic at 1:45 p.m. local time, according to Flight Radar 24.
Less than an hour into the flight smoke and an “acrid smell” started to fill the cabin, according to Simple Flying.
A spokeswoman from Southwest Airlines told Business Insider that the flight was diverted to Norfolk International Airport in Virginia to allow crew to address a “malfunctioning coffee pot.”
“The aircraft landed safely at Norfolk. An initial review confirmed a coffee pot in the front galley needed to be replaced and the aircraft was out of service pending further review by our maintenance teams,” said the spokeswoman.
The Airline said the 90 customers and five crew members continued on a different aircraft and arrived about two and a half hours behind schedule.
“We’ve apologized to them for the delay in their arrival but place nothing higher than safety,” the spokeswoman told Business Insider.
An assessment from emergency services found that a coffee pot in the galley of the plane had caught fire and caused the smoke to enter the cabin, but had been extinguished by itself by the time firefighters got to the scene, according to The Aviation Herald. The plane was able to taxi safely and there were no injuries reported, Steven Sterling, deputy executive director of Norfolk International Airport told CBS.
An Egypt Air Airbus A330-200 freighter, registration SU-GCJ performing flight MS-540 from Cairo (Egypt) to Cologne (Germany) with 5 crew, was enroute at FL380 about 70nm eastnortheast of Athens (Greece) when the crew reported smoke in the cockpit and diverted the aircraft to Athens. The aircraft landed safely on runway 21R about 20 minutes later.
The aircraft remained on the ground in Athens for 3:45 hours, then continued the flight and reached Cologne with a delay of about 2 hours (flight time from Cairo to Hahn, 1650nm distance, scheduled at 6:20 hours).
A PSA Airlines Canadair CRJ-900 on behalf of American Airlines, registration N572NN performing flight AA-5139 from Omaha,NE to Charlotte,NC (USA) with 41 people on board, was enroute at FL330 about 80nm northwest of Greenville,SC (USA) when the crew donned their oxygen masks, reported smoke on board and diverted to Greenville for a safe landing on runway 22. On final approach the crew advised they were planning to stop on the runway and evacuate through the main door.
The passengers were rebooked onto other flights.
The occurrence aircraft returned to service about 38 hours after landing.
An Air Canada Boeing 777-300, registration C-FNNU performing flight AC-891 from Rome Fiumicino (Italy) to Toronto,ON (Canada) with 448 passengers and 15 crew, was climbing out of Fiumicino’s runway 16R when the crew stopped the climb at FL080 due to a cargo smoke indication, cabin crew reported a chemical odour on board in addition. The crew declared Mayday, entered a hold and returned to Fiumicino for a safe landing on runway 16R about 45 minutes after departure. Responding emergency services did not find any trace of fire, heat or smoke or source of the odour.
The passengers were taken to hotels – a number of passengers complaining their bus took them to a hotel but told them, it was not their hotel and abandoned them – over night.
The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground in Rome for about 25 hours, then departed again and reached Toronto with a delay of about 26 hours.
On Nov 5th 2019 the Canadian TSB reported following the cargo smoke/fire indication and the cabin crew reporting a chemical odour in the cabin the crew declared Mayday and returned to Rome for an overweight landing. Maintenance personnel were unable to find any fault and returned the aircraft to service. After the aircraft departed again cabin crew again noticed an odour and determined the origin of that odour was the galley area heater. The flight was continued to Toronto for a safe landing. After landing in Toronto maintenance personnel found a faulty smoke detector and identified the door heater had been installed incorrectly with the airflow in the opposite direction.
A Swiss International Airlines Airbus A321-200, registration HB-IOH performing flight LX-2150 from Zurich (Switzerland) to Palma Mallorca,SP (Spain), had just levelled off at FL300 about 90nm southwest of Zurich when the crew decided to return to Zurich reporting a strange odour on board, presumably originating from the left hand engine (CFM56), otherwise the operations were normal. The aircraft landed safely on Zurich’s runway 28 about 30 minutes after the decision to turn around and vacated the runway with emergency services on stand by. After landing the crew advised everything was back to normal.
A ground observer reported emergency services boarded the aircraft, all passengers disembarked quickly and all cargo was unloaded unusually quickly.
A fire broke out inside an El Al plane just before takeoff from Paris’s Charles de Gaulle Airport Sunday night, Channel 13 news reported.
The fire was apparently sparked by a lithium-ion battery of a wheelchair in the aircraft’s baggage hold. The battery had not been removed from the wheelchair as is required.
Passengers, who had already boarded the plane, were required to disembark and wait in the terminal for several hours. Eventually they were taken to a hotel for the night, and were expected to depart for Israel on Monday.
El Al acknowledged in a statement that the flight had been canceled due to smoke in the hold likely caused by a battery fire.
“We apologize to the passengers for the inconvenience. The safety and security of the passengers are our top priority,” it said.
An Air Canada Embraer ERJ-190, registration C-FHOY performing flight AC-442 from Toronto,ON to Ottawa,ON (Canada) with 60 passengers and 4 crew, was climbing through FL180 out of Toronto when the crew stopped the climb and decided to return to Toronto reporting an odour in the cockpit. The aircraft landed safely back in Toronto about 21 minutes after departure.
The Canadian TSB reported maintenance found the APU oil level at the high side and correcte the oil level. The APU intake cover and aft fuselage were found contaminated with oil, the areas were cleaned and the air recirculation filters were replaced.
A Delta Airlines Boeing 767-300, registration N189DN performing flight DL-474 (dep Sep 30th) from New York JFK,NY (USA) to Venice (Italy) with 220 people on board, was enroute at FL350 over the Atlantic Ocean about 230nm southeast of St. John’s,NL (Canada) when an electrical odour in the cabin was detected, no smoke was visible. The captain handed controls to the first officer and performed the “smoke and fumes” checklist. Shortly after completing the checklist the crew received indication for the left hand recirculation fan. The crew consulted with maintenance, then decided to turn around and divert to St. John’s, the crew declared emergency. The aircraft landed safely in St. John’s about 55 minutes later.
The Canadian TSB reported maintenance verified the left recirculation fan had been the source of the odour.
An Easyjet Europe Airbus A320-200, registration OE-IVU performing flight U2-2733 from Milan Malpensa (Italy) to Malaga,SP (Spain) with 150 people on board, was climbing out of Malpensa’s runway 35L when the crew stopped the climb at FL080 reporting smoke in the cabin. The aircraft returned to Malpensa for a safe landing on runway 35R about 20 minutes after departure and taxied to the apron.
A replacement A320-200 registration OE-IJD reached Malaga with a delay of about 6 hours.
The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Milan about 14.5 hours after landing back.
All 152 people aboard JetBlue flight 2581 got quite a scare Monday after the pilot reported a possible fire in the baggage compartment, which caused the aircraft to make an emergency landing in Jacksonville.
According to FlightAware, the Airbus took off from Ft. Lauderdale at 11:04 a.m. and was heading to Nashville when it made a detour around 11:45 a.m due to an indicator light that was signaling a fire in the front cargo hold.
The plane landed safely at Jacksonville International Airport at 12:04 p.m. and is currently being checked out by the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department.
“I’ve been flying 15 to 20 years and I’ve never ever been on a plane that’s been diverted, never ever,” passenger Kim Christ said. “The great news is they landed very safely, could’ve been much worse.”
Christ said it didn’t take long for her to realize the plane was starting its descent far before Nashville.
“They said a signal had come on and there was something going on in the cargo area and we needed to land in Jacksonville so that they could check it out,” she added.
JetBlue released a statement to First Coast News saying:
“On Monday, JetBlue flight 2581 from Fort Lauderdale to Nashville diverted to Jacksonville out of an abundance of caution following an alert of possible smoke in the cargo hold. The flight landed safely around noon. Initial inspections of the aircraft found no signs of any issues. The aircraft will be further inspected and customers will continue on to Nashville aboard a new aircraft.”
Passengers were rerouted on other planes.
Christ was quite calm when she spoke to First Coast News and said the staff and her fellow passengers were the same while the plane was still in the air.
“Even up there sitting, waiting for the updates, everyone got meal vouchers and everybody is waiting for the updates and everybody is extremely calm and very professional,” she said.
Christ added it was a rare experience, to say the least.
“I rarely fly JetBlue,” she said. “Today was the day, they’ve done a great job. I fly every week, that won’t change.”
A Swiss International Airlines Airbus A321-200, registration HB-IOL performing flight LX-1726 from Zurich (Switzerland) to Rome Fiumicino (Italy) with 92 passengers and 8 crew, was in the initial climb out of Zurich’s runway 28 when the crew stopped the climb at about 6500 feet reporting smoke in the cabin and decided to return to Zurich. While on approach to runway 14 the crew advised the smoke did not intensify further and requested emergency services to inspect the aircraft after landing. The aircraft landed safely on runway 14 about 11 minutes after departure. Emergency services did not observe any anomaly, the aircraft taxied to the apron.
A replacement A321-200 registration HB-IOF reached Rome with a delay of 2:15 hours.
A Smartlynx Estonia Airbus A320-200 on behalf of TUI Airlines Belgium, registration ES-SAT performing flight TB-3141 from Brussels Charleroi (Belgium) to Sharm el Sheikh (Egpyt) with 183 people on board, was enroute at FL350 about 15nm northwest of Munich (Germany) when the crew reported smoke in the cockpit and decided to divert to Munich. The aircraft landed safely on Munich’s runway 26L about 20 minutes later and taxied to the apron.
The airport reported the crew declared emergency due to smoke in the cockpit, there were no injuries and no damage.
The airline reported the crew received a cargo smoke indication, no fire, heat or smoke were detected. A replacement aircraft was dispatched to take the passengers to their destination.
A replacement Boeing 737-800 registration OO-JLO departed Munich about 7 hours after ES-SAT had landed and is currently enroute to Sharm el Sheikh.
The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground in Munich for about 5.5 hours, then positioned back to Charleroi.
A LOT Polish Airlines de Havilland Dash 8-400, registration SP-EQH performing flight LO-3931 from Warsaw to Szczecin (Poland) with 48 passengers and 4 crew, was climbing through FL120 out of Warsaw when the crew stopped the climb and decided to return to Warsaw reporting they had an unsual smell on board originating in the back of the cabin, the crew declared emergency. The aircraft landed safely on runway 15 about 23 minutes after departure.
The aircraft returned to service about 4 hours after landing back.
The airline reported the crew suspected a malfunction of the air conditioning system and decided to return to Warsaw. The passengers were rebooked onto the next flight.
A flight bound for Minot, North Dakota out of Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport had to make an emergency landing in St. Cloud on Sunday night.
The Skywest Airlines flight, operating a 50-seat Delta Connection plane, landed safely at St. Cloud Regional Airport after a smoky smell was detected in the cabin, prompting oxygen masks to be deployed, according to KSTP.
Here’s what happened, according to a statement from Skywest sent to BMTN:
“SkyWest flight 3661, operating as Delta Connection from Minneapolis to Minot, North Dakota, diverted to St. Cloud, Minnesota, due to a smoky odor in the cabin. The flight landed safely without incident and we sent another flight to St. Cloud to help passengers resume their travels to Minot.”
A Piedmont Embraer ERJ-145 on behalf of American Airlines, registration N628AE performing flight AA-4911 from Charlotte,NC to Newport News,VA (USA) with 45 people on board, was enroute at FL230 about 35nm southwest of Raleigh/Durham,NC when the crew reported the smell of smoke in the cockpit and diverted to Raleigh/Durham for a safe landing on runway 23L about 15 minutes after leaving FL230.
The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground for about 21 hours, then positioned to Charlotte.
A JetBlue flight had to be diverted to John F. Kennedy International Airport last night after crew members reported smoke in the cockpit. Flight 227 from Newark to Orlando landed safely at JFK around 7:30 p.m.
A JetBlue spokesperson told CBS2 the crew noticed an electrical smell inside the cockpit of the Airbus A320. Passengers transferred to another plane and continued on to Orlando.
An Allegiant Airbus A319-100, registration N320NV performing flight G4-2216 from Orlando Sanford,FL to Bloomington,IL (USA) with 130 passengers and 6 crew, was enroute at FL350 about 35nm northwest of Jacksonville,FL (USA) when the crew donned their oxygen masks and decided to divert to Jacksonville reporting they had a strong electrical burning odour associated with their avionics in the cockpit, the situation was stable however. The aircraft landed on Jacksonville’s runway 08 about 20 minutes later and stopped. The crew advised emergency services, still with the oxygen masks on, that they had a pretty bad electrical smell but no signs of smoke and queried the services whether they could see anything bad around the aircraft, in particular around the avionics area. Emergency services reported they noticed nothing out of the ordinary, the crew decided to taxi to the apron.
A replacement A320-200 registration N261NV reached Bloomington with a delay of 4.5 hours.
A Piedmont Embraer ERJ-145 on behalf of American Airlines, registration N647AE performing flight AA-4783 from Roanoke,VA to Charlotte,NC (USA) with 41 people on board, was in the initial climb out of Roanoke’s runway 06 when the crew upon contacting departure declared emergency reporting they had a lavatory smoke indication, they believed it was a false indication but wanted to proceed on the safe side. The aircraft stopped the climb at 5200 feet and returned to Roanoke, departure/approach cleared the aircraft for any approach to any runway, and landed safely on runway 06 about 15 minutes later.
A replacement ERJ-145 registration N669MB reached Charlotte with a delay of 2 hours.
After about 30 hours on the ground N647AE attempted to position to Philadelphia,PA (USA) but again needed to return to Roanoke.
A Southwest flight from Chicago to Providence was diverted to Buffalo overnight, due to reports of smoke in the cockpit.
According to flight tracking website FlightAware, Southwest Flight #1291 from Chicago Midway International Airport to T.F. Green International Airport in Providence, which departed at 9:46 Central Time Tuesday night, was diverted to Buffalo Niagara International Airport at 12:04 AM, Wednesday.
BNIA Fire Department tells 7 Eyewitness News this was the result of smoke reported in the cockpit of the plane, resulting in a safe emergency landing in Buffalo.
It is unclear how many people were on board the flight.
The same Boeing 737 plane left Buffalo just before 2 Wendnesday morning, and arrived in Providence around 3 AM.
A British Airways Airbus A320-200, registratin G-MIDX performing flight BA-2591 from Bari (Italy) to London Gatwick,EN (UK) with 165 people on board, was enroute at FL360 about 50nm west of Basel (Switzerland/Mulhouse (France) Airport when the crew decided to divert to Basel/Mulhouse reporting smoke in the cabin. The aircraft landed safely on runway 15 about 25 minutes later. 4 members of the crew were taken to a hospital.
The airport reported the cause of the smoke is not yet known, 4 members of the crew were impacted by the smoke and were transported to a hospital. Traffic at Basel/Mulhouse airport was suspended for about 20 minutes prompting three aircraft to divert.
A replacement A320-200 registration G-EUYU was dispatched to Basel/Mulhouse, resumed the flight and reached London with a delay of 7:15 hours.
A Trans States Airlines Embraer ERJ-145 on behalf of United, registration N11155 performing flight UA-4717 from Saint Louis,MO to Denver,CO (USA) with 52 people on board, had levelled off at FL240 after departure from Saint Louis but continued at FL240 in the direction to Denver for 20 minutes. The crew subsequently decided to divert to Kansas City,MO reporting smoke in the cockpit and landed safely on runway 01L about 18 minutes later.
A replacement ERJ-145 registration N842HK reached Denver with a delay of 5:45 hours.
The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground for about 18 hours, then continued the trip to Denver as flight AX-3339.
A Frontier flight made an emergency landing at KCI on Thursday just before 6 p.m. The emergency landing was due to a report of smoke in the cockpit. The Embraer ERJ145 plane did land safely. The flight was number was 4717. The flight was headed from St. Louis to Denver. There were 53 people were on the flight, but no one was hurt.
A British Airways Airbus A320-200, registration G-GATL performing flight BA-2673 from Larnaca (Cyprus) to London Gatwick,EN (UK) with 152 passengers and 6 crew, was enroute at FL340 about 120nm northeast of Athens (Greece) when the crew decided to divert to Athens reporting smoke in the cabin. The aircraft landed safely on Athens’ runway 21R about 25 minutes later. The aircraft taxied to the apron, where passengers disembarked normally.
The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground in Athens for about 17 hours, then continued the flight and reached London with a delay of 17:45 hours.
The airline reported the aircraft diverted to Athens due to a minor technical issue. The passengers were provided with accomodation.
A Calm Air Avions de Transport Regional ATR-42-300, registration C-FJYW performing flight MO-2341 from Rankin Inlet,NU to Repulse Bay,NU (Canada) with 14 passengers and 3 crew, was descending towards Repulse Bay when the crew activated level 2 ice protection at about 4000 feet. At 2500 feet the crew noticed an electrical odour followed by dark grey smoke from the first officer’s side window. Once clear of icing conditions the crew selected level 1 ice protection and radioed Repulse Bay’s Flight Service about the smoke and declared emergency. Upon landing the crew observed that “the first officer side window and electrical connection began to burn and melt.” When the aircraft turned off the runway small flames became visible. The crew stopped the aircraft, shut the aircraft down and discharged the handheld fire extinguisher onto the burning portions and successfully extinguished the fire.
The Canadian TSB reported Royal Canadian Mounted Police and volunteer fire fighters were dispatched to the aircraft and guarded the aircraft for about 30 minutes to prevent re-ignition of the fire.
An Air Canada Airbus A319-100, registration C-GAPY performing flight AC-258 from Winnipeg,MB to Toronto,ON (Canada) with 121 people on board, was descending towards Toronto when the flight crew detected an unusual odour in the cockpit and donned their oxygen masks. The crew declared PAN PAN and continued for a safe landing with emergency services on stand by. The aircraft taxied to the apron.
The Canadian TSB reported maintenance determined the APU aft bearing oil pressure line was leaking and replace it. Subsequently the environmental control system was decontaminated and the APU tested.
An American Airlines Boeing 767-300, registration N397AN performing flight AA-734 (dep Sep 25th) from Philadelphia,PA (USA) to Manchester,EN (UK) with 170 people on board, was enroute at FL360 about 210nm eastsoutheast of St. Johns,NL (Canada) when the crew decided to divert to St. John’s reporting a burning odour in cabin and cockpit. The aircraft descended to FL280 for the diversion and landed safely on St. John’s runway 11 about 45 minutes after leaving FL360.
A Level Austria Airbus A320-200, registration OE-LVR performing flight VK-6000 from Vienna (Austria) to Palma Mallorca,SP (Spain), was climbing out of Vienna when the crew stopped the climb at FL250 and decided to return to Vienna reporting an unusual odour on board. The aircraft landed safely on Vienna’s runway 34 about 40 minutes after departure.
The airline confirmed the aircraft returned due to an unusual odour. The flight was postponed to late night Sep 25th 2019, the return flight VK-6001 will depart on Sep 26th 2019 with a delay of estimated 15 hours.
The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground for about 7 hours, then returned to service.
A British Airways Airbus A320-200, registration G-EUYB performing flight BA-709 from Zurich (Switzerland) to London Heathrow,EN (UK), was just established on the localizer Heathrow’s runway 27L when the crew declared PAN PAN reporting smoke in the cabin. While ATC sent a number of aircraft already released from the holding patterns for approach back into the holding patterns, the aircraft continued for a safe landing on runway 27L about 4 minutes later, emergency services were in their stand by positions. The aircraft vacated the runway and stopped on the parallel taxiway for about an hour, emergency services boarded the aircraft through the forward right hand door via a mobile stair and examined the aircraft. The passengers disembarked via the stairs. A number of passengers and cabin crew required medical attention for smoke inhalation.
A BA Lounge was cleared to accomodate the passengers of the aircraft and their families.
The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in London about 12.5 hours after landing.
An Air Canada Embraer ERJ-190, registration C-FMZR performing flight AC-1037 from Toronto,ON (Canada) to Denver,CO (USA) with 87 people on board, was climbing out of Toronto when both flight and cabin crew noticed an unusual odour. The flight crew declared PAN PAN and returned to Toronto for a safe overweight landing.
The Canadian TSB reported maintenance found the left hand engine’s (CF34) oil had been over serviced. The oil quantity was corrected, subsequent engine runs showed no further odours. An overweight landing inspection was carried out before returning the aircraft to service.
A British Airways Boeing 747-400, registration G-CIVF performing flight BA-283 from London Heathrow,EN (UK) to Los Angeles,CA (USA), was enroute at FL380 about 470nm north of Chicago,IL (USA), in Canadian Airspace over Ontario, when the crew declared PAN PAN reporting an electrical burning odour on board. The aircraft diverted to Chicago, where the aircraft landed safely on runway 10L about 65 minutes later.
The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Chicago about 27 hours after landing.
An Easyjet Airbus A319-100, registration G-EZIX performing flight U2-8663 from London Gatwick,EN (UK) to Alicante,SP (Spain), was enroute at FL370 about 70nm south of Toulouse (France) when the crew decided to divert to Toulouse due to a burning odour on board as well as the failure of the Intercom system. The aircraft landed safely on Toulouse’s runway 14L about 23 minutes later.
A passenger reported the crew suspected a fire on board and diverted to Toulouse, where they were received by emergency services and taxied to the apron with the emergency services in trail. Fire fighters inspected the aircraft before the passengers disembarked normally. The passenger was subsequently told by cabin crew, that the interphone had become inoperative and there was a burning odour in the area of the forward galley up to seat row 4. The first officer left the cockpit to assess the situation, the crew subsequently decided to divert to Toulouse. An announcement was made that they needed to divert to Toulouse due to a technical problem.
Another passenger reported he and fellow passengers suffered “sense of humour failure” when the aircraft, dispatched to Toulouse as replacement, suffered a tyre failure on landing and was unable to continue the flight. Another replacement aircraft needed to be dispatched.
The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground in Toulouse for about 40 hours before returning to service.
An Etihad Airways Boeing 787-9, registation A6-BLA performing flight EY-131 from Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) to Washington Dulles,DC (USA), was enroute at FL370 about 620nm southwest of Dublin (Ireland) when a passenger’s tablet computer emitted smoke. Cabin crew secured the device while the flight crew turned the aircraft around and diverted to Dublin for a safe landing about 90 minutes later. The tablet computer was offloaded.
The aircraft continued the flight after about two hours on the ground and reached Washington with a delay of about 4 hours.
An Alaska Airlines Airbus A319-100, registration N523VA performing flight AS-1693 from Columbus,OH t0 Seattle,WA (USA), was enroute at FL340 about 90nm south of Minneapolis,MN when the crew decided to divert to Minneapolis reporting a burning odour and a seized fan in the cockpit. The aircraft landed safely on Minneapolis’ runway 12R about 20 minutes later and stopped on the runway requesting emergency services to check the area just below the front of the aircraft for any smoke, again advising emergency services they had a seized fan and smoke in the cockpit. The aircraft subsequently taxied to the apron.
A passenger reported the crew indicated fumes in the cockpit as reason for the diversion to Minneapolis.
A Vueling Airbus A320-200N, registration EC-NCU performing flight VY-2118 from Malaga,SP to Barcelona,SP (Spain), was on approach to Barcelona when the crew reported smoke in the cabin. The aircraft continued for a safe landing on Barcelona’s runway 25L. The aircraft taxied to the gate, but then initiated an emergency evacuation via slides.
The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Barcelona about 22 hours after landing.
The airline confirmed the crew requested priority on approach due to smoke in the cabin, the passengers were subsequently evacuated via slides.
An Euroatlantic Boeing 767-300 on behalf of Norwegian Air Shuttle, registration CS-TKT performing flight DY-7194 from Newark,NJ (USA) to Rome Fiumicino (Italy), was enroute at FL330 about 70nm north of Gander,NL (Canada) when the crew reported the left hand control display unit (CDU) emitted smoke and declared Mayday. The crew decided to divert to Gander, where the aircraft landed safely about 45 minutes later.
The Canadian TSB reported maintenance removed the left hand CDU, which showed evidence of overheating and soot buildup in the area of the box cooling vent. The CDU was replaced.
A flight from the Dominican Republic to Orlando made an emergency landing in the Bahamas Wednesday morning after the on-board crew reported smoke in the cargo hold, a report said.
The flight touched down in Nassau soon after it took off when the crew reported the smoke, the Sun Sentinel reported.
Passengers at first evacuated the plane normally, but the captain then made the decision to spring the emergency slides and have the remaining crew members and passengers exit down them.
No injuries were reported during the evacuation, according to the report.
“Initial inspections of the aircraft found no signs of any issues,” JetBlue told the newspaper in an email. “The aircraft will be further inspected and customers are continuing on to Orlando aboard a new aircraft.”
A Piedmont Embraer ERJ-145 on behalf of American Airlines, registration N906AE performing AA-4721 from Charlotte,NC to Greenville,NC (USA) with 21 people on board, was enroute at FL230 about 35nm southwest of Raleigh/Durham,NC (USA) when the crew donned their oxygen masks, declared emergency and decided to divert to Raleigh/Durham reporting smoke in the cockpit. The aircraft landed safely on Raleigh’s runway 23L about 15 minutes later. One person on board requested medical assistance, was checked at the airport by paramedics but did not need to be taken to a hospital.
The occurrence aircraft returned to service after about 13.5 hours on the ground.
Passengers on a Cayman Airways flight made a frightening, emergency landing in Orlando on Sunday evening after pilots detected a smoke condition on board.
Flight KX792 departed Grand Cayman at 3:30 p.m. for New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport before diverting to Orlando International Airport, where it landed at 6:17 p.m., after a smoke indicator light came on showing smoke in one of the cargo holds.
The jet deployed emergency slides on the runway “with the uncertainty of what was causing the indication,” according to Cayman Airways.
Cayman Airways said there is no evidence there was actually ever smoke in the cargo hold.
There were 103 passengers and five crew members on board.
“We are extremely mindful that this emergency landing and evacuation was a very distressing event,” Cayman Airways CEO Fabian Whorms said in a statements. “On behalf of Cayman Airways, I offer a most sincere apology to our passengers for having to experience this emergency landing and evacuation, which was necessary in the interest of safety of our passengers and crew.”
The passengers were taken back to the terminal and put in a hotel before scheduling a flight for Monday.
Jenn Chirico, who was on the flight, posted on Facebook that the passengers were waiting in the airport since they had to be processed by customs.
“People in exit rows were to help, slides were deployed, we were instructed when on the ground to run as fast as we could from the plane,” Chirico posted. “It was one of the scariest things I have ever experienced.”
No one was injured.
The airplane was removed from service for repairs, which affected four flights on Monday.
A GoAir Airbus A320-200, registration VT-GOO performing flight G8-102 from Kolkata to Delhi (India) with 120 people on board, was climbing out of Kolkata’s runway 19L when the crew reported smoke on board, stopped the climb at FL100 and returned to Kolkata for a safe landing on runway 19L about 25 minutes after departure.
A China Eastern Airlines Airbus A320-200N, registration B-6892 performing flight MU-2809 from Nanjing to Xiamen (China), was enroute at at 7200 meters (FL236) about 170nm south of Nanjing when an open fire in the cabin caused by personal electronic device by a passenger prompted the crew to return to Nanjing. Cabin crew quickly extinguished the fire and secured the device. The aircraft returned to Nanjing for a safe landing about 65 minutes after departure.
A replacement A320-200N registration B-306F reached Xiamen with a delay of about 4 hours.
The airline reported a passengers Lithium-Ion battery pack self ignited in the cabin, cabin crew quickly extinguished the fire and secured the device, the flight crew decided to return to Nanjing as a precaution.
Airport security reported that after landing back the device was re-inspected and determined to have been a battery pack of 40.7Wh, which is in line with all regulations (that require such battery packs to be below 100Wh). Airport security reminds travellers, that such devices must not be checked in but may be carried as hand luggage into the cabin as long as the markings and the outer case is intact.
An Austrian Airlines Boeing 777-200, registration OE-LPE performing flight OS-81 from Vienna (Austria) to Los Angeles,CA (USA), was climbing out of Vienna’s runway 34 when the crew stopped the climb at 9000 feet due to an unusual odour on board. The aircraft returned to Vienna for a safe landing on runway 34 about 30 minutes after departure.
The airline told Austrianwings the aircraft returned to Vienna due to an unusual odour on board. The rotation needed to be cancelled, the passengers were rebooked onto other flights.
A Condor Boeing 757-300, registration D-ABOC performing flight DE-1408 from Frankfurt/Main (Germany) to Lanzarote,CI (Spain), was in the initial climb out of Frankfurt’s runway 18 when the crew declared Mayday reporting smoke in the cabin. The crew requested an immediate return to Frankfurt, ILS runway 25L, stopped the climb at 4000 feet and were eing vectored for the approach, but then decided to climb to 6000 feet and enter a hold. The aircraft landed safely back on Frankfurt’s runway 25L about 40 minutes after departure.
A replacement Boeing 757-300 registration D-ABOB reached Lanzarote with a delay of 4:45 hours. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Frankfurt about 10 hours after landing back.
An Aer Lingus Airbus A320-200, registration EI-DVK performing flight EI-776 from Dublin (Ireland) to Lanzarote,CI (Spain), was enroute at FL360 about 170nm south of Dublin when the crew decided to return to Dublin advising ATC flight attendants had reported some odour in the passenger cabin. The crew subsequently advised they suspected the odour originated from the air conditioning system, no services were needed in Dublin. The aircraft burned off fuel and landed safely back in Dublin about 75 minutes after departure.
The airline reported the aircraft returned due to a technical issue. A replacement A320-200 registration EI-DES reached Lanzarote with a delay of 6 hours.
An IndiGo flight made an emergency landing on Tuesday evening at Hyderabad airport after smoke was seen in the cockpit due to malfunctioning of an exhaust fan in the plane’s air conditioning system, said the airline.
The A320neo aircraft, which was coming from Delhi, has been grounded temporarily due to the incident.
“In relation to our flight 6E 6679 (NEO) from Delhi-Hyderabad, the pilots perceived signs of smoke in the cockpit during descent and as a measure of caution, declared emergency to expedite landing,” the low-cost carrier said in a statement.
After landing, an inspection was carried out by IndiGo’s engineering team, which found that all engine functionalities and parameters were fine. The A320neo aircraft has Pratt & Whitney engines.
“The root cause of this issue has been identified as the malfunctioning of an air conditioning system’s exhaust fan. The component will be replaced and the aircraft will be back in operation shortly,” the airline said.
A Helvetic Embraer ERJ-190 on behalf of Swiss, registration HB-JVN performing flight LX-1629 from Milan Malpensa (Italy) to Zurich (Switzerland), was climbing out of Malpensa’s runway 35R when the crew stopped the climb at about FL080 reporting smoke in the cabin. The aircraft returned to Malpensa for a safe landing on runway 35L about 12 minutes after departure.
The aircraft remained on the ground for about 4.5 hours, then positioned to Zurich as flight 2L-9529 and remained on the ground in Zurich for another 39 hours before returning to service.
An Air China Airbus A330-300, registration B-5958 performing flight CA-183 from Beijing (China) to Tokyo Haneda (Japan), was boarding for departure, when smoke emanated from the aircraft prompting a rapid disembarkation of the people on board, cabin and flight crew vacated the aircraft via the jet bridge after all passengers. Emergency services responded and extinguished a fire in the forward cargo hold. There were no injuries, the aircraft received substantial damage.
The airline reported: “On August 27th Beijing time, the CA183 flight from Beijing to Tokyo, during the passenger boarding, found that the cargo space in front of the aircraft smoked, the crew quickly took fire-fighting measures and organized the safe evacuation of all passengers. The specific cause of the incident is under investigation.”
The aircraft had arrived as flight CA-976 from Singapore (Singapore) about two hours earlier.
A British Airways Boeing 777-300, registration G-STBB performing flight BA-179 from London Heathrow,EN (UK) to New York JFK,NY (USA), was enroute at FL340 about 90nm north of Shannon (Ireland) when the crew declared PAN PAN reporting they suspected a fire on board in the aft cabin. The crew decided to divert to Shannon and dump fuel while heading direct towards to Shannon’s approach fix for the ILS runway 24. The aircraft entered a hold at FL060 to complete dumping fuel and continued for a safe landing on runway 24 about 35 minutes after leaving FL340. Emergency services checked the aircraft, but found no trace of fire, heat or smoke. The aircraft taxied to the apron.
Passengers reported an acrid burning odour developed in the aft cabin, it was believed a galley oven in the aft galley emitted the odour and smoke, cabin crew disconnected electrical power from the galleys. They were taken to hotels and rebooked onto other flights.
The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground for about 5 hours, then positioned to London Gatwick,EN (UK).
An Austrian Airlines Airbus A321-200, registration OE-LBB performing flight OS-859 from Vienna (Austria) to Tel Aviv (Israel), was climbing out of Vienna when an oven in the aft galley emitted smoke prompting the flight crew to stop the climb at FL280 and return to Vienna, while cabin crew disconnected power to the oven and emptied the oven which stopped the smoke. The aircraft landed safely back about 65 minutes after departure.
Maintenance took the unruly oven into custody.
The airline reported the crew returned the aircraft to Vienna as a precaution after the aft galley oven emitted smoke. Power was disconnected and the oven was cleared out, which stopped the smoke. The aircraft returned to service the following morning. The passengers waiting for the flight from Tel Aviv to Vienna were rebooked onto other flights, the passengers from Vienna to Tel Aviv were taken to Tel Aviv the following day.
A SAS Scandinavian Airlines Canadair CRJ-900, registration EI-FPO performng flight SK-2761 from Copenhagen (Denmark) to Warsaw (Poland) with 59 passengers and 4 crew, was climbing through FL250 out of Copenhagen about 50nm southeast of Malmo (Sweden) when the crew decided to divert to Malmo reporting smoke in the cabin. The aircraft landed safely in Malmo about 15 minutes later. Attending emergency services found no trace of fire or heat.
Passengers reported crew suggested a recirculation fan might have seized causing the smoke.
The occurrence aircraft returned to service after about 17.5 hours on the ground.
An American Airlines passenger jet made an emergency landing at Abilene Regional Airport because of smoke in the cockpit.
American Airlines Flight 4 was headed from Los Angeles (LAX) to New York (JFK). The Airbus A321 touched down at 3:41 p.m. The Abilene Fire Department investigated to make sure there was no fire on the plane. Elise Roberts with the Abilene Fire Department said firefighters used a thermal imaging camera to look for heat in the cockpit. No heat was detected.
Passengers started deboarding onto the tarmac at 4 p.m. They had to walk to the terminal.
“I just dropped my son off at college at Pepperdine in Los Angeles. I was just very grateful he wasn’t on board with me,” said a passenger who did not wish to be identified. “Everyone was obviously very tense because the plane was descending really fast and we were told that there would be fire following us.”
Don Green with Abilene Regional said everyone is safe.
American said their maintenance team is troubleshooting the issue.
Full Statement from American Airlines
American Airlines flight 4 from Los Angeles (LAX) to New York (JFK) diverted to Abilene (ABI) due to an odor in the cockpit. The flight landed safely at 3:41 p.m. local time.
Our maintenance team is troubleshooting the issue.
American Airlines sent a replacement plane from DFW Airport. It is scheduled to land in Abilene at 7 p.m.
There were some tense moments at England Airpark on Monday evening when preparations were made for an emergency landing. According to England Airpark Executive Director Sandra McQuain, a call came in just after 6 p.m. that a pilot was reporting smoke in the cockpit. McQuain said the plane was a private Cessna Citation Jet.
There was talk that the jet might land at Esler Regional Airport, but the decision was made for the pilot to land at AEX due to the longer runways. The England Airpark Fire Department and other emergency vehicles responded to the scene, but fortunately, the pilot landed without incident around 7:45 p.m.
“We’re glad to report he landed safely, and all is well at AEX,” McQuain said.
A KLM Boeing 777-200, registration PH-BQK performing flight KL-598 (dep Aug 17th) from Cape Town (South Africa) to Amsterdam (Netherlands), was in the initial descent to FL200 towards Amsterdam when the crew declared PAN PAN reporting smoke in the cabin. The crew subsequently reported there had actually been a fire in the cabin, cabin crew had brought the fire under control but there was still quite a bit of smoke. The aircraft continued for a safe landing on runway 18C about 20 minutes later.
A passenger reported the first class cabin was filled with acrid thick smoke, cabin crew were dealing with the fire calmly and extinguished it quickly.
Fire and Emergency is responding to reports of smoke in the cockpit of an aircraft at Auckland Airport. Five units attended the scene, a spokesperson confirmed to Newshub. The Air NZ plane was parked at the domestic terminal, bound for Napier on Sunday afternoon.
Passengers were returned to the terminal. The aircraft has been taken to a hangar for further investigation. Air NZ told Newshub passengers will be rebooked on other services.
All souls aboard a JetBlue flight are saved after the plane had to make an emergency landing at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport when smoke filled the cockpit. Sometime after takeoff, officials said the plane’s cockpit was filled with smoke with 153 passengers aboard.
The cause of the smoke is not yet known. Cleveland Hopkins International Airport spokesperson Michele Dynia said the plane landed safely at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport around 4 p.m. Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting crews were reportedly called to the scene. Dynia said there are no reported injuries.
A statement from JetBlue spokesperson Richard Kaufmann said:
“On Saturday, August 17, JetBlue flight 623 from New York to Los Angeles diverted to Cleveland out of an abundance of caution after a potential maintenance issue. The flight landed safely, was inspected, and will continue on to LAX.”
A LOT Polish Airlines Embraer ERJ-190, registration SP-LMB performing flight LO-411 from Warsaw (Poland) to Zurich (Switzerland) with 94 passengers and 6 crew, was in the initial climb out of Warsaw’s runway 29 when the crew reported smoke in the cabin and declared emergency. The aircraft returned to Warsaw for a safe landing on runway 33 about 11 minutes after departure.
The flight was cancelled.
The occurrence aircraft returned to service 31 hours after landing back.
A British Airways Airbus A320-200, registration G-MIDO performing flight BA-2553 from Heraklion (Greece) to London Gatwick,EN (UK), was enroute at FL340 about 80nm northwest of Athens (Greece) when the crew donned their oxygen masks, declared emergency and diverted the aircraft to Athens reporting smoke on board. The aircraft landed safely on Athens’ runway 03R about 27 minutes later.
The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Athens about 8 hours after landing.
An Air Transat Airbus A330-300, registration C-GCTS performing flight TS-111 from Paris Charles de Gaulle (France) to Montreal,QC (Canada) with 385 people on board, was climbing thtough FL140 out of Paris when cabin crew noticed smoke emanating from a mid galley oven, discharged fire extinguishers and informed the flight crew. The flight crew declared Mayday and returned the aircraft to Paris Charles de Gaulle for a safe landing on runway 27L about 18 minutes later. Emergency services attended to the aircraft.
The Canadian TSB reported local emergency services needed to treat 21 passengers and 2 crew on scene, a total of 31 people received minor injuries. Company maintenance is investigating.
The airline reported a galley oven emitted smoke, cabin crew immediately sprayed the oven.
An Alitalia Airbus A319-100, registration EI-IMH performing flight AZ-1430 from Turin to Rome Fiumicino (Italy), was climbing out of Turin’s runway 36 when smoke developed on board prompting the crew to stop the climb at about 7000 feet and return to Turin for a safe landing on runway 36 about 12 minutes after departure. The aircraft taxied to the apron where passengers disembarked via stairs.
A replacement A321-100 registration I-BIXP reached Rome with a delay of 4 hours.
A fire occured in a mini-furnace of an Airbus A330 flying from Paris to Montreal, flight TS111, forced a return to Paris Roissy-Charles-de-Gaulle airport, just eight minutes after takeoff. The aircraft landed safely.
“The fire was extinguished before The arrival of fire fighters” said the authorities. Twenty-nine people were “inconvenienced”, but none were hospitalized. “Toxicological surveys carried out on the spot proved to be zero”, The flight was canceled.
An Azul Linhas Aereas Embraer ERJ-195, registration PR-AXP performing flight AD-6423 from Navigantes,SC to Sao Paulo Viracopos,SP (Brazil), was climbing out of Navegantes when the crew stopped the climb at about 11,000 feet and descended the aircraft back to 7000 feet due to smoke on board. The aircraft returned to Navegantes for a safe landing about 40 minutes after departure.
The aircraft remained on the ground for about 3:15 hours, then departed again and reached Viracopos Airport with a delay of 3:50 hours.
The airline reported the aircraft returned to Navegantes due to technical reasons.
Passengers reported dark smoke started to emit from the air conditioning vents.
A Lufthansa Airbus A321-100, registration D-AIRE performing flight LH-1812 from Munich (Germany) to Barcelona,SP (Spain), was enroute at FL350 about 30nm northwest of Nice (France) when the crew declared emergency reporting smoke on board. The aircraft diverted to Nice. Nice Airport sent all approaches into holds advising the crews, they were dealing with an emergency and had no fire cover remaining for other flights. The A321 landed safely on runway 04R about 18 minutes later. The crew advised they were able to vacate the runway and taxied the aircraft to the apron. Landings and departures resumed immediately afterwards.
A replacement A321-200 registration D-AIDC reached Barcelona with a delay of 5 hours.
The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Nice about 9 hours after landing.
A SAA South African Airways Airbus A330-200, registration ZS-SXY performing flight SA-209 from Accra (Ghana) to Washington Dulles,DC (USA) with 223 passengers, was in the initial climb out of Accra’s runway 21 when the crew stopped the climb at 4000 feet due to smoke on board and returned to Accra for a safe landing on runway 21 about 13 minutes after departure.
The airline reported the aircraft had departed with a delay of 3 hours. After landing in Accra a catering truck damaged an aircraft door. The damage was repaired and the aircraft departed, however, experienced another technical problem and needed to return.
A replacement A330-300 registration ZS-SXM was dispatched to Accra, resumed the flight and is estimated to reach Washington with a delay of 17.5 hours.
Two British Airways pilots were forced to wear goggles and oxygen masks as they landed a plane while smoke poured into the cockpit. The pair were praised by pilots’ union Balpa for “a job very well done” after touching down safely in Valencia, Spain, on Monday night. Flight BA422 from Heathrow was evacuated upon landing, with passengers escaping via emergency slides.
Balpa general secretary Brian Strutton said: “Pilots are highly-trained and ready to handle emergencies of all kinds, but, when one happens, the only thing that matters is whether the job gets done.
“In this case, the pilots and crew appear to have done an excellent and highly professional job of getting this aircraft safely on to the ground in very difficult circumstances, and safely evacuating all the passengers with no reported serious injuries.
“We believe the pilots landed this aircraft wearing full oxygen masks and goggles, which is extremely challenging.
“We will await the accident report, but this looks to have been a very well-managed emergency situation, and overall a good outcome, and I pay tribute to the pilots and crew for a job very well done.”
A statement from British Airways said the plane “experienced a technical issue”.
It added: “All our customers were evacuated safely by our crew and met by the airport’s emergency services.
“There were 175 customers on board the flight, with six cabin crew and two pilots. Three customers were taken to hospital as a precaution and have since been discharged.
“The safety of our customers and crew is always our highest priority.”
Passengers took to social media to share videos and photos of their “terrifying” experience.
Gayle Fitzpatrick, from Glasgow, who was on holiday with her husband Stephen, described the moment smoke entered the cabin.
She said: “It was very scary. The flight was just ending, and with 10 minutes to go the flight started descending rapidly as smoke started to fill the cabin.
“A detector was going off, saying the cabin was filling with smoke. It was like a horrible, white, acrid smoke.
“There was chat it was an air conditioning unit. There were no communications from the crew, some of which started to wear full oxygen masks and protective fire wear.
“Eventually they managed to open the emergency doors and told us to go down the chutes.
“There were fire engines waiting and then we were all ushered into a bus then to the airport.
“We are still waiting to hear what happened. People were crying and hyperventilating. It was genuinely scary.”
She added: “We were not told it was an emergency until we had landed and they were trying to open the cabin doors for passengers to jump down the chutes.”
Another passenger tweeted photos of the incident, saying: “Terrifying experience on flight to Valencia. Felt like horror film. Thankfully everyone safe. Flight filled with smoke and had to be emergency evacuated.”
An American Airlines Airbus A330-300, registration N272AY performing flight AA-728 from Philadelphia,PA (USA) to London Heathrow,EN (UK) with 154 passengers and 12 crew, was enroute at FL370 about 110nm east of Boston,MA (USA) when the flight crew donned their oxygen masks and declared a medical emergency reporting a number of passengers and all 9 cabin crew had become ill, there was an odour of dirty old socks on board. They were 3 pilots on the flight deck, they were all “A-Ok”. The aircraft turned around and diverted to Boston for a safe landing on runway 22L about 45 minutes after the decision to divert to Boston.
The airline reported the flight attendants were taken to a hospital and were later released. None of the passengers reported sick or required medical attention.
The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground for about 16.5 hours, then positioned to Philadelphia.
An Air Force plane made an emergency landing Thursday night at Milwaukee’s Mitchell International Airport. The aircraft landed safely after being forced to make the emergency landing about 8:15 p.m. Airport officials told WISN 12 News the Air Force plane isn’t based in Milwaukee and that it was able to taxi off the runway.
The initial report for incident indicated there was smoke in the cockpit, but that has not been confirmed.
After an inspection on the west side of the airport where the plane landed, crews towed the plane across the airport grounds to the 128th Refueling Wing, which is customary for military aircraft.
A Mount Cook Avions de Transport Regional ATR-72-212A on behalf of Air New Zealand, registration ZK-MCU performing flight NZ-5751 from Christchurch to Dunedin (New Zealand), was climbing through FL130 out of Christchurch when the crew reported smoke in the cockpit and return the aircraft to Chrischurch for a safe landing on Christchurch’s runway 02 about 25 minutes after departure.
The flight was cancelled.
The airline reported the crew received a smoke indicator warning.
A passenger plane bound from Moscow for Prague returned to Moscow’s Vnukovo airport because of a fire in the baggage hold, a source in emergencies services told TASS on Sunday.
“A Boeing-737 of Rossiya Airlines en route from Moscow to Prague returned to the departure airport due to a fire in the baggage hold. The plane landed safely, no one was hurt,” the source said.
There were 187 people aboard the plane. The passenger will fly to Prague by another plane.
A source at the Vnukovo airport told TASS that the plane’s pilots decide to return to the airport after a fire sensor had activated when the plane was in midair.
Meanwhile, the plane’s crew said there had been no smoke onboard. “A fire alarm went off in the baggage hold when the plane (flight 5739) had taken off. The pilot took a decision to return to the departure airport for safety considerations. The flight attendants found no signs of smoke or fire while landing,” a spokesman for Rossiya Airlines told TASS.
A Spirit Airlines Airbus A320-200, registration N604NK performing flight NK-726 from Seattle,WA to Las Vegas,NV (USA), landed on Las Vegas’ runway 26L and taxied to the gate B20, the crew maintained routine communication with ATC. A number of ambulances carried 6 people including flight attendants off the aircraft on stretchers and took them to hospitals.
The Airport reported there had been fumes on board, 6 people needed medical attention and were taken to a medical facility.
The airline reported 4 flight attendants and one passenger were taken to a medical facility and were since released. Maintenance was determining the source of the odour.
An observer at Las Vegas Terminal reported multiple members of a Spirit Airlines crew were stretchered away from gate B20.
A replacement A320-200 registration N645NK performed the next sector of flight NK-726 to Orlando,FL (USA).
The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground for about 10 hours, then returned to service.
A Jetblue Airbus A321-200, registration N958JB performing flight B6-1818 from Port of Spain (Trinidad and Tobago) to New York JFK,NY (USA), was enroute at FL340 about 260nm east of Norfolk,VA (USA) when the crew reported smoke in the cockpit, turned west and diverted to Norfolk for a safe landing about 45 minutes later.
The airline reported the aircraft diverted to Norfolk due to possible smoke in the cockpit. A replacement crew is about to take the passengers to New York.
The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground in Norfolk for about 17 hours, then continued the flight to New York and arrived with a delay of 17:20 hours.
A Boeing 737 plane belonging to Russia’s Nordwind Airlines cancelled its takeoff from Moscow’s Sheremetyevo International Airport after a sensor went off indicating that there was smoke inside the cockpit, Sputnik agency reported.
According to airport authorities, five passengers sustained moderate wounds during the evacuation, while two were hospitalised. A special commission to probe incident has been formed, according to the Russian Federal Air Transport Agency.
The Emergencies Ministry said that all of the 187 people on board were promptly evacuated from the aircraft. The ministry earlier said that a Boeing 737 plane belonging to the Russian carrier, Nordwind Airlines, had cancelled its takeoff from the airport after a sensor went off indicating there was smoke inside the cockpit. Passengers were evacuated via inflatable slides, with three receiving minor bumps and bruises, the authorities said.
A plane landed safely at the Columbia Regional Airport on Wednesday night after reports of a smoke odor in the cabin.
Columbia City Spokesman Steve Sapp said the American Airline flight operated by their subsidiary Envoy had 42 passengers on board. The plane was inbound to Columbia from Chicago.
Officials said no one actually saw smoke. The plan landed safely and all the passengers are now off the plane. The plane will be checked by mechanics, officials said.
A TUI flight from Cancun to Newcastle declared a mid-air emergency and was forced to land in Orlando. Flight TOM643 departed Cancun at 5.20pm on Tuesday and was flying over Jacksonville when it is believed smoke was visible on board the aircraft. According to flight tracker websites, the plane was forced to make a U-turn and headed for Orlando, where it made an emergency landing.
TUI told ChronicleLive that the plane diverted as a result of a “technical issue”. One passenger wrote on social media that they were met at the airport in Orlando by “around 30 firefighters” who began investigating the plane.
But due to immigration restrictions at Orlando Sanford, passengers were forced to remain on the stationary aircraft for around five hours until it was deemed safe to fly again. Customers were left even more angry when the captain decided to fly back to Cancun rather than continue the journey to Newcastle. After going through immigration and waiting for their luggage upon their return, customers were provided with all inclusive accommodation for the night.
Flight TOM643 was due to land at Newcastle Airport at 8.30am on Wednesday morning. However, on the airport’s website it lists the status of the flight as having an “indefinite delay”. TUI has said it hopes passengers will be on their way again on Wednesday evening, but a departure time is still to be confirmed.
A spokeswoman for TUI said: “We would like to sincerely apologise to customers on board flight TOM643 from Cancun to Newcastle yesterday, which was diverted to Orlando Sanford as a result of a technical issue with the aircraft.
“As a result of immigration restrictions at Orlando Sanford, customers were unfortunately unable to disembark the aircraft.
“Once the technical issue was resolved, the captain made the decision to return to Cancun where customers were provided with all inclusive hotel accommodation. The flight is due to depart today.
A Pobeda airline’s plane had to return to the Kazan airport shortly after takeoff due to smoke in the cabin, Dmitry Zakharov, senior aide to chief of the Russian Investigative Committee’s Volga region transport investigation department, said on Monday.
“According to preliminary data, a Pobeda airline Boeing-737-800 plane with 185 passengers and six crewmembers on board, took off from Kazan for St. Petersburg at 8:50pm Moscow rime. The plane returned to the Kazan airport at 9:25pm Moscow time because of smoke in the cabin and possible malfunction in one of engines,” Zakharov said, adding that no one was hurt in the incident.
Meanwhile, Pobeda said the incident was caused by a bird that flew into its engine. “A bird flew into the right engine. According to preliminary conclusion of technical services, the plane was not damaged,” Pobeda’s press service said.
“We have been repeatedly warning Rosaviatsiya [Russia’s civil aviation authority] about a serious threat due to insufficient ornithological support. But no measures have been taken up to now,” the press service added.
Monday morning, passengers on an American Airlines flight from San Diego to Charlotte, North Carolina, was redirected to Yuma International Airport for an emergency landing due to reported smoke in the cockpit. Airport officials said it was a microwave in the kitchen area that caught fire. With 136 passengers on board, the pilot decided to make an emergency landing roughly 20-minutes into the flight. Most passengers told News 11 that they were not aware of the fire, nor did they smell or see any smoke.
Once the flight landed, both Yuma Fire Department and Marine Corps Air Station Fire Department responded to the scene. Passengers were held on the plane on the tarmac for about an hour and a half, then escorted to the boarding area of the airport once other scheduled flights were boarded. Passengers were all generally relaxed with only one major concern on their mind.
Passenger, Lane Williams, said, “The luggage is an issue. [Yuma International Airport] is not built to take 150 people’s luggage. So, I don’t think they have the people to move the luggage right now.“
The airport continued to keep passengers updated as they worked on transferring passengers’ luggage from the previous plane. Passengers were initially informed that a backup jet from Phoenix would arrive at 2:30 p.m. to continue their flight to Charlotte, however, that jet did not arrive until close to 4:30 p.m.
On the bright side, American Airlines treated passengers to free pizza and drinks while they waited. Passengers were also instructed to reach out to the airline’s emergency contact number to reschedule connecting flights from Charlotte. All passengers were on board and en route to their next destination nearly six hours after the initial emergency landing.
A British Airways Boeing 777-200, registration G-YMMD performing flight BA-2201 from London Gatwick,EN (UK) to Cancun (Mexico) with 237 passengers and 13 crew, was enroute at FL360 about 700nm westsouthwest of Shannon (Ireland) when the crew donned their oxygen masks reporting fumes on board, several people on board needed medical attention. The crew decided to turn around and divert to Shannon, descended to FL290 and landed safely on Shannon’s runway 24 about 1:45 hours after turning around. Eight people were assessed by paramedics at the airport.
The passengers were taken to hotels until a replacement aircraft arrives. The continuation of the flight was postponed to the next day.
A Spirit Airlines Airbus A321-200, registration N658NK performing flight NK-942 from Tampa,FL to Atlanta,GA (USA), was taxiing for departure when the crew was advised they needed to wait due to weather. The aircraft stopped on the taxiway, one engine was shut down and the crew permitted passengers to use the lavatories on board. A strange odour began to develop on board, passengers began to cover up their noses and mouths and overheard flight attendants suspecting the odour originated from the lavatory. About 30 minutes after stopping the aircraft was able to depart, the fumes disappeared during takeoff but returned during initial climb and became even stronger, passengers commented the odour reminded of old dirty socks. Again noses and mouths were covered. Flight attendants felt visibly increasingly unwell, whispered together suspecting a fume event, the flight deck was informed. The flight crew attempted to shut down on the air conditioning packs, however, the odour remained. The crew then shut down the other air conditioning pack, but again the odour remained. The flight continued to destination, the odour remained present throughout the flight.
The Aviation Herald learned family members later took a number of the crew of the flight to hospital because the crew members were ill. The event was written up in the tech log of the aircraft.
The FAA told the Aviation Herald: “Flight Attendants reported fumes in the cabin. After the flight landed landed in Atlanta, maintenance workers determined that too much oil was used to service the auxiliary power unit (APU) causing the odor. Workers cleaned, inspected and tested the APU according to the technical service manual, and determined that it was operating properly.”
The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground for about 9.5 hours, then resumed service.
A Volotea Airbus A319-100, registration EC-MTM performing flight V7-2402 from Bordeaux to Bastia (France), completed a seemingly uneventful flight with a safe landing in Bastia, taxied to the apron, the passengers disembarked. The crew began to prepare the aircraft for the next sector when a strange odour and smoke developed on board causing a number of crew to suffer from nausea, dizziness, skin itching and vomitting. All 6 crew were taken to a hospital.
The airline reported they are conducting interviews with passengers to see whether any of them had been affected, too.
Emergency services said they suspect fumes, possibly originating from the air conditioning system, as cause of the intoxications.
The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground in Bastia for 19 hours, then ferried to Verona (Italy) flying at maximum FL200, remained on the ground in Verona for another 18.5 hours and returned to service in the morning of Jul 9th 2019.
July 10, 2019
July 9, 2019
Source: Simon Hradecky | www.avherald.com
A Lufthansa Airbus A320-200, registration D-AIZO performing flight LH-1419 from Bucharest Otopeni (Romania) to Frankfurt/Main (Germany) with 134 passengers, was enroute at FL380 about 90nm east of Vienna in Slovakian Airspace, when the crew declared emergency reporting an electrical odour on board. The aircraft diverted to Vienna for a safe landing on runway 29 about 20 minutes later and taxied to the apron.
The airline told Austrianwings the aircraft diverted to Vienna due to an electrical odour on board, the crew declared emergency to receive priority. Maintenance is currently working to determine the source and cause of the odour.
The passengers were rebooked onto other flights.
The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Vienna about 7 hours after landing.
An Envoy Embraer ERJ-145, registration N678AE performing flight MQ-4234/AA-4234 from Chicago O’Hare,IL to Nashville,TN (USA) with 41 passengers and 3 crew, was enroute at FL250 when the crew decided to divert to Indianapolis,IN (USA) due to a faint odour in the cabin. The aircraft landed safely on Indianapolis’ runway 23R about 17 minutes later.
A replacement ERJ-145 registration N688AE reached Nashville with a delay of 3.5 hours.
The airline reported the aircraft diverted due to a faint odour in the cabin.
The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Indianapolis about 8 hours after landing.
A Westjet Boeing 737-700, registration C-FWSK performing flight WS-662 from Calgary,AB to Toronto,ON (Canada) with 134 passengers and 5 crew, was enroute at FL390 about 40nm west of Winnipeg,MB (Canada) when an acrid odour developed in the cabin, haze was noticed. The flight crew worked the related smoke/fumes removal checklist and decided to divert to Winnipeg. The haze and odour dissipated after the checklist was completed. The aircraft landed safely in Winnipeg about 20 minutes later.
The Canadian TSB reported maintenance determined a malfunctioning recirculation fan was the source of the odour and haze.
A Virgin Atlantic plane made an emergency landing at Logan Airport after a passenger seat caught fire in mid-flight Thursday night. Massachusetts State Police said a battery pack for a cell phone charger stuffed between the seats may have been to blame. The fire was quickly put out by the crew. The Boston Fire Department was called to check the plane at about 9 p.m.
“The firefighters were loaded on before we could get off,” said passenger Cory Tanner. “People were definitely nervous just cause we didn’t know what it was.”
Passenger Jerry Knopf said, “Things are so bad that four state troopers have shown up…[The airline] has handled it poorly, they just have no emergency plan. Nothing.”
No serious injuries were reported, but one passenger did refuse treatment for a smoke-related complaint.
All 217 passengers were evacuated from the plane. They will be rebooked on later flights.
Virgin Atlantic released the following statement: “The VS138 from JFK to London Heathrow (4 July 2019) diverted to Boston due to reports of smoke in the cabin. Our crew responded immediately and the plane has landed safely in Boston. The safety and security of our customers and crew is always our top priority and we are currently investigating to fully understand the circumstances. We’d like to thank our customers for their patience as we work with them to provide local accommodation or to rebook alternative flights to their final destination.”
The plane was flying from John F. Kennedy Airport in New York to Heathrow Airport in London.
A Lufthansa Cityline Canadair CRJ-900, registration D-ACKI performing flight LH-144 from Frankfurt/Main to Nuremberg (Germany), was on approach to Nuremberg when the crew reported smoke in cockpit and cabin. The aircraft continued for a safe landing on Nuremberg’s runway 28, stopped on the runway and performed a rapid disembarkation onto the runway. The passengers were bussed to the terminal, the aircraft was towed off the runway.
The return flight was cancelled, the occurrence aircraft positioned back to Frankfurt after about 4 hours on the ground and has not yet resumed service about 11 hours after landing in Nuremberg.
July 1, 2019
June 30, 2019
Source: Simon Hradecky | www.avherald.com
An Envoy Embraer ERJ-140, registration N817AE performing flight MQ-3496/AA-3496 from Dallas Ft. Worth,TX to Beaumont,TX (USA), was enroute at FL250 about 40nm north of College Station,TX (USA) when the crew reported fumes on board and decided to divert to College Station, where the aircraft landed safely about 14 minutes later.
A replacement ERJ-140 registration N824AE reached Beaumont with a delay of 8.5 hours.
A strange odor forced a Spirit Airlines flight to return to its gate at Atlantic City Airport Saturday morning. According to the airline, Flight 341 heading for Tampa, Florida turned around shortly after take-off around 6:30 a.m.
Passenger Mary Bronga told Action News the captain announced there were fumes in the front of the plane and they would turn back to Atlantic City.
“When we landed they took the four flight attendants out on stretchers,” Bronga said.
Spirit said the flight attendants were being evaluated by doctors out of an abundance of caution.No passengers reported any injuries.
Bronga said all passengers will be switched to another plane later in the evening.
Spirit Airlines released the following statement to Action News:
Flight 341 from Atlantic City to Tampa returned to the gate following a reports of an unusual odor. Reports of smoke in the cabin and cockpit are unfounded and inaccurate. No guests reported any injuries and we are working now to get them to their final destinations. Out of an abundance of caution, the Flight Attendants are being evaluated by medical personnel. We apologize for any inconvenience.
A British Airways Boeing 777-200, registration G-VIIB performing flight BA-112 from New York JFK,NY (USA) to London Heathrow,EN (UK) with 227 passengers and 15 crew, was enroute at FL370 when cabin crew reported the smell of smoke near the door 2R. The flight crew worked the related checklists, shut the APU bleed air and recirculation fans off, the odour dissipated. Approximately 45 minutes later, the aircraft had climbed to FL380, the odour was again noticed, this time near both doors 2L and 2R, there was high heat near the overhead lockers. Cabin crew also noticed mist in the cabin. The checklist was run, however, no change of the situation occurred. The crew declared PAN PAN, iverted to Gander,NL (Canada), dumped fuel and landed safely in Gander about for a safe landing about 45 minutes after leaving FL380 about 80nm northeast of Gander.
The Canadian TSB reported the aircraft was subsequently ferried to Cardiff,EN (UK), the operator dispatched a replacement aircraft to carry the passengers to London.
A replacement Boeing 777-200 registration G-VIIK reached London with a delay of about 17 hours.
A Hop! Canadair CRJ-1000 on behalf of Air France, registration F-HMLH performing flight AF-7465 from Perpignan to Paris Orly (France), was climbing through FL260 out of Perpignan when the crew reported smoke in the cockpit and diverted the aircraft to Toulouse (France) where the aircraft landed safely about 27 minutes later.
The airline reported there was smoke in the cockpit, firefighters took care of 4 passengers slightly affected by the event.
Passengers reported the captain announced smoke in the cockpit, cabin crew wore their smoke hoods.
An El Al Boeing 737-800, registration 4X-EKM performing flight LY-5298 from Sofia (Bulgaria) to Tel Aviv (Israel), was climbing out of Sofia’s runway 09 cleared to climb to FL250, when the crew declared PAN PAN reporting fumes in cabin, the crew stopped the climb at FL210 to run checklists and decide whether to continue or return. The crew subsequently advised they believe they had received a bird strike into an engine (CFM56), the engine was running fine, nonetheless, they requested to return to Sofia. The aircraft landed safely on Sofia’s runway 09 about 37 minutes after departure.
A replacement Boeing 737-800 registration 4X-EKI is estimated to reach Tel Aviv with a delay of 8:40 hours.
The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Sofia about 9 hours after landing.
A British Airways Airbus A320-200, registration G-GATN performing flight BA-2730 from London Gatwick,EN (UK) to Tenerife South,CI (Spain), was about to reach the top of descent into Tenerife about 190nm northeast of Tenerife when the crew declared PAN PAN reporting fumes in the cockpit. Fumes were also oserved in the cabin, a number of flight attendants donned their smoke hoods. The aircraft descended early to FL090 and accelerated the approach to Tenerife, the aircraft landed safely on runway 25 about 30 minutes later. All crew went to a hospital.
The aircraft remained on the ground for about 29 hours, then positioned back to London Gatwick and returned to service about 9 hours after landing in Gatwick.
A passenger reported several flight attendants suffered from symptoms similiar to hypoxia and used oxygen.
A British Airways Airbus A321-200, registration G-EUXG performing flight BA-851 from Warsaw (Poland) to London Heathrow,EN (UK), was descending towards London when the crew donned their oxygen masks reporting fumes in the cockpit. The aircraft continued for a safe landing on Heathrow’s runway 09L.
The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Heathrow about 28 hours after landing. A number of flights assigned to the A321 needed to be downgraded and a number of passengers to be rebooked onto other flights as result.
A United Boeing 777-200, registration N216UA performing flight UA-984 from Paris Charles de Gaulle (France) to San Francisco,CA (USA), was climbing out of Paris when the crew stopped the climb at FL260 due to a burning odour on board. The aircraft returned to Charles de Gaulle Airport for a safe landing about 40 minutes after departure. Fire fighters boarded the aircraft and identified the source of the odour in a galley oven, where plastics covering the meals had touched the oven, melted and caused the odour.
The aircraft departed again after about 3 hours on the ground and flew to Chicago O’Hare,IL (USA) where the aircraft landed about one hour past scheduled landing time in San Francisco. The aircraft is going to continue to San Francisco after a crew change and is estimated to reach San Francisco with a total delay of about 6 hours.
An Air Transat Airbus A310-300, registration C-GPAT performing flight TS-639 from Nice (France) to Montreal,QC (Canada) with 203 passengers and 9 crew, was enroute at FL360 about 175nm northeast of Montreal when a handheld computer used for cabin sales began to emit smoke, it was noticed the battery had become hot. Cabin crew placed the computer into a container filled with water, the flight continued to Montreal for a safe landing.
The Canadian TSB reported the computer, still in its container, was forwarded to the manufacturer for further examination.
A British Airways Airbus A320-200, registration G-MEDK performing flight BA-2562 from London Gatwick,EN (UK) to Dalaman (Turkey), was enroute at FL350 about 140nm west of Frankfurt/Main (Germany) when the crew decided to divert to Frankfurt reporting smoke in the cockpit and cabin. A number of passengers and cabin crew to feel unwell. The aircraft landed safely on Frankfurt’s runway 07C about 35 minutes later. A number of passengers and crew needed medical assistance.
Parents of a passenger reported their child had called them from an ambulance advising a lot of people had fainted, others were vomitting and others were suffering from heavy nose bleeding. People were taken to ambulances on stretchers. The odour reminded of a massive fuel leak.
The airline confirmed an odour event, a number of passengers and crew were assessed at local medical facilities.
A replacement A320-200 registration G-GATH was dispatched to Frankfurt, resumed the flight and reached Dalaman with a delay of about 7.5 hours.
A Delta Airlines Airbus A321-200, registration N325DN performing flight DL-2122 from Salt Lake City,UT to Detroit,MI (USA) with about 200 people on board, was enroute at FL350 about 70nm north of Cheyenne,WY (USA) when the crew received a cargo smoke indication and decided to divert to Cheyenne, where the aircraft landed safely on runway 27 about 15 minutes (!) later. Emergency services did not find any trace of fire, heat or smoke.
A replacement Boeing 757-200 registration N900PC was dispatched to Cheyenne, resumed the flight and delivered the passengers to Detroit with a delay of about 10 hours.
The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground for about 18 hours, then positioned to Detroit.
A British Airways Airbus A321-200, registration G-EUXG performing flight BA-890 from London Heathrow,EN (UK) to Sofia (Bulgaria) with 177 people on board, was on approach to Sofia’s runway 09 already cleared for the ILS approach and descending through 9000 feet when the crew donned their oxygen masks, declared PAN PAN reporting fumes in the cockpit and continued for a landing on runway 09 without further incident about 10 minutes later. The crew advised they’d vacate the runway and stop on the parallel taxiway to “sort themselves out”.
The aircraft is still on the ground in Sofia about 6 hours after landing and did not depart for the return flight BA-891 so far.
A replacement A321-200 registration G-EUXE was dispatched to Sofia to perform the return flight BA-891.
A MAP Linhas Aereas Avions de Transport Regional ATR-72-200, registration PR-MPY performing a flight from Manaus,AM to Tupinambaran,AM (Brazil), was climbing out of Manaus when smoke developed on board. The crew returned to Manaus for a safe landing, the passengers rapidly deplaned. Smoke exited the open doors.
The airline reported the smoke emanated from one of the air conditioning systems.
An American Airlines Airbus A321-200, registration N180US performing flight AA-832 from Phoenix,AZ to Charlotte,NC (USA), was enroute at FL310 about 60nm west of Shreveport,LA (USA) when the crew reported smoke in the cockpit and decided to divert to Shreveport. The aircraft landed safely on Shreveport’s runway 32 about 20 minutes later.
The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Shreveport about 8 hours after landing. The remainder of the flight was cancelled, the passengers were rebooked onto other flights.
A British Airways Boeing 747-400, registration G-CIVJ performing flight BA-293 from London Heathrow,EN (UK) to Washington Dulles,DC (USA), was enroute at FL340 about 100nm northwest of Shannon (Ireland) when the crew declared PAN PAN reported they had a burning smell in the cabin and were unable to locate the source of the smell. The crew requested to return to London. ATC offered a diversion to Shannon, the crew maintained however to return to London. The aircraft turned around and maintained FL340 for the return. The aircraft landed safely back in London about one hour after the decision to return.
A passenger reported a burning odour developed in the aft cabin near the aft doors. Cabin crew thought the odour originated from some of the ovens and shut the galley down, the odour however continued. The captain came back to the aft cabin and returned to the cockpit, then announced the aircraft was returning to London. The flight attendants were commenting to themselves about feeling dizzy and suffering from headache.
An Alaska Airlines Airbus A320-200, registration N365VA performing flight AS-1323 from San Francisco,CA to Seattle,WA (USA) with 134 people on board, was enroute at FL380 about 45nm south of Portland,OR (USA) when the crew donned their oxygen masks, declared emergency reporting smoke in the cabin and the smell of smoke on the flight deck, and diverted the aircraft to Portland. The flight crew advised cabin crew reported visible smoke from the exit row to the flight deck, the flight crew did not see any smoke however had a strong smell of smoke on the flight deck. The aircraft landed safely on Portland’s runway 28R about 21 minutes after leaving FL380. Emergency services examined the aircraft but found no trace of fire.
A Lufthansa Cityline Canadair CRJ-900, registration D-ACNR performing flight LH-1867 from Milan Malpensa (Italy) to Munich (Germany) with 83 people on board, was on final approach to Munich’s runway 08R when the crew donned their oxygen masks and advised tower they had smoke in the cockpit. The aircraft continued for a safe landing on runway 08R about 3 minutes later, vacated the runway and stopped on the adjacent taxiway. Emergency services attended to the aircraft but did not find any trace of fire, heat or smoke. The crew advised the smell of smoke had dissipated.
The aircraft remained on the ground over night and resumed service the following morning after about 7 hours on the ground.
An Aerolineas Argentinas Airbus A330-200, registration LV-FNL performing flight AR-1305 from Miami,FL (USA) to Buenos Aires Ezeiza,BA (Argentina) with 290 people on board, was enroute at FL390 about 120nm southeast of Bogota (Colombia) when the crew received a cargo smoke indication, worked the related checklist and diverted the aircraft to Bogota for a safe landng on runway 13R about 30 minutes after leaving FL390.
The aircraft remained on the ground for about 3.5 hours, then departed Bogota and reached Buenos Aires with a delay of about 4 hours.
A British Airways Airbus A321-200, registration G-EUXG performing flight BA-814 from London Heathrow,EN (UK) to Copenhagen (Denmark), was descending towards Copenhagen when the flight crew donned their oxygen masks due to fumes on board. The aircraft continued for a safe landing on runway 22L. Both pilots were taken to a hospital.
The return flight BA-815 was cancelled. The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground in Copenhagen for about 29 hours, then positioned to London Heathrow but has not yet resumed service.
A passenger booked onto the return flight reported ground staff told them there had been a problem on the inbound aircraft, both pilots needed to don their oxygen masks, felt extremey unwell and were taken to a hospital. Their flight was cancelled.
Passengers on a flight from Las Vegas to Stockton got a scare on Saturday when the presence of smoke forced their plane to return to the airport.
Patricia Clark and her husband, who were in Las Vegas to celebrate their wedding anniversary, were aboard an Allegiant Air flight that departed at 11:48 a.m. when after about 5-10 minutes in the air, smoke could be seen inside the aircraft, she said.
It wasn’t thick, but it was present and it smelled like something was burning, Clark said from Las Vegas on Saturday afternoon while she waited for a return flight home.
According to a flight tracker, the aircraft involved was an Airbus A319 originally scheduled to land in Stockton at 1:05 p.m.
In a written statement, Sonya Padgett with Allegiant said that shortly after leaving the airport, Allegiant Flight 63, with 154 passengers and crew on board, experienced a mechanical issue.
“Out of an abundance of caution, an emergency was declared and the pilot returned to the airport,” according to the statement. “The aircraft landed safely and without incident. It taxied to the gate under its own power and passengers deplaned normally.”
Padgett said there were no injuries and a replacement aircraft completed the flight to Stockton.
Chris Jones, chief marketing officer for the McCarran International Airport, said the plane had to turn around and return after there was an issue with smoke in the cockpit.
There was no information provided about the cause of the smoke.
For Clark and some of her fellow passengers, the ordeal was frightening.
Several people were so scared that they screamed, she said. They kept pushing the buttons to call the flight attendants. And people were still crying once they were back at the airport, she added.
“It was very terrifying to be up in the air and the plane is smoking,” she said. “It was horrible.”
Clark said her blood pressure was so high after the emergency landing that emergency responders who were at the scene wanted her to go to the hospital, but she just wanted to get home.
A CarpatAir Fokker 100, registration YR-FKA performing flight V3-2930 from Luxembourg (Luxembourg) to Vilnius (Lithuania) carrying the national soccer team of Luxembourg, was enroute at FL330 about 40nm northeast of Frankfurt/Main (Germany) when a burning odour developed in the passenger cabin and smoke emanated from the floor in the forward cabin. The crew descended the aircraft to FL250. After a short time the smoke dissipated and the odour faded. The aircraft continued to Vilnius for a safe landing about 1:45 hours later.
The team subsequently reported the crew identified a problem with one of the aircraft’s air conditioning systems.
The national team is about to play Lithuania in the qualification for the Euro 2020 on Saturday.
An American Airlines flight Thursday morning from Kansas City to Dallas was forced to return to Kansas City International Airport after a report of smoke in the cockpit.
Flight 2855, an MD-80, took off from KCI around 10:15 a.m. for Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.
Minutes into the flight, the pilots reported possible smoke in the cockpit and requested to return to KCI.The flight landed back at KCI without incident several minutes later.
A Joon Airbus A321-200 on behalf of Air France, registration F-GTAK performing flight AF-1529 from Porto (Portual) to Paris Charles de Gaulle (France), was climbing out of Porto’s runway 35 when the crew stopped the climb at about FL290 due to smoke on board and decided to return to Porto for a safe landing on runway 35 about 55 minutes after departure.
The airline reported a recirculation fan had failed causing the smoke.
A replacement A321-200 registration F-GTAZ reached Paris in the wee hours the following morning with a delay of 8.5 hours.
The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground for about 17 hours, then positioned to Paris and resumed service.
A Wasaya Airways de Havilland Dash 8-100, registration C-FABA performing flight WSG-815 from Big Trout Lake,ON to Pickle Lake,ON (Canada) with just 2 crew on board, was enroute when the crew received warning indications for the primary and secondary inverters, a strong electrical smell developed. At the same time the captain’s and first officer’s instruments flagged “off”. The crew pulled the bus tie circuit breaker and continued to Pickle Lake on the stand by instruments. The smell subsided and the aircraft landed safely in Pickle Lake.
The Canadian TSB reported maintenance replaced the secondary inverter and inverter paralleling control box. A service difficulty report was filed.
An Air Canada Boeing 787-8, registration C-GHPX performing flight AC-548 from Vancouver,BC (Canada) to Newark,NJ (USA) with 223 passengers and 10 crew, was climbing through 12,000 feet out of Vancouver when cabin crew detected an odour of smoke followed by visible smoke in the cabin. The flight crew stopped the climb at 18,000 feet and returned to Vancouver for a safe landing about 25 minutes after departure.
The Canadian TSB reported maintenance found a fault with the lower right recirculation fan. The aircraft was returned to service under minimum equipment list requirements.
A Norra Nordic Regional Airlines Avions de Transport Regional ATR-72-212A on behalf of Finnair, registration OH-ATF performing flight AY-834 from Stockholm Bromma (Sweden) to Helsinki (Finland) with 67 people on board, was on approach to Helsinki when the crew reported an odour of smoke on board. The aircraft continued for runway 22R, landed safely about 14 minutes after the odour was reported and stopped on the runway. A rapid disembarkation via the aircraft’s stairs was performed, the passengers were bussed to the terminal.
An Air Caraibes Avions de Transport Regional ATR-72-212A, registration F-OIXL performing flight TX-421 from Pointe-a-Pitre (Guadeloupe) to Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic), was climbing through 13,000 feet out of Guadeloupe when the left hand engine (PW127) emitted a loud bang and failed prompting the crew to shut the engine down. Smoke developed in the cabin. The crew turned around and returned to Pointe a Pitre for a safe landing.
An El Al plane that was making its way from Israel to the Austrian capital of Vienna on Tuesday afternoon landed in the Larnaca airport in Cyprus, due to the smell of smoke on board the plane.
Local fire crews waited at the landing strip in Cyprus and assisted in removing the passengers from the plane. El Al said in response, “El Al flight 363 was diverted to a sub-field in Larnaca due to a report of a burning smell in the passenger compartment. The plane landed safely, without damage, and the passengers are treated by the El Al station there. “
A NewGen Airways Boeing 737-800, registration HS-NGE performing flight E3-865 from Bangkok Don Muang (Thailand) to Wuxi (China), was in the initial climb out of Don Muang’s runway 21R when the crew stopped the climb at about 10,000 feet due to dense smoke in the cabin and returned to Don Muang for a safe landing on runway 21R about 15 minutes after departure. There are no reports of injuries.
The aircraft returned to service about 22 hours after landing back following a test flight.
A Singapore-bound Scoot Airways plane made an emergency landing at Chennai airport after pilots detected smoke from the plane’s cargo hold. Scoot Airways flight TR 567 made an emergency landing around 3:40 am on Monday. The aircraft flew with 161 passengers and crew members from Tamil Nadu’s Trichy.
The pilots detected the ‘spark’ while the plane was still in the Indian airspace, the officials told PTI. Immediately, the pilots contacted the Chennai airport for an emergency landing. Permission was granted and firefighters were put on standby, they said. All passengers were later safely disembarked and the flight was grounded at Chennai airport. Nobody was injured in the incident. The plane is expected to fly back to Singapore later in the day.
A British Airways Airbus A319-100, registration G-DBCA performing flight BA-2541 from Rome Fiumicino (Italy) to London Gatwick,EN (UK) with 123 people on board, was enroute at FL380 about 60nm southeast of Lyon (France) when the crew decided to diver to Lyon reporting an electrical burning odour in the cabin, they had warm oxygen generators in the aft cabin, cabin crew did not find any sort of fire or smoke however. The aircraft landed safely on Lyon’s runway 17L about 25 minutes later.
The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Lyon about 24 hours after landing.
An Austrian Airlines de Havilland Dash 8-400, registration OE-LGC performing flight OS-186 from Stuttgart (Germany) to Vienna (Austria), was climbing out of Stuttgart when the crew stopped the climb at FL150 due to an odour related to engine oil in the cockpit. The crew donned their oxygen masks, one of the two cabin crew donned her smoke hood. The aircraft returned to Stuttgart for a safe landing about 30 minutes after departure.
Austrianwings reported passengers also briefly felt a strange odour in the cabin.
The airline reported the flight crew noticed an unusual odour. The cause of this odour was the leakage of a small quantity of oil. Flight crew and one cabin crew donned their oxygen masks/smoke hoods as precaution and returned to Stuttgart. All passengers disembarked normally and were rebooked onto other flights.
The occurrence aircraft returned to service about 196 hours (8 days and 4 hours) after landing.
AN EASYJET flight was forced to make an emergency landing after smoke reportedly filled the cockpit. The 6am flight from Newcastle to Bristol had to land in Birmingham after a “technical issue” on board. It had only been in the air for several minutes before passengers were told the plane was diverting.
One passenger, who did not want to be named, said it was believed smoke had entered the cockpit. The traveller said: “I heard someone mentioning smoke in the cockpit but other than that we weren’t told what was happening and couldn’t smell smoke of anything.
“But the staff were absolutely brilliant. One or two people were nervous but they kept everyone totally calm throughout.
“The flight was packed but the pilots and flight attendants did really well.”
An EasyJet spokesman confirmed the diversion, saying: “easyJet can confirm that flight EZY565 from Newcastle to Bristol diverted to Birmingham due to a technical issue.
“Upon landing the aircraft was met by the fire brigade as a precaution only.
“All passengers were disembarked normally and engineers are investigating. Passengers were transported to Bristol by coach.
“At no point of was the safety of the passengers and crew compromised and the diversion was a precautionary measure only.
“The safety of its passengers and crew is easyJet’s top priority and easyJet operates its fleet of aircraft in strict compliance with all manufacturers’ guidelines.
“We apologise for any inconvenience experienced due to the diversion and resulting delay.”
An Alaska Airlines flight from Portland to Orange County made an emergency landing at the Los Angeles International Airport Friday evening after crew members reported a strong plastic smell coming from the back galley.
The Airbus A320 landed at LAX just after 7:45 p.m. out of an abundance of caution, according to an Alaska Airlines spokesperson. The plan had 146 passengers and five crew members on board.
Some crew members were evaluated by medical personnel as a precaution and three passengers were checked out by medics, but opted not to receive additional care, according to the spokesperson.
Alaska says there was no smoke on the flight deck and oxygen masks were not deployed. The airline has removed the plane from service while maintenance technicians inspect it.
A SAS Scandinavian Airlines Airbus A320-200, registration OY-KAR performing flight SK-2151 from Stockholm to Gothenburg (Sweden), was on final approach to Gothenburg’s runway 03 when the crew initiated a go around. The crew subsequently reported smoke on board, performed a procedure turn and landed on Gothenburg’s runway 21 about 10 minutes after the go around.
Emergency services reported no smoke was seen after landing. There were no injuries, the aircraft was able to taxi to the apron on own power.
The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground in Gothenburg for about 4 hours, then positioned to Stockholm as flight SK-9229 and resumed service.
A Russian plane was evacuated after passengers said they smelled burning last night on board the same model of aircraft which crashed in Moscow on Sunday. The revolt broke out on a Sukhoi Superjet-100 after passengers had boarded a flight from Moscow to Riga, Latvia. Terrified customers said they smelled burning wire, causing a panic in the cabin just two days after the crash-landing which killed 41 people. Passengers fled for safety and demanded that the plane be checked while Aeroflot staff called fire engines to the tarmac.
In the end the plane was deemed safe and it took off two hours later but the latest scare will cause fresh concern about the Superjet fleet. Russian officials have insisted the model is safe but it remains unclear why a lightning strike should have caused the Aeroflot flight to crash-land on Sunday.
‘People were scared because of the recent tragedy on May 5 when the same type of plane burned in the same airport of Sheremetyevo,’ reports in Russia said.
‘Passengers asked for the plane to be checked and stewards guided them out of the cabin.’
One passenger named Pavel said: ‘Fire engines were brought to the plane right before the flight.’
More than 160,000 people have signed a petition demanding that the Superjet be grounded in the wake of last weekend’s tragedy. The SSJ100, also known as the Superjet, was heralded when it went into service in 2011 as a new phase for Russia’s civil aviation industry. It was introduced as a replacement for outdated Soviet-era planes but has been dogged by problems.
Air France plane Airbus A340, performing flight AF218 from Paris Charles de Gaulle (France) to Mumbai (India), landed by emergency in Esfahan (Iran) due to smoke and smelling fume in the cockpit. The aircraft descended normally and landed safely in Isfahan about 30 minutes later. there were no reported injuries among the passengers are crew. A replacement aircraft was sent to resume the flight to India.
The aircraft Airbus A340 remained on the ground for about 6.5 hours and is currently heading to Dubai Al Maktoum (United Arab Emirates) due to crew duty time limitation.
Eight people were taken to hospitals after a Spirit Airlines flight returned to a Las Vegas airport gate because of fumes or an odor in the cabin, authorities said. The plane had not taken off.
Airline spokesman Derek Dombrowski said 174 passengers and seven crew members aboard Spirit flight 170 returned a little before 9 a.m. Wednesday to a terminal at McCarran International Airport. The plane had been set to take off for Minneapolis.
Airport spokeswoman Christine Crews said paramedics checked 15 people. She says one passenger, six aircraft crew members and one medical responder went to hospitals. The medic’s health issues were believed to be unrelated to the smell aboard the Airbus A321, which Dombrowski said resembled oil.
The aircraft was taken out of service to be checked by maintenance crews, CBS Las Vegas affiliate KLAS reported.
Spirit Airlines said passengers will be accommodated on other flights and given meals and full refunds or future travel vouchers.
Dombrowski also noted that a Spirit flight from Las Vegas to Tampa, Florida, diverted Sunday to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. He says it was because of a sick passenger.
A Spirit Airlines Airbus A320-200, registration N635NK performing flight NK-1128 (dep May 4th) from Las Vegas,NV to Tampa,FL (USA), was enroute at FL350 about 400nm west of Dallas Ft. Worth,TX (USA) when passengers complained about an unusual odour on board, a number of passengers felt sick because of the odour. The crew descended the aircraft to 10,000 feet, initially considered to divert to Albuquerque,NM (USA) but then decided to divert to Dallas Ft. Worth where the aircraft landed without further incident about 90 minutes after leaving FL350. A number of passengers were examined by paramedics awaiting the aircraft, none was taken to a hospital though.
The airline reported they are investigating the source of the odour. A replacement aircraft was to take the aircraft to Tampa.
A replacement A320-200 registration N603NK reached Tampa with a delay of 3.5 hours.
An emergency situation took place at Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport on Friday night. Passengers had to be evacuated earlier in the evening after a computer caught fire on a plane that was already on the tarmac waiting to go to Charlotte.
ABC7 spoke to a passenger who said she was sitting in the front row. She told us that there was a lot of smoke and the fire started toward the back of the plane.
Everybody was evacuated safely and those passengers involved immediately tried to re-book their flights.
An Air Canada Rouge Airbus A319-100, registration C-GKOB performing flight RV-1803 from Kingston (Jamaica) to Toronto,ON (Canada) with 135 passengers and 5 crew, was enroute at FL330 south of Raleigh/Durham,NC (USA) when the crew noticed an odour similiar to dirty socks on the flight deck. The odour dissipated but returned with even stronger intensity when the aircraft was about 60nm northeast of Raleigh/Durham. The crew donned their oxygen masks, declared PAN PAN and diverted the aircraft to Raleigh/Durham for a safe landing about 25 minutes after leaving FL330.
The Canadian TSB reported maintenance found the APU intake and plenum soiled and cleaned them, the APU condensers and pack #2 were found contaminated as well and were replaced. Both engines were washed.
A Spirit Airlines Airbus A321-200, registration N660NK performing flight NK-630 from Los Angeles,CA to Denver,CO (USA), was climbing out of Los Angeles when the crew stopped the climb at FL260 due to an unknown odour in cockpit and cabin. The aircraft returned to Los Angeles for a safe landing on runway 25L about 40 minutes after departure. One person was taken to a hospital.
The FAA reported the aircraft returned to Los Angeles due to fumes in cockpit and cabin.
Los Angeles Fire Department reported the passenger oxygen masks were released.
The airline reported the oxygen masks were not deployed, one person was taken to a hospital.
An Envoy Airlines Embraer ERJ-135, registration N807AE performing flight MQ-3386/AA-3386 from New York La Guardia,NY (USA) to Toronto,ON (Canada) with 39 people on board, was enroute at FL240 about 50nm southwest of Syracuse,NY (USA) when the crew reported visual smoke in the cockpit, at least one of the pilots donned the oxygen mask. The aircraft diverted to Syracuse, on approach the crew removed the oxygen masks after radio transmissions failed, the crew advised the smoke had gone and continued for a safe landing on runway 28 about 15 minutes after the decision to divert.
A replacement Embraer ERJ-135 registration N822AE reached Toronto with a delay of 5.5 hours.
The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground for about 9 hours, then positioned back to New York La Guardia and is still on the ground in La Guardia about 22 hours after landing there.
An Air Canada Rouge Airbus A319-100, registration C-FYJG performing flight RV-1848 from Toronto,ON (Canada) to Los Cabos (Mexico) with 133 passengers and 5 crew, was climbing out of Toronto when the flight crew noticed a light odour on the flight deck, cabin crew reported a stronger odour in the cabin. The flight crew levelled off at 10,000 feet, declared PAN reporting fumes in the cockpit and returned to Toronto. The aircraft landed overweight on runway 05 about 40 minutes after departure.
A replacement A319-100 registration C-FYJP reached Los Cabos with a delay of about 4 hours.
The Canadian TSB reported maintenance found out the odour occurred with the right hand air conditioning pack and found the associated condensers to be contaminated with oil. The right hand air conditioning pack was deferred inoperativ under minimum equipment list requirements.
A Spirit Airlines Airbus A321-200, registration N679NK performing flight NK-301 from Baltimore,MD to Fort Lauderdale,FL (USA), was climbing out of Baltimore when the crew stopped the climb at FL240 and decided to return to Baltimore reporting an unknown odour on board, medical services were needed to meet the aircraft after landing. The aircraft landed safely on Baltimore’s runway 33L about 35 minutes after departure.
Baltimore Airport reported 7 people were taken to a hospital.
The airline confirmed an unknown odour on board, they are not aware of any passengers having been taken to hospitals.
The sector was cancelled.
A replacement A321-200 registration N668NK performed the second sector of the flight from Fort Lauderdale to San Juan (Puerto Rico) on schedule.
A UNITED Airlines flight from Heathrow to Chicago declared a mid-air emergency over UK and circled back to the London airport this morning. The pilot declared the emergency just 20 minutes after takeoff and there are unconfirmed reports of smoke and fumes in the cabin. Flight UA929 made a squawk 7700 call – the aviation term for a general emergency.
An emergency call was made at 29,000ft over Newport as the pilot took a left turn and headed back to London. The flight took off from Heathrow Terminal 3 at 8.28am this morning and was expected to arrive in Chicago O’Hare International Airport at 11.15am local time. The 26-year-old American aircraft arrived back at the UK’s busiest airport at 9.43am. Live data on FlightRadar24 showed arrivals and departures continued as the plane sat on the taxiway.
United Airlines said on their website they are addressing a “technical error” on the Boeing 767 but did not elaborate on the problem. They said on their website: “We want you to know your flight is departing late because we are addressing a technical issue on your plane. Your safety is our priority and we’re sorry for the inconvenience. (Estimated departure two hours 13 minutes late).”
Jonathan Vasdekas was on the flight and tweeted United Airlines saying: “Hey @united, we just landed back at Heathrow because of the smell of smoke in the cabin… could we please get a newer plane??
“Props to the captain and crew for getting us back on the ground safely.”
They replied: “Hello Jonathan, we apologize for this experience.
“Please know that safety is always our priority, and our teams will all work to get you back on the way as quickly as possible.”
Daily Star Online has contacted United Airlines for comment.
A Skywest Embraer ERJ-175 on behalf of United, registration N164SY performing flight OO-5585/UA-5585 from San Francisco,CA to Oklahoma City,OK (USA), was enroute at FL310 near the top of descent about 115nm west of Oklahoma City when the crew declared emergency reporting smoke in the cockpit. The aircraft rapidly descended to FL240 and FL230. Later on approach the approach controller queried whether they could see out of the window or whether they needed a SAR type approach, the crew responded they could see through the windows, it actually had been smoke in the cabin, it was only half so (illegible), they were still waiting for further information from the cabin crew. The aircraft continued to Oklahoma City for a safe landing on runway 35L about 28 minutes after leaving FL310.
The FAA reported: “SKYWEST AIRLINES FLIGHT 5585 REPORTED SMOKE IN THE COCKPIT, LANDED WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT”, unknown injuries, unknown damage, unknown tail number, unknown phase of flight.
A Delta Airlines Boeing 757-200, registration N707TW perfomring flight DL-1359 from San Francisco,CA to New York JFK,NY (USA), was climbing out of San Francisco’s runway 01R when the crew stopped the climb at about FL150 reporting smoke in cockpit and cabin. The aircraft returned to San Francisco for a safe landing on runway 28L about 30 minutes after departure.
A replacement Boeing 757-200 registration N704X is estimated to reach New York with a delay of 4.5 hours.
A passenger reported cabin crew cut the power to the cabin while the aircraft was climbing out, the flight crew subsequently announced there was smoke in cockpit and cabin due to an air conditioning system overheating.
A Winnipeg-bound Air Canada flight made an emergency landing at the Regina International Airport Thursday afternoon. Around 1 p.m., an Airbus A320 with 146 passengers diverted to Regina due to reports of smoke coming from a galley oven, according to Air Canada spokeswoman Angela Mah.
“As per our standard operating procedures, the crew diverted to the nearest airport as a precaution,” she said.
The plane had departed from Vancouver International Airport. Regina Airport Authority president and CEO James Bogusz said the aircraft taxied to the terminal on its own power. Emergency vehicles, including Regina Fire and Protective Services, tailed the plane to the terminal building. Bogusz said there were no disruptions to airport operations once the plane was off the runway. All passenger disembarked normally.
An Egyptair Airbus A300-600 freighter, registration SU-GAS performing flight MS-541 from Cologne (Germany) to Cairo (Egypt), was climbing out of Cologne, when upon levelling off at FL310 the crew decided to return to Cologne reporting the smell of smoke in the cockpit. The aircraft landed safely back on Cologne’s runway 14L about 55 minutes after departure.
The aircraft remained on the ground for about 3.5 hours, then was able to depart again and reached Cairo with a delay of about 4.5 hours.
On 11 April, a British Airways Airbus A319 (G-DBCG) operating flight BA2652 between London Gatwick to Salzburg diverted to Brussels Airport. Pilots reported smoke in the cockpit, declared a general emergency and decided to quickly land at the Belgian airport. Three hours after the safe landing, the aircraft is still on the ground in Belgium.
A Lufthansa Boeing 747-8, registration D-ABYU performing flight LH-506 from Frankfurt/Main (Germany) to Sao Paulo Guarulhos,SP (Brazil) with 284 passengers, was enroute at FL310 about 300nm southwest of Frankfurt and about 20nm west of Lyon (France) when the crew decided to return to Frankfurt reporting a cargo smoke indication. The aircraft maintained FL310 for the return until top of descent and landed safely on Frankfurt’s runway 25C about 105 minutes after departure.
The airline reported a technical problem prompted the return, the passengers were taken to hotels and are going to travel to Sao Paulo the following day.
A group of passengers on board a commercial plane got a scare on Thursday afternoon when the pilot was forced to make an emergency landing at the Laredo International Airport. According to the Laredo Police Department, the incident happened at around 1 p.m. when an American Eagle Plane that was traveling from Dallas to Aguascalientes reportedly saw smoke coming from the cabin. The flight was then diverted to Laredo where it landed without incident. A total of 23 people were on the plane, the fire department says the only injury reported was by a flight attended who received a cut on her leg.
A Delta Airlines Airbus A330-300, registration N818NW performing flight DL-161 from Amsterdam (Netherlands) to Minneapolis,MN (USA), was climbing out of Amsterdam’s runway 24 when the crew stopped the climb at FL150 when the crew requested to return to Amsterdam, subsequently declaring emergency reporting they had an electrical odour in the cabin and they had electrical problems. The aircraft landed safely back on Amsterdam’s runway 18R about 24 minutes after departure.
A cabin air extract fan was found failed, the cabin intercommunication data system also showed a fault.
The aircraft remained on the ground for about 3.5 hours, then departed again and reached Minneapolis with a delay of 3.5 hours.
An American Airlines flight had to make an emergency landing at Wilmington International Airport Tuesday afternoon due to a smell of electrical fumes in the cockpit, according to FAA.
American Airlines says the commercial Airbus A321 plane carrying 178 passengers and a crew of six landed at ILM at 1:41 p.m. The AA flight 809 was traveling from Philadelphia to Orlando. The FAA says the aircraft reported a smell of electrical fumes in the cockpit. The crew deployed oxygen masks and requested to divert to ILM. AA says once landed, the plane was taxied to a gate where a maintenance team is currently inspecting the aircraft.
No injuries were reported. Airport officials say AA is sending another plane to take passengers to Orlando. Flight likely won’t arrive until 7:00 p.m.
A Southwest Airlines flight heading to Las Vegas was forced to make an emergency landing in Oakland early Monday after smoke was detected in the cockpit, authorities said.
Flight 2541 left Oakland at 8:42 a.m. and was not in the air long before the problem was detected on the Boeing 737-700 over the Central Valley.
The jet returned to Oakland International and arrived safely at 9:49 a.m.
No injuries were reported and crews were trying to determine the source of the smoke.
A Southwest Airlines spokesman said the flight returned to Oakland “due to a report of fumes in the cabin.”
“We are removing the aircraft from service for a maintenance inspection, and we will accommodate the 137 Customers and five Crew members on another aircraft, scheduled to arrive in Las Vegas about three hours and 40 minutes delayed,” said Southwest spokesman Chris Mainz.
A British Airways Airbus A320-200, registration G-MEDK performing flight BA-2585 from Venice (Italy) to London Gatwick,EN (UK), was enroute at FL360 about 20nm southeast of Basle (Switzerland) when the crew declared PAN PAN reporting electrical fumes in the cockpit and decided to divert to Basle/Mulhouse (Switzerland/France) for a safe landing on runway 15 about 25 minutes later.
The aircraft was able to continue the journey after about 2.5 hours on the ground and reached Gatwick with a delay of about 3 hours.
A Red Wings Airbus A321-200, registration VP-BVO performing flight WZ-4071 from Ekaterinburg (Russia) to Antalya (Turkey), was climbing out of Ekaterinburg when a burning odour occurred in the passenger cabin. Flight attendants found a seat cover smouldering on fire and discharged fire extinguishers successfully putting the fire out. The crew decided to continue the flight to Antalya where the aircraft landed safely.
On Mar 28th 2019 the airline reported they found a lighter between the seats, it appears a passenger used a lighter to set the seat cover alight. The airline is going to propose a ban of carrying lighters onto aircraft to Rosaviatsia (Russia’s Civil Aviation Authority).
A United Boeing 737-800, registration N37263 performing flight UA-1675 from Baltimore,MD to San Francisco,CA (USA), was climbing through FL250 out of Baltimore when the crew stopped the climb reporting about 20 passengers were complaining about health problems as result of an abnormal odour on board. The aircraft diverted to Washington Dulles,DC (USA) for a safe landing about 40 minutes after departure. Seven passengers were taken to hospitals, a number of passengers were treated at the airport.
The airport reported emergency services responded to a report of an odour on board of the aircraft.
United confirmed a strong odour on board causing several passengers to be taken to hospitals and pledged to cover the passengers’ hospital cost and related expenses.
Passengers reported there was some faint fuel smell prior to departure, which substantially worsened once airborne. About 20 passengers began to complain about nausea, chest pain, headache and breathing trouble. Medical staff awaited them at the airport and treated all those not feeling well.
Twitter user Steve Adams was on the plane, and said he saw sparks coming from an engine and smoke in the cabin.
One Twitter user is praising Air Canada for the job its flight crew did in getting a plane to the ground safely after it ran through a flock of birds on its way into Ottawa. Steve Adams was among more than 170 passengers on board a flight early Thursday morning, and said the plane was making its decent to YOW when it hit the birds.
He wrote on Twitter, “It made for some anxious moments with a huge bang, sparks coming from the engine, smoke in the cabin, and the loss of some of the electrical.”
The plane managed to land safely and passengers were left waiting on the tarmack as a safety precaution until the plane could be towed to the gate.
An American Airlines Boeing 777-200, registration N773AN performing flight AA-104 (dep Mar 26th) from New York JFK,NY (USA) to London Heathrow,EN (UK) with 119 people on board, was enroute at FL390 more than 250nm west of Shannon (Ireland) when the crew set course to Shannon reporting they had an aft cargo smoke indication. They believed the indication was false, however, enacted the whole checklist and had discharged the fire suppression. The aircraft landed safely on Shannon’s runway 06 more than 40 minutes later. Attending emergency services did not find any trace of fire, heat or smoke.
The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground for about 3 hours, then continued the journey to London reaching the destination with a delay of 2.5 hours. The aircraft departed for the return flight AA-105 and is estimated to reach New York with a delay of 50 minutes.
A Fedex Federal Express Airbus A300-600, registration N744FD performing freight flight FX-1338 from Norfolk,VA to Memphis,TN (USA), was climbing out of Norfolk when the crew stopped the climb at about FL200 reporting they had received an avionics smoke indication. The aircraft returned to Norfolk for a safe landing on runway 05 about 22 minutes after departure.
The aircraft remained on the ground for about 4.5 hours, then departed again and reached Memphis with a delay of about 4.5 hours.
A United Airlines Boeing 787-900 jet was diverted to the French Pacific territory of New Caledonia on Monday after reports of smoke coming from the cockpit, a local official told AFP.
The US aircraft flying 256 passengers from Melbourne to Los Angeles, touched down safely at La Tontouta airport in New Caledonia’s capital Noumea.
“The passengers are disembarking calmly,” said the official from the local Chamber of Commerce which runs the airport.
“It seems that there was some smoke coming out of the cockpit.”
An Ethiopian Airlines crash that killed 157 people on March 10 led to the global grounding of Boeing 737 MAX 8 planes.
It followed a Lion Air crash in Indonesia last October that left 189 dead, which raised major concerns about the safety certification of the 737 MAX 8 model.
The Nouvelles-Caledoniennes (Caledonian News) website reported that oxygen masks automatically dropped down in the cabin of the United Airlines plane.
The local RRB radio station said no one was hurt and all the passengers would spend the night in Noumea, 2700 kilometres northeast of Melbourne.
An Envoy Embraer ERJ-135, registration N807AE performing flight MQ-4158/AA-4158 from Dallas Ft. Worth,TX to Mc Allen,TX (USA), was descendint towards Mc Allen when the crew reported smoke on board. The crew worked the related checklists. Descending below 10,000 feet the crew advised they had run the checklists and had contained most of the smoke. The aircraft continued for a safe landing on runway 32.
A replacement Embraer ERJ-135 registration N803AE performed the return flight with a delay of about 3 hours.
The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground in Mc Allen for about 23 hours, then positioned to Dallas Ft. Worth and resumed service.
A British Airways Boeing 777-200, registration G-ZZZA performing flight BA-174 from New York JFK,NY (USA) to London Heathrow,EN (UK) with 202 passengers and 13 crew, was enroute at FL370 over the Atlantic Ocean about 400nm eastnortheast of St. John’s,NL (Canada) when the crew received a cargo smoke indication, declared Mayday and diverted to St. John’s advising ATC that both forward and aft fire bottles had been discharged. The aircraft descended to FL240 for the way back, due to winds about 200 knots slower westbound than it had been eastbound, and landed safely on St. John’s runway 29 about 90 minutes after turning around. Emergency services did not find any trace of fire, heat or smoke.
A passenger reported the captain announced there was an alarm, a potential fire indication, for the forward cargo hold.
A replacement Boeing 777-200 registration G-VIIJ was dispatched from London Heathrow to St. John’s as flight BA-9156 but has not yet departed from St. John’s about 5.5 hours after landing.
The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in St. John’s about 18 hours after landing.
A plane returned to Norfolk International Airport (ORF) shortly after taking off on Tuesday because of smoke in the cockpit, officials say. The pilot of the United Express ERJ145 declared an emergency at 6:06 p.m., according to a spokesperson with Norfolk Airport Authority, and landed safely back at ORF nine minutes later. Passengers got off the plane and the airport fire department boarded to inspect the aircraft. Officials say the smoke had dispersed and firefighters could not determine what caused the smoke. The ORF spokesperson says any follow-up investigation into the cause of the smoke would be conducted by United Ground Express.
Emergency crews were called in to the McAllen Miller International Airport after an incoming plane reported smoke in the cabin. Flight 4158 from Dallas arrived at about 8 a.m. Monday. One of the passengers tells CHANNEL 5 NEWS she heard a popping sound then smelled the smoke. Another passenger says he didn’t even notice the problem until he saw the first responders.
American Airlines sent this statement regarding the incident:
“Upon approach, an odor was detected in the cockpit. The flight landed safely and taxied to the gate, where our maintenance team is looking into the issue.”
A Condor Airbus A330-200, registration G-TCCI performing flight DE-2198 from Frankfurt/Main (Germany) to Varadero (Cuba), was enroute at FL360 over the Atlantic Ocean about 350nm northwest of Santiago de Compostela,SP (Spain) when the crew received a smoke indication on board and decided to turn around and divert to Santiago de Compostela. The aircraft descended to FL350 for the return and landed safely on Santiago’s runway 35 about 45 minutes later. The passengers disembarked normally via stairs. The aircraft is currently being examined.
A San Diego flight headed to Denver was delayed for hours Tuesday after smoke could be seen coming from the plane parked at the San Diego International Airport.
A battery-type charger overheated inside a piece of luggage in the cargo bin of a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 at around 11:30 a.m., according to Dan Landson with Southwest Airlines.
“The airline reported smoke coming from the belly of an aircraft while it was parked at one of the gates,” said Rebecca Bloomfield with the San Diego International Airport.
Ramp agents loading luggage onto the plane noticed the issue and removed the overheating bag, Landson told NBC 7. The agents then notified local fire crews for assistance.
The San Diego Harbor Police Department and San Diego Fire-Rescue responded to the airfield, according Mónica Muñoz with SDFD.
By the time SDFD crews arrived at 11:45 a.m., Harbor PD had already put out the smoke, Muñoz said.
Firefighters “assisted with cooling off the electronic device,” Landson told NBC 7.
The Boeing 737 was taken out of service and passengers were loaded onto a different aircraft, Southwest Airlines said.
The trip, originally scheduled with an 11:25 a.m. takeoff, was delayed until 2:40 p.m. Passengers arrived in Denver at 5:45p.m., approximately three hours late.
“The Safety of our Employees and Customers is of utmost importance and we thank our Customers’ patience during this situation,” Landson said in a statement released to NBC 7.
All flights in and out of Newark Airport were temporarily halted Saturday morning when an airline pilot made an emergency landing after smelling smoke. Air Transat Flight 942, a Boeing 737, was on its way from Montreal to Fort Lauderdale when it landed at Newark at 8:20 a.m. It came down on Runway 4 and remained there while airport firefighters responded. All 197 passengers and crew evacuated via emergency slides.
Two passengers sustained “minor injuries” unrelated to the smoke condition, sources said. One complained of pain during the evacuation and a second suffered a panic attack.
“It was my first time on a plane in 29 years,” said one passenger who asked that his name not be printed. “It was a little concerning.”
A Port Authority spokesman said there was no fire when firefighters boarded the plane. It was unclear if there had been smoke but no fire or if a blaze fizzled out. The airport initially closed both of its runways, but reopened one around 9:50 a.m. Both runways were back in use by 11 a.m.
Fire tenders were deployed alongside an Emirates Boeing 777 aircraft on Wednesday afternoon after smoke was seen coming out of its rear doors while it was on the tarmac at Malta International Airport. The incident happened shortly after the plane landed from Dubai/Larnaca. No passengers were on board the aircraft at the time. MIA said no one was injured. Airport operations were temporarily suspended but quickly returned to normal, an airport representative said.
Horizon, a specialist aviation Facebook page, said incoming aircraft were put in holding pattern until the situation was resolved.
An Emirates spokesperson said the plane had developed a technical fault. Engineers were working to clear the flight for its return flight, they said.
“Emirates apologises for the inconvenience caused to our passengers. The safety of our passengers and crew is of the utmost importance,” the spokesperson said.
A military plan had to make an emergency landing at Tulsa International Airport Tuesday afternoon. The aircraft is a Boeing E6 Navy plane. The landing was prompted after a report of smoke in the cabin and loss of cabin pressure. There were 21 people on board and they did deploy the emergency evacuation slide, no one needed medical attention at the scene and it’s not affecting any other operations or flights.
An Air China Boeing 777-300, registration B-2040 performing flight CA-983 from Beijing (China) to Los Angeles,CA (USA) with 188 passengers on board, was enroute at FL330 about 180nm northeast of Anadyr (Russia) when the crew received an aft cargo smoke indication and decided to turn around and divert to Anadyr, where the aircraft landed about 35 minutes later. The aircraft stopped on the runway, an emergency evacuation via slides was initiated. No injuries are being reported. Emergency services did not find any evidence of fire, smoke or heat.
Rosaviatsia reported the crew received an aft cargo smoke indication and diverted to Anadyr landing there 35 minutes later. The aircraft stopped on the runway and was evacuated. Arriving emergency services did not find any evidence of any anomaly in the aft cargo hold. About 2.5 hours after landing the aircraft was towed to the apron. A replacement aircraft was dispatched to Anadyr.
The airline reported the crew followed standard operating procedures following a cargo fire indication. After landing an examination of the aircraft did not reveal any anomaly in the cargo hold, the fire indication was determined to have been false. A replacement aircraft was dispatched to Anadyr.
A replacement Boeing 777-300 registration B-1266 was dispatched to Anadyr, resumed the flight as CA-9983 and is estimated to reach Los Angeles with a delay of about 20 hours.
The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Anadyr about 21 hours after landing.
A British Airways Boeing 777-200, registration G-VIIG performing flight BA-238 from Boston,MA (USA) to London Heathrow,EN (UK), was climbing out of Boston when the crew requested to level off at FL200 while they were investigating an unusual odour in the aft cabin. A few minutes later the crew advised the odour had disappeared and continued the climb, however, the crew again requested to level off at FL280 now reporting there was smoke on board of the aircraft. The crew decided to return to Boston for a safe landing about 55 minutes after departure.
Maintenance identified a faulty air conditioning system as cause of the odour and smoke.
A Skywest Canadair CRJ-900 on behalf of Delta Airlines, registration N549CA performing flight DL-7335 from Detroit,MI to Grand Rapids,MI (USA), was accelerating for takeoff from Detroit’s runway 22L when the crew rejected takeoff due to smoke on board. The aircraft stopped on the runway and was evacuated.
A passenger reported the aircraft was evacuated due to a fire on board.
The airline reported the aircraft suspended takeoff due to a smokey odour on board. The passengers disembarked through all doors and were bussed to the terminal.
A replacement CRJ-700 registration N630SK reached Grand Rapids with a delay of about 14 hours.
An Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-900, registration N224AK performing flight AS-51 from Chicago O’Hare,IL to Seattle,WA (USA) with 144 passengers and 6 crew, was climbing out of Chicago when the crew stopped the climb at FL250 due to an odour of burning plastics on board. The crew subsequently decided to divert to Minneapolis,MN (USA) where the aircraft landed safely. 8 passengers reported feeling ill and were checked at the airport by medical staff. 4 cabin crew were taken to a hospital.
The FAA reported the aircraft diverted to Minneapolis due to air quality issues, four cabin crew were transported to hospital with unknown injuries.
The airline reported 8 passengers were examined for respiratory problems, 4 crew members were hospitalized. The cause of the odour is being investigated.
A Spirit Airlines Airbus A319-100, registration N531NK performing flight NK-424 from Los Angeles,CA to Minneapolis,MN (USA), was enroute at FL330 about 230nm northeast of Las Vegas,NV (USA) when the crew decided to turn around and divert to Las Vegas reporting smoke in the cockpit. The aircraft landed safely on Las Vegas’ runway 26R about 40 minutes later.
The FAA reported three flight attendants were transported to a hospital with unknown injuries.
More than 100 people were evacuated from a Flybe flight at Exeter Airport today after the engine made a loud banging noise and the cabin filled up with smoke. Passengers had boarded the Flybe Embraer plane to the Spanish resort of Alicante and the pilot was preparing to leave when the air in the cabin became hazy.
Two airport fire engines rushed to the plane to investigate the technical problem with the air-conditioning as 100 passengers and five crew members were evacuated. A dramatic video of the evacuation showed people sliding off the plane before being helped to their feet on the Tarmac – and others being carried in people’s arms.
All those onboard BE4321 were returned to the terminal by airport coaches at about 8am. The runway was closed for one hour during the emergency but later reopened.
An Austrian Airlines Airbus A319-100, registration OE-LDG performing flight OS-509 from Vienna (Austria) to Milan Malpensa (Italy), was descending towards Milan when the crew reported a strange smell in the cabin. The aircraft continued for a safe landing on Malpensa’s runway 35R.
The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground in Malpensa for about 6 hours, then departed for flight OS-1472 from Malpensa to Vienna.
An Alaska Airlines Airbus A320-200, registration N621VA performing flihgt AS-1506 from Seattle,WA to Santa Ana,CA (USA), was climbing through FL270 out of Seattle when the crew stopped the climb and decided to return to Seattle reporting an unusual odour on board. The aircraft landed safely back in Seattle about 30 minutes after departure. Three cabin crew were taken to a hospital for a precautionary medical checkup. Emergency services did not detect any odours on entering the aircraft after landing.
The airline reported the cause of the odour is being investigated, the cabin crew were taken to a hospital for precautionary medical evaluation.
A British Airways Airbus A320-200N, registration G-TTNC performing flight BA-706 from London Heathrow,EN (UK) to Vienna (Austria), was climbing out of Heathrow’s runway 09R when the crew stopped the climb at about FL310 due to a cargo smoke indication and decided to turn around and divert to London Stansted,EN (UK), where the aircraft landed safely on runway 22 about 40 minutes after departure. Emergency services found no trace of fire, heat or smoke.
A replacement A320-200 registration G-EUUO reached Vienna with a delay of about 5 hours.
The occurrence aircraft departed Stansted about 18 hours after landing and positioned to Heathrow. The aircraft is still on the ground in Heathrow about 8 hours after landing in Heathrow.
An Easyjet Airbus A320-200, registration G-EZOI performing flight U2-426 from Edinburgh,SC to Bristol,EN (UK), was enroute at FL330 about 60nm northwest of Birmingham,EN (UK) when the crew decided to divert to Birmingham due to a burning electrical odour. The aircraft landed safely on Birmingham’s runway 15 about 30 minutes later.
The airline reported the aircraft diverted due to technical fault, the passengers were bussed to Bristol.
The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground in Birmingham for about 18 hours, then positioned to London Gatwick,EN (UK) and is still on the ground in Gatwick about 12 hours after landing in Gatwick.
A plane has made an emergency landing at Bradley International Airport. The plane had smoke in the cockpit with 138 people on board. The New Haven Register reported that the flight was American Airlines 2250 bound for Chicago and the smoke was reported shortly after takeoff.
Passengers deboarded the aircraft at Gate 25 and emergency services were requested to evaluate at least one passenger, according to CT News Alert. A Bradley spokeswoman told The Hartford Courant that the plane had a mechanical problem and did not impact airport operations. The FAA is investigating the incident.
The airplane took off at 10:47 a.m. and landed at 11:01, according to WFSB 3 TV. Three passengers were treated for smoke inhalation, according to the report.
A Royal Air Maroc (RAM) plane heading to Tunisia made an emergency landing in Algeria yesterday, after thick, white smoke started to emanate from its air vents. The Casablanca-Tunis flight AT570 which was scheduled to arrive at Tunis International Airport at 10:30 a.m., sent a distress signal to land in Algiers.
One of the passengers, who posted photos of the incident on his Facebook account, said that passengers could detect “a strong smell of burning.”
Photos show Algerian police and firefighters handling the situation. Details about the cause of the smoke have not yet been reported.
An American Airlines plane with 57 people on board landed safely at XNA after reports of smoke in the cockpit. Emergency crews were en route to XNA Thursday (Feb. 21) afternoon. Police and fire officials from multiple county agencies were on scene but found no evidence of smoke in the plane’s cockpit.
Flight AA 3768 was flying from Springfield, Missouri to Dallas, Texas. The plane had to take a sudden turn north to make an emergency landing at XNA. Gilbert Neil, the public safety director at XNA, says that the plane had barely reached flying altitude before a flight attendant noticed smoke coming from the plane’s cockpit, causing the plane to be diverted to XNA.
Airport officials said all 57 of the passengers are okay and will reboard the aircraft once maintenance fixes and deems the aircraft safe for flight. The situation was labeled an alert two, which Neil says usually means the plane needs immediate attention.
“If they have something like hydric failure or smoke in the cabin or cockpit that raises to the level where there could be serious issues and they want to get in here and on the ground as soon as they can,” Neil said.
Airport officials said after receiving the report they had first responders and crews waiting and ready for the plane to land just in case of an emergency. Benton County Emergency Management, as well as Rogers Fire, were among the agencies to help.
A Qantas Boeing 737-800, registration VH-VZW performing flight QF-58 from Port Moresby (Papua New Guinea) to Brisbane,QL (Australia), was enroute at FL310 about 100nm eastsoutheast of Cairns,QL (Australia) when the crew decided to divert to Cairns due to an intermittent burning odour on the flight deck. The aircraft landed safely on Cairns’ runway 33 about 22 minutes later.
A passenger reported the crew indicated there was an “on-off smell of an electrical fire on the flight deck”. After landing in Cairns checks were made, about 2 hours later they were informed the cause of the odour was identified as “an oily residue in the air intake”. The aircraft was released to continue the flight and was pushed back, when the left hand engine (CFM56) failed prompting the crew to shut the engine down and have the aircraft returned to the gate. While the aircraft was being pulled back into the gate, the right hand engine failed, too, and was shut down followed by an immediate emergency evacuation via slides.
The airline reported an air-conditioning issue as cause for the diversion to Cairns. While on the ground the captain evacuated the aircraft in the interest of safety, the airline added.
A British Airways Airbus A319-100, registration G-EUPG performing flight BA-1489 from Glasgow,SC to London Heathrow,EN (UK), was descending towards London when the crew observed a burning odour in the cockpit and donned their oxygen masks. A fault message concerning the vent blower occurred, about 5 minutes later a fault message for the vent extract occurred. The aircraft continued for a safe landing on Heathrow’s runway 27L about 10 minutes after the onset of the odour.
The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground for about 44 hours and returned to service on Feb 10th.
A vape pen catches on fire onboard a Delta Airlines flight at LaGuardia Airport. The flight was on the tarmac headed to Houston when passengers noticed smoke coming from an overhead compartment. In an exclusive video by NowThis, flight attendants successfully extinguished the flames. All passengers deplaned the aircraft.
A British Airways Airbus A320-200, registration G-EUUP performing flight BA-993 from Berlin Tegel (Germany) to London Heathrow,EN (UK), was enroute at FL360 near Amsterdam when the crew reported that there had been fumes briefly on the flight deck, which quickly dissipated, however, strong fumes occurred in the cabin prompting cabin crew to don their smoke hoods, one cabin crew became sick. The aircraft continued to London for a safe landing on runway 27R.
Sources tell The Aviation Herald, that there had been a fume event also on the outbound flight BA-992 from Heathrow to Tegel.
The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground at Heathrow Airport for about 26 hours, then resumed service.
A Skywest Canadair CRJ-900 on behalf of Delta Airlines, registration N896SK performing flight OO-3863/DL-3863 from Salt Lake City,UT to Billings,MT (USA), was accelerating for takeoff from Salt Lake City’s runway 35 when the crew rejected takeoff at high speed. The aircraft slowed safely and came to a stop about 2000 meters/6600 feet down the runway. Emergency services responded and checked the aircraft. About 6 minutes after the rejected takeoff the aircraft vacated the runway and taxied to the apron.
A replacement Canadair CRJ-700 registration N641CA reached Billings with a delay of about 2 hours.
A passenger reported following the rejected takeoff the captain announced they had stopped due to an aft lavatory smoke alarm. There had been some smoke, however, they would return to the apron and disembark there. The passenger added the captain had also made an announcement he didn’t want to jinx the passengers, however, the aircraft had been in the hangar prior to departure, so that they were able to immediately depart without the necessisity to de-ice and thus would bypass other aircraft waiting to be de-iced.
A passenger has described the terrifying moment a plane filled with smoke after a bright flash from one of its engines. The FlyBe plane was flying from Manchester to Luxembourg when there was a “flash” on the left hand side of the aircraft followed by “smoke in the cabin”. The plane, a propeller-driven Bombardier Dash 8 Q400, was diverted to Birmingham Airport where it landed “awkwardly” on one engine this afternoon, Thursday, February 7.
Mo Millward, who was on board the flight, tweeted from the plane saying how those on board had been “panicking” as they “didn’t know what was wrong”.
She said they “shut an engine down” before landing “awkwardly”.
The fire brigade then checked the plane for any damage, later tweeted that the brigade had “found something leaking”.
Other passengers praised the pilot and crew on board for their response.
A FlyEgypt Boeing 737-800, registration SU-TMG performing flight FT-241 from Alexandria (Egypt) to Kuwait City (Kuwait), was climbing out of Alexandria when the crew donned their oxygen masks, stopped the climb at FL230 and decided to divert to Cairo reporting the smell of smoke in the cockpit. The aircraft landed safely on Cairo’s runway 05R about 35 minutes after departure from Alexandria.
A replacement Boeing 737-800 registration SU-TMK reached Kuwait City with a delay of about 9 hours.
The occurrence aircraft performed a positioing flight FT-9005 from Cairo to Alexandria about 34 hours after landing, but still has not returned to service about 45 hours after landing in Cairo.
A holiday jet has made an emergency landing at Shannon Airport this evening after the crew reported smoke in the cockpit over the Atlantic. Five people were taken to University Hospital Limerick for treatment. It is understood they include four cabin crew members and a passenger who were reported to be suffering from smoke inhalation.
Condor flight DE-2116 was travelling from Frankfurt, Germany to Cancun in Mexico with 337 passengers and crew on board. The flight was about two hours west of Ireland when the crew issued a May-Day radio distress call and made a U-turn. It is understood the crew reported they had detected smoke in the cockpit and requested clearance to turn around and divert to Shannon.
On the ground, airport authorities implemented Shannon Airport’s emergency plan which also involved alerting the National Ambulance Service, local authority fire service and An Garda. Three units of Clare County Fire and Rescue Service were dispatched to the airport from Shannon Town. Additional units from Ennis were also mobilised to the airport. The National Ambulance Service sent a number of resources including ambulances and advanced paramedic response vehicles.
The flight landed safely at 7.13pm and was pursued along the runway by crash crews. The aircraft taxied to the apron close to the terminal building where fire crews used thermal imaging cameras to search for hotspots in the fuselage. A further inspection was carried out internally however it’s understood that no evidence of fire was found.
A Germania Airbus A321-200, registration D-ASTP performing flight ST-3712 from Nuremberg (Germany) to Las Palmas,CI (Spain), was climbing out of Nuremberg’s runway 28 when the crew stopped the climb at FL130 reporting smoke in the cockpit and decided to return to Nuremberg. The aircraft landed safely on Nuremberg’s runway 28 about 30 minutes after departure.
A replacement A319-100 registration D-ASTY reached Las Palmas with a delay of about 7:15 hours.
The occurrence aircraft returned to service the following day after about 21 hours on the ground. Maintenance found and replaced a device for the inflight entertainment system showing evidence of a short circuit.
An American Airlines flight to Newark, New Jersey returned to Miami International Airport due to the smell of smoke in the cockpit.
The aircraft, a Boeing 737-800 with 149 passengers and a crew of six landed safely and taxied to the gate.
Two pilots and three flight attendants requested medical attentionand one flight attendant asked to be taken to the hospital as a precaution. No passengers requested medical attention.
The aircraft is was checked out by an airline maintenance team to determine where the smell originated.
Passengers were put on another plane for the trip north.
An Aeroflot Airbus A320-200, registration VP-BMF performing flight SU-2097 from Belgrade (Serbia) to Moscow Sheremetyevo (Russia) with 99 passengers, was climbing through FL300 out of Belgrade when the crew detected smoke and a burning odour in the cocpit, cabin crew also reported smoke and a burning odour in the forward section of the cabin. The crew decided to divert to Budapest for a safe landing on runway 31R about 15 minutes after stopping the climb at about FL300.
The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Budapest abot 27 hours after landing.
A Virgin Australia Boeing 737-800, registration VH-VOT performing flight VA-938 from Brisbane,QL to Sydney,NS (Australia) with 170 people on board, was enroute at FL320 about 70nm northwest of Newcastle,NS (Australia) when the crew received a cargo smoke indication and decided to divert to Newcastle. The aircraft landed safely on Newcastle’s runway 12 about 20 minutes later. The passengers disembarked normally and were bussed to Sydney.
The airline reported the aircraft diverted to Newcastle due to a warning indication in the cargo hold.
The occurrence aircraft positioned to Melbourne,VI (Australia) departing Newcastle about 7 hours after landing, but has not yet resumed service about 19 hours after landing in Newcastle.
A Norra Nordic Regional Airlines Avions de Transport Regional ATR-72-212A on behalf of Finnair, registration OH-ATK performing flight AY-1031 from Helsinki (Finland) to Tallinn (Estonia) with 41 passengers and 4 crew, landed on Tallinn’s runway 26 when immediately after touchdown smoke appeared in the cockpit prompting the crew to declare Mayday. The aircraft vacated the runway and subsequently stopped clear of the runway. The aircraft was evacuated. There were no injuries, the damage to the aircraft is being assessed.
The airline reported the aircraft was taxiing when smoke in the cockpit prompting the crew to evacuate the aircraft.
On Feb 1st 2019 The Aviation Herald learned a relay for anti-ice overheated nearly causing a fire in the cockpit just after touchdown (and not after vacating the runway as initially had transpired) emitting a lot of smoke. Estonian and Finnish Accident Investigation Boards were notified of the occurrence.
A Delta flight to Los Angeles International Airport landed at John F. Kennedy International Airport Thursday night after the “pilot declared an emergency,” a Federal Aviation Administration spokesman said.
Delta Air Lines Flight 1975 landed at JFK around 9:20 p.m., officials said.
Possible smoke was reported in the cockpit, an FAA spokesman said.
“We just turned around right after takeoff to make an emergency landing,” one passenger tweeted.
The passengers of Finnair flight AY1031, operated by regional carrier Norra, were evacuated on Wednesday evening after their aircraft’s cabin filled with smoke, daily Postimees reported on Thursday.
The twin-engine ATR 72-500 turboprop aircraft left Helsinki at 20.35 on Wednesday evening and arrived in Tallinn at 21.10. There were 41 passengers on board, the Baltic News Service reported.
According to a statement released by Finnair, the pilots noticed smoke in the cabin already during the plane’s approach and made the decision to evacuate all passengers on the runway immediately after landing.
All the passengers made it safely off the plane, the statement said.
The aircraft will now undergo a thorough inspection. The Finnish Safety Investigation Authority has been notified of the incident.
One of the passengers said on their Instagram account that thanks to the incident, they now know how to open the emergency exits of aircraft. The passenger also noted that there were “sparks” in the cabin along with the smoke.
A JetBlue flight was forced to make an emergency landing in Orlando Wednesday after six people needed medical attention after possibly being exposed to dangerous fumes.
According to The Orlando Sentinel, JetBlue Flight 198 departed from Orlando International Airport at 6:30 a.m. local time en route to LaGuardia Airport in New York City when the plane turned around and returned to Florida an hour later.
The captain of the flight carrying 88 people detected fumes in the cockpit and called for the plane to return to Orlando, but scheduled flights at the airport were not impacted.
Orlando International Airport spokeswoman Carolyn Fennell said three JetBlue crew members and three passengers asked to be medically evaluated by the airport fire department and were examined by doctors.
The cause of the fumes has not yet been determined.
JetBlue officials issued a statement about the incident:
“Shortly after departure, JetBlue Flight 198 from Orlando to New York LaGuardia returned to the airport out of an abundance of caution after the crew reported an odor. The aircraft will be inspected before returning to service, and flight 198 will continue on a different aircraft.”
A mid-air assault forced the captain of an easyJet flight from Manchester to Iceland to divert to Edinburgh. The firm confirmed flight EZY1805 to Keflavik was met by police in the Scottish capital at 17:03 GMT and a “disruptive passenger” was removed.
One witness told BBC News the passenger had smashed his phone, resulting in smoke coming from its battery before “a guy jumped out to stop it setting fire to the plane”.
There are no reports of any injuries.
The Airbus-A320 departed Manchester at 16:07, Flightradar 24 data revealed. EasyJet said the plane was carrying 141 passengers, plus six crew members including two pilots and four cabin crew.
At 16:40 and just north of Glasgow, the plane turned and flew towards Edinburgh, where it landed at 17:03.
The witness said: “Some drunk bloke kicked off and assaulted another passenger.
“When he realised we were landing in Scotland to arrest him, he kicked off and smashed his phone up.
“This snapped the battery which started smoking on the aisle floor.”
In a statement easyJet said: “We can confirm that flight EZY1805 from Manchester to Keflavik was required to divert to Edinburgh and was met by police on arrival due to a passenger behaving disruptively.
“Our cabin crew are trained to assess and evaluate all situations and to act quickly and appropriately to ensure that the safety of the flight and other passengers is not compromised at any time.
“Whilst such incidents are rare we take them very seriously and do not tolerate abusive or threatening behaviour onboard.
“The safety and wellbeing of passengers and crew is always easyJet’s priority.”
A CSA Czech Airlines Airbus A319-100, registration OK-MEL performing flight OK-803 from Bucharest Otopeni (Romania) to Prague (Czech Republic), was climbing out of Bucharest when the crew noticed vibrations from the floor at the cockpit and the forward galley associated with low frequency noise that appeared to originate from the air conditioning system. The crew continued the flight as planned. During the descent into Prague the vibrations and sound suddenly ceased, however an odour of burning wires and light haze appeared in the cockpit. A short time later a “VENT BLOWER FAULT” was displayed on the ECAM. The crew carried out the ECAM actions, the odour and haze disappeared. The aircraft continued for a safe landing in Prague and taxied to the gate, where passengers disembarked normally.
In their fourth quarter 2018 bulletin Czechia’s UZPLN reported the air conditioning “BLOWER FAN” was replaced.
An Air France Boeing 777-300, registration F-GZNG performing flight AF-792 from Paris Orly (France) to Pointe-a-Pitre (Guadeloupe), was enroute at FL340 over the Atlantic about 330nm west of Lajes, Azores Islands (Portugal) when the crew declared emergency and decided to turn around and divert to Lajes reporting a burning odour on board. The aircraft landed safely on Lajes’ runway 15 about 80 minutes after the decision to divert and taxied to the apron, where the passengers disembarked normally.
A replacement Boeing 777-300 registration F-GSQN positioned from Paris Charles de Gaulle (France) to Lajes, continued the flight and reached Pointe-a-Pitre with a delay of about 15 hours.
The occurrence aircraft departed Lajes after about 20 hours on the ground and returned to Paris Orly. The aircraft is still on the ground in Paris about 4 hours after landing.
A Lufthansa Airbus A320-200, registration D-AIWB performing flight LH-2135 from Muenster to Munich (Germany), was on final approach to Munich’s runway 08L when the crew declared Mayday reporting they had a strong acid odour in the cockpit, they were able to continue landing. The aircraft touched down on runway 08L about 3 minutes later. Emergency services reported they could not observe anything out of the ordinary. The aircraft taxied to the apron.
The aircraft remained on the ground for about 10:45 hours, then returned to service.
Several area fire departments responded to a FedEx plane that landed at the Huntington Tri-State Airport with smoke in the cabin Thursday evening. According to Ceredo Fire Chief Rob Robson, no one was injured.
The plane, which was scheduled to land at the Tri-State Airport around 5 p.m., was scanned nose-to-tail with thermal cameras upon landing and the cargo was unloaded. No issues were detected and the plane was turned over to airport maintenance.
Consistent with the procedure in place for an emergency on the airfield, Ceredo, Kenova, Prichard and Lavalette fire departments and EMS responded, as well as England Hill from Boyd County, Kentucky, and Marathon Fire Department.
A British Airways Boeing 747-400, registration G-CIVO performing flight BA-212 from Boston,MA (USA) to London Heathrow,EN (UK), was enroute at FL390 about 100nm north of Moncton,NB (Canada) when the crew donned their oxygen masks, declared Mayday reporting smoke in the cockpit and decided to return to Boston. The aircraft descended to FL380 for the return and landed safely on Boston’s runway 33L about one hour later, the flight crew was still on oxygen masks until after landing. The aircraft vacated the runway and taxied to the apron. All crew were taken to a hospital for checks.
A passenger reported the aircraft returned to Boston due to smoke in the cockpit, they had no lights on the way back to Boston.
Initial information received by The Aviation Herald suggested the aircraft allegedly had experienced fumes in cockpit and cabin. All 10 crew were taken to hospitals.
The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Boston about 21 hours after landing.
A British Airways Airbus A380-800, registration G-XLEK performing flight BA-208 (dep Jan 20th) from Miami,FL (USA) to London Heathrow,EN (UK), was enroute over the Atlantic Ocean when a passenger travelling on the upper deck and carrying his mobile phone, a Samsung Note 4, in a pocket of his shirt, felt his smartphone was becoming hot, took it out of the pocket, opened the battery cover and saw the battery catching fire. The passenger dropped smartphone and battery onto the floor, where the battery burned into the carpet. Thick smoke developed. The passenger poured some Coke over the smartphone, cabin crew quickly arrived and put the battery into a bucket of water, then secured it in a secure container. The crew continued to London for a safe landing.
The aircraft remained on the ground in London for about 4:50 hours, then departed for flight BA-209 to San Francisco.
Two passengers reported independently about the occurrence, each observed different details of the summarizing narrative above.
Lithium-ion batteries were the cause of a fire in the baggage compartment of a WestJet flight that had to make an emergency landing soon after taking off from Calgary last June, according to a Transportation Safety Board report. WestJet Flight 113 took off for Vancouver with 53 passengers on board just after 6:30 a.m. on June 14, 2018. It had reached an elevation of about 3,000 metres — 9,000 feet — when a fire warning light came on. Flight crew followed the cargo fire procedure, remotely discharging a fire extinguishing bottle in the cargo hold, then declaring a mayday and turning back to Calgary. The plane landed about 10 minutes later and was inspected by fire crews.
“No visual signs of fire were noted, and no hot spots were detected by infrared camera imaging,” reads the TSB report.
Passengers and crew members were removed from the plane before the cargo doors were opened. When the cargo doors were opened, a bag was found, face down, showing signs of fire damage. Fire damage was also found near the bag on the fire-resistant liner of the cargo compartment.
“The fire did not penetrate the cargo liner or aluminum floor structure and was contained to an area of approximately 24 inches by 24 inches,” reads the report.
“The burnt bag was offloaded and segregated, and then all other passenger baggage were offloaded.”
The cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder were sent to a lab in Ottawa, which showed that other than the indicator light, crew members had no other warnings or alarms. The passenger whose bag caught fire flew frequently for business purposes, according to the report, and was aware of WestJet’s policy against putting lithium-ion in checked luggage.
“The passenger … inadvertently packed two spare lithium-ion batteries for his e-cigarette … in the front pocket of the bag. The pocket also contained a dry herb vaporizer, a portable speaker, and USB cables,” reads the report.
“The passenger arrived at the airport and checked his bag in. He took his e-cigarette and two other lithium-ion batteries into the passenger cabin, as required by WestJet’s policy on e-cigarettes.
“The checked bag proceeded through the passenger baggage security screening and was loaded into the aircraft’s lower aft baggage compartment, while still containing the two spare lithium-ion batteries.”
A Nordstar Boeing 737-300, registration VP-BKT performing flight Y7-404 from Norilsk to Moscow Domodedovo (Russia) with 120 passengers and 8 crew, was climbing through FL300 out of Norilsk when the crew stopped the climb due to a burning odour on board followed by the activation of a smoke detector. The aircraft returned to Norilsk for a safe landing about 45 minutes after departure.
The West Siberian Investigation Department of Transport reported the aircraft returned to Norilsk due to false triggering of a sensor.
Rosaviatsia reported the aircraft returned to Norilsk due to a odour of burning wires and the activation of a smoke sensor on board as result of a generator failure.
The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Norilsk about 20 hours after landing back.
An Icelandair Boeing 757-200, registration TF-ISK performing flight FI-441 from Manchester,EN (UK) to Keflavik (Iceland), was enroute at FL380 about 75nm southwest of Glasgow,SC (UK) when the crew decided to divert to Glasgow reporting a burning odour in the cabin. The aircraft landed safely on Glasgow’s runway 23 about 25 minutes later.
Maintenance determined a seat box was the source of the odour, removed that seat box, de-activated the inflight entertainment system and returned the aircraft to service.
The aircraft was able to depart Glasgow after about 4 hours on the ground and reached Keflavik with a delay of 4 hours.
Etihad Airways passengers have spoken out over their terror after seeing smoke engulf the cabin on a flight to Abu Dhabi. The flight was forced to turn back to Manchester Airport in the North West after the traumatic scenes unfolded.
Breaking their silence over the incident, passengers of flight EY22 revealed they returned shortly after take off due to a technical fault. The pilot turned back to Manchester Airport after around 30 minutes in the air. It came after smoke billowed through the cabin following a noise at the rear of the plane.
One traveller said: “The plane was on the runway and then there was an explosion.
A spokesman for Etihad Airways said there was a technical issue with the ‘cabin pressurisation system’.
Passengers were put up in a hotel for the night and placed on a rescheduled flight on Tuesday morning.
A spokesman from Etihad said: “Etihad Airways confirms that flight EY22, Manchester to Abu Dhabi on 14 January returned to Manchester Airport shortly after take-off, due to a technical issue associated with the cabin pressurisation system.
A Cargolux Boeing 747-8, registration LX-VCJ performing flight CV-7303 from Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) to Zhengzhou (China), was climbing out of Kuala Lumpur’s runway 32R when the crew donned their oxygen masks, declared emergency reporting smoke and fire in the cockpit, stopped the climb at FL150 and returned to Kuala Lumpur for a safe landing on runway 32R about 35 minutes after departure and stopped on the runway. Emergency services responded.
The airline reported the aircraft returned to Kuala Lumpur shortly after takeoff after the crew had reported the presence of fire and smoke in the cockpit. The aircraft landed safely, the runway was temporarily blocked while emergency services attended to the aircraft. The crew was able to leave the aircraft unharmed. Authorities have been informed, the airline is fully cooperating with the investigation.
Malaysia Airports in charge of Kuala Lumpur Airport reported Cargolux flight CV-7303 performed an emergency landing on runway 32R closing the runway temporarily. The aircraft landed safely, nobody was injured. Delays were to be expected as result of the runway closure. About 2 hours later the aircraft informed passengers that the runway was open again.
An Air Canada Airbus A319-100, registration C-GAQL performing flight AC-202 from Vancouver,BC to Calgary,AB (Canada) with 110 passengers and 5 crew, was climbing out of Vancouver when the crew stopped the climb at 12,000 feet declaring PAN PAN PAN reporting the smell of smoke on the flight deck. The aircraft returned to Vancouver for a safe landing on runway 08L about 25 minutes after departure.
The Canadian TSB reported the crew reported smoke and an odour on the flight deck. Maintenance was unable to find the source of the problem and returned the aircraft to service.
An American Airlines Airbus A320-200, registration N604AW performing flight AA-1897 from Philadelphia,PA to Fort Lauderdale,FL (USA) with 137 passengers and 5 crew, was descending towards Fort Lauderdale when an unusual odour was noticed on board. The aircraft continued for a safe landing in Fort Lauderdale.
The airline reported no passengers required medical attention, both pilots and all three flight attendants complained about the odour and requested to be taken to a hospital. The crew was examined and discharged. The cause of the odour is under investigation.
The return flight was cancelled. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Fort Lauderdale about 7 hours after landing.
A passenger’s e-cigarette battery overheated and exploded, causing a fire to break out on an American Airlines flight on Friday night.
Confirmed by the airline, crew aboard Flight 168 from Las Vegas to Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport were forced to stamp out the small blaze in the plane’s cabin on December 4.
None of the 144 passengers and crew on board the vessel were injured and plane safely taxied to the gate.
E-cigarettes have been strictly prohibited by the US Transportation Department in checked luggage, because of their potential to suddenly catch fire. Passengers are permitted to carry them in their hand-luggage, but they cannot be used during the flight.
‘We are thankful for our flight attendants who quickly put their training to use to keep our passengers safe’, American Airlines spokeswoman Leslie Scott said in an statement
In July, a co-pilot of an Air China flight caused a plane to plummet nearly 20,000 ft after smoking an e-cigarette in the cockpit and accidentally switching off the air-conditioning system.’
According to the airline he had allegedly been trying to turn off air recycling fans to prevent the vapor from spreading into the passenger cabin.
A few months later in October, a Paris-bound Pegasuses Airline flight was forced to make an emergency landing in Croatia, after a passenger’s e-cigarette suddenly burst into flames and caused smoke alarms in the cabin to go off.
Though it’s considered rare for a vape pen or e-cigarette to catch fire, a recent report by Consumer Affairs suggests that federal and aviation agencies may be underestimating the number of burns, injuries, and explosions created by e-cigarette technology.
A Sunexpress Deutschland Boeing 737-800, registration D-ASXJ performing flight XG-4665 from Nuremberg (Germany) to Hurghada (Egypt), was climbing out of Nuremberg when the crew stopped the climb at about FL270 reporting smoke in the cockpit and diverted to Munich (Germany) for a safe landing on runway 26R about 30 minutes after departure.
The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Munich about 13 hours after landing. The flight was cancelled as was the return flight XG-4824 to Cologne (Germany).
A Republic Airways Embraer ERJ-175 on behalf of Delta Airlines, registration N201JQ performing flight DL-6024 from Raleigh/Durham,NC to Boston,MA (USA), was enroute at FL350 about 90nm southwest of New York JFK,NY (USA) when the crew donned their oxygen masks, reported a fire indication on board and decided to divert to New York JFK, where the aircraft landed safely on runway 31L about 17 minutes later. Emergency services were requested to check the exterior of the aircraft for any signs of fire, the aircraft subsequently taxied to the apron.
The aircraft authority reported the aircraft diverted to JFK due to a fire indication, emergency services checked the aircraft and found an overheated coffee pot as cause.
An American Airlines Airbus A321-200, registration N103NN performing flight AA-9240 from Phoenix,AZ to New York JFK,NY (USA), was climbing out of Phoenix when the crew stopped the climb at about 8500 feet due to smoke in the cabin and returned to Phoenix for a safe landing about 20 minutes after departure.
The airline reported a similiar problem occurred again, an electrical odour from the chiller occurred although maintenance had worked to resolve the problem. A faulty fan is being suspectede as cause of the odour.
A Royal Brunei Airlines Airbus A320-200N, registration V8-RBD performing flight BI-636 from Hong Kong (China) to Bandar Seri Begawan (Brunei), was enroute when a passenger’s powerbank suffered a thermal runaway and emitted smoke. Flight attendants discharged a fire extinguisher onto the battery and put it into a secure container. The flight crew continued the flight to destination for a safe landing.
The airline confirmed a power bank incident resulting in no harm to passengers and crew. The occurence aircraft is still on the ground in Brunei about 8.5 hours after landing.
An Azul Linhas Aereas Avions de Transport Regional ATR-72-212A, registration PR-AQZ performing flight AD-2824 from Recife,PE to Maceio,AL (Brazil) with 48 passengers and 4 crew, was descending towards Maceio when the crew observed noise and sparks from the rack behind the first officer, smoke developed. The crew donned their oxygen masks, declared Mayday, worked the related checklists and continued for a safe landing in Maceio.
Brazil’s CENIPA reported there were no injuries, the aircraft sustained minor damage. The occurrence was rated a serious incident and is being investigated.
An American Airlines Airbus A321-200, registration N103NN performing flight AA-10 from Los Angeles,CA to New York JFK,NY (USA) with 97 people on board, was enroute at FL350 about 100nm north of Phoenix,AZ when the crew reported smoke in the cabin and decided to divert to Phoenix. The aircraft landed safely on Phoenix’s runway 08 about 25 minutes later.
A passenger reported there was a sudden burst of smoke in the cabin shortly followed by an announcement by the crew to prepare for landing, they were diverting to Phoenix.
The occurrence aircraft is estimated to continue the journey but so far is still on the ground in Phoenix about 11 hours after landing in Phoenix.
Two crew members aboard an Allegiant Airlines plane were evaluated for smoke inhalation after the plane reported smoke in the cockpit after the plane landed at Grand Junction Regional Airport Wednesday morning.
Officials at the airport described what happened as a “minor incident”, saying the report of smoke came after the plane landed, and that no passengers were affected by the incident.
The plane was Allegiant Flight AAY14, that came in from Las Vegas Wednesday morning. The incident will delay the afternoon departure from Grand Junction to Las Vegas on Allegiant Air.
An Indigo Airbus A320-200, registration VT-INY performing flight 6E-6373 from Delhi to Ahmedabad (India), was descending towards Ahmedabad when smoke developed in cockpit and cabin. The crew declared PAN PAN PAN and continued for a safe landing in Ahmedabad. The airline reported an unusual odour on board, which was determined to have been caused by a minor technical glitch, which was rectified before the next flight. The aircraft remained on the ground for about 5 hours, then continued service.
Passengers who had boarded a Mangaluru-bound Jet Airways flight on Thursday morning spent anxious moments after smoke was detected in the airplane while it was readying for departure. The technical snag forced the airline to ask passengers to disembark and make alternative arrangements to accommodate them on other flights. There were 71 passengers on-board, which included U.T. Khader, Minister for Urban Development and Housing.
Mr. Khader’s aide told The Hindu that the 7 a.m. Jet Airways ATR aircraft travelling from Bengaluru to Mangaluru developed a technical snag as it was leaving the departure bay.
The flight was immediately brought back to the bay. The airline arranged an alternative aircraft that left Bengaluru at 8.45 a.m. Mr. Khader was to receive President Ramnath Kovind at the Mangaluru International Airport on his way to Udupi.
A spokesperson from the airline said, “Jet Airways flight 9W 713was delayed due to a technical snag, while parked at bay, prior to departure.The airline regrets the inconvenience caused to its guests.”
A British Airways Airbus A320-200, registration G-GATH performing flight BA-2578 from London Gatwick,EN (UK) to Turin (Italy), was enroute at FL350 about 25nm southwest of Paris (France) when the crew decided to divert to Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport reporting a burning odour in the cockpit. The aircraft landed safely in Charles de Gaulle’s runway 08R about 25 minutes later. A replacement A320-200 registration G-GATM is estimated to reach Turin with a delay of about 5 hours.
A Lufthansa Cityline Embraer ERJ-190, registration D-AECI performing flight LH-843 from Billund (Denmark) to Frankfurt/Main (Germany) with 90 people on board, was enroute at FL230 about 50nm north of Hamburg (Germany) when the crew decided to divert to Hamburg due to a burning odour on board the aircraft. The aircraft landed safely on Hamburg’s runway 23 about 18 minutes later. Emergency services found no trace of fire or smoke but located the source of heat and odour: a coffeemaker which had suffered a short.
The airline reported the remainder of the flight was cancelled, the passengers were rebooked onto other flights. The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground in Hamburg for about 6.5 hours, then positioned to Frankfurt and resumed service.
An Air Transat Boeing 737-800, registration C-GZEH performing flight TS-41 from Paris Orly (France) to Toronto,ON (Canada) with 2 crew, was initiating the takeoff run from Orly with the crew adjusting power to set TOGA when thick white smoke appeared in the cockpit prompting the crew to reject takeoff, the smoke dissipated as soon as the power levers were brought to idle. The aircraft vacated the runway and returned to the apron.
The Canadian TSB reported the aircraft (MSN 2615, former tail number F-GZHE) was on its very first flight for Air Transat and was positioning to Toronto for delivery. The previous operator’s maintenance had prepared the aircraft but had overserviced the engine oil levels of both engines. Both engine oil reservoirs were drained in accordance with the aircraft maintenance manuals and an idle run leak check was completed with no anomaly.
A China Southern Airlines Airbus A321-200, registration B-6683 performing flight CZ-369 from Penang (Malaysia) to Guangzhou (China), was climbing out of Penang’s runway 04 when the crew stopped the climb at 9000 feet due to passenger’s powerbank, stored in the passenger’s luggage in the overhead locker above seats 43ABC, emitting smoke. Cabin crew donned their smoke hoods and discharged two fire extinguishers into the overhead locker while the flight crew returned the aircraft to Penang. Cabin crew managed to put the fire out and secure the device, the flight crew aborted the first approach at 3000 feet, entered a hold at 5000 feet, later 7000 feet, to burn off fuel and landed safely back in Penang about 2:20 hours after departure.
The aircraft remained on the ground for about 10.5 hours, then departed again maintaining a maximum cruise level FL290 and is estimated to reach Guangzhou with a delay of about 13 hours.
A Spirit Airlines Airbus A320-200, registration N653NK performing flight NK-395 from Philadelphia,PA to Las Vegas,NV (USA) with 71 people on board, was enroute at FL380 about 150nm east of Denver,CO (USA) when the flight crew donned their oxygen masks reporting fumes on board and diverted to Denver and requested medical services to await the aircraft on landing. The aircraft landed on runway 16L about 30 minutes later and taxied to the gate with the flight crew still on their oxygen masks.
Three passengers and two cabin crew reported feeling ill. Emergency services attending to the aircraft detected carbon monoxide on board of the aircraft and treated all five injured at the gate. The passengers refused transport to a hospital, the two cabin crew were taken to the hospital.
A replacement A321-200 registration N678NK reached Las Vegas with a delay of about 3 hours.
A Jazz Canadair CRJ-900, registration C-FNJZ performing flight QK-8668 from Vancouver,BC (Canada) to San Diego,CA (USA) with 79 people on board, was in the initial climb out of Vancouver’s runway 26L when the crew received a “WING ANTI-ICE FAULT” message, noticed a burning odour and noticed a puff of smoke coming from the wing anti-ice circuit breaker. The smoke quickly dissipated again, the crew did not need to don their oxygen masks, however, levelled off at 3000 feet and returned to Vancouver for a safe landing on runway 26L about 14 minutes after departure.
The Canadian TSB reported the screw securing both DC bus bar and Feeder bus bar from circuit breaker D6 to D7 was found several turns short of being tightened causing high resistance and arcing. The circuit breakers as well as the bus bars were replaced, all attaching screws were torqued.
A Lufthansa Airbus A340-300, registration D-AIGV performing flight LH-489 (dep Jun 23rd) from San Jose,CA (USA) to Frankfurt/Main (Germany), was enroute over the Atlantic Ocean in Canadian Airspace, when a powerbank in the cabin of the aircraft suffered a thermal runaway and caught fire. Cabin crew quickly extinguished the flames and cooled the device down before securing it in a safe container. The aircraft continued the flight to destination for a safe landing without further incidents.
On Jul 24th 2018 the Canadian TSB reported Germany’s BFU notified the TSB of the occurrence, the BFU have retrieved the power bank.
On Dec 19th 2018 the BFU released their June Bulletin (usually due mid August) briefly stating the occurrence is being investigated by the BFU. After about 4 hours enroute an accessory battery stored in a passenger’s rucksack inflamed emitting lots of smoke. The cockpit crew donned their oxygen masks, cabin crew used halon fire extinguishers, put the fire out, cooled the battery down and kept it under surveillance for the remainder of the flight. About 30 minutes later the flight crew removed their oxygen masks and continued the flight to destination. Two passengers were treated for shock after landing in Frankfurt.
An American Airlines Airbus A330-200, registration N282AY performing flight AA-793 from Philadelphia,PA to Charlotte,NC (USA) with 98 people on board, was in the initial climb out of Philadelphia’s runway 09L in contact with departure cleared to 10,000 feet, when the crew reported “Philly, we have a problem”, they had levelled off at 4000 feet and needed to return to Philadelphia. When departure queried about their problem the crew explained “we are squawking 7700”. The crew subsequently donned their oxygen masks, communication problems arose prompting departure to query whether they were on oxygen, which the crew affirmed advising only the flight deck was on oxygen. The aircraft returned to Philadelphia for a safe landing on runway 09R about 10 minutes after departure, the crew advised they were taxiing to the gate, no assistance was required from emergency services unless they saw something. Emergency services reported they could not see anything unusual, the aircraft continued taxi to the gate with emergency services in trail.
A passenger reported there had been an unusual smell in the cabin prior to departure. After departure cabin crew announced there were fumes in the cockpit and the flight crew was on oxygen, they were returning to Philadelphia.
A replacement A330-200 registration N286AY reached Charlotte with a delay of 6.5 hours.
A LaGuardia-bound plane made an emergency landing at Newark Liberty International Airport after the flight crew reported smoke in the cockpit, the Federal Aviation Administration said. The Embraer 175 Aircraft took off from Louisville, Kentucky and was en route to LaGuardia, but rerouted to Newark “after the flight crew declared an emergency due to a report of smoke in the cockpit,” the FAA said.
The plane landed at Newark Airport at 12:15 p.m., according to the FAA. The incident is under investigation, the FAA said.
An Indigo Airbus A320-200N, registration VT-ITR performing flight 6E-237 from Jaipur to Kolkata (India) with 136 people on board, was descending towards Kolkata about 38nm from Kolkata when smoke developed in cabin and cockpit of the aircraft prompting the crew to declare emergency. The aircraft continued to Kolkata for a safe landing on runway 01R and taxied to a remote stand on the apron. A number of passengers opened the aft exits and slid down the evacuation slides, most of the passengers disembarked normally via stairs.
India’s DGCA reported the crew declared emergency due to smoke in cockpit and cabin and landed safely. On request by the captain the aircraft proceeded to an isolation bay where the aft slides deployed and some passengers evacuated. Other passengers disembarked via the stairs at the forward door. There were no injuries. The DGCA have opened an investigation.
The airline reported there was smoke in cockpit and cabin, the aircraft performed a safe emergency landing into Kolkata. On reaching the bay a few passengers evacuated via the aft slides, most passengers disembarked via the stairs. There had been no technical malfunction of the aircraft prior to the flight.
An easyJet plane was forced to land at Bristol Airport after a smoke smell filled the cabin yesterday (December 5). The EZY7123 flight had been scheduled to land in Alicante at 8.15pm, after departing from Liverpool just after 4.30pm. However, shortly after take-off, the plane was diverted and landed at Bristol due to a “technical issue”. Although the plane landed safely, a replacement aircraft operated the route from Bristol to Alicante while engineers investigate.
A spokesperson for the airline said: “easyJet can confirm that flight EZY7123 from Liverpool to Alicante diverted to Bristol due to a technical issue with the aircraft resulting in a smoke smell in the cabin.
“The aircraft landed safely and passengers disembarked normally.
“A replacement aircraft will operate the flight from Bristol to Alicante whilst engineers are investigating the technical issue on the original aircraft.
“Passengers are being provided with information and refreshment vouchers and we would like to apologise for the inconvenience caused.
“The safety of its passengers and crew is easyJet’s highest priority and easyJet operates its fleet of aircraft in strict compliance with all manufacturers’ guidelines.”
An Joon Airbus A340-300 on behalf of Air France, registration F-GLZN performing flight AF-218 from Paris Charles de Gaulle (France) to Mumbai (India) with 237 people on board, was enroute at FL350 about 40nm eastnortheast of Kuwait City (Kuwait) when the crew donned their oxygen masks and declared emergency reporting they had a lot of smoke in the cabin. The crew requested runway 33R at Kuwait and full emergency services present at the runway. Kuwait Airport sent all other arrivals into holding patterns. The aircraft landed on runway 33R about 16 minutes later and stopped on the runway. While emergency services were examining the aircraft, the flight crew reported the smoke had dissipated, temperatures on board were okay, and they were ready to taxi. The aircraft vacated the runway and taxied to the apron. A flight in the holdings, the crew of which were already considering to divert with some urgency, decided to continue for Kuwait. The remainder of the flight was cancelled. The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground for about 24 hours, then departed Kuwait for Paris as flight AF-7676.
A Jodhpur-bound SpiceJet plane, carrying 60 passengers, made an emergency landing at the airport in New Delhi , reportedly after smoke was detected in the baggage compartment, a source said. The airline was operating a Q-400 aircraftAccording to the source, Air Traffic Controller announced full emergency for the flight SG-2695 at around 1500 hours. The source said that reportedly smoke was detected in the baggage compartment and that there were around 60 passengers on board.There was no immediate comment from SpiceJet on the incident.
A Jetblue Airbus A320-200, registration N648JB performing flight B6-2828 from Orlando,FL to Newark,NJ (USA), was enroute at FL340 about 90nm northwest of Orlando when the crew advised they had a medical emergency on board and descended the aircraft to FL290 and set course towards Raleigh Durham,NC (USA). About 15 minutes later, almost over Savannah,GA (USA) the crew requested to return to Orlando and turned towards Orlando. On final approach tower advised several medical vehicles were awaiting the aircraft at the gate. The aircraft landed safely back on Orlando’s runway 18L about 80 minutes after departure. While taxiing to the gate the crew missed a turn to remain on the cleared taxi route, tower immediately cleared the alternate taxi route.
Passengers reported they were told about a fellow passenger suffering a medical emergency as reason for their return to Orlando. After landing they were all instructed to disembark.
A listener on frequency reported the crew requested to return to Orlando, a few minutes later the crew advised they had a fume event on board, three cabin crew were complaining about headaches, a 7 year old kid was vomitting.
The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground for 11 hours, then returned to service.
A full-sized suitcase triggered an alarm at Boston Logan International Airport over the busy travel weekend, and the cause for concern was a little out of the ordinary. Transportation Security Administration agents came across a smoking suitcase. Yes, a large suitcase with smoke pouring out from the seams. According to TSA’s office of public affairs, the packed, blue plastic roller-bag had smoke rising out of it and caused chaos in the checked baggage screening room. The area had to be evacuated for nearly an hour to allow State Police and Port Fire & Rescue teams to check the suitcase for explosives.
It turned out that the smoking suitcase was triggered by a lithium battery inside an e-cigarette. The TSA added that the incident took place during the record-setting Thanksgiving travel period when they screened 56,686 passengers plus their checked and carry-on bags. The smoking suitcase belonged to a passenger who was flying to Kansas City. He was quickly contacted by authorities and his flight was delayed until the situation was cleared. The TSA said it is focused on making sure nothing catastrophic occurs on an airplane, and so of course — a suitcase that has smoke emitting from it is definitely suspicious.
An Austrian Airlines Airbus A321-100, registration OE-LBC performing flight OS-125 from Vienna (Austria) to Frankfurt/Main (Germany) with 161 passengers and 6 crew, was in the initial climb out of Vienna’s runway 29 when at about 2000 feet AGL the crew noticed a strong odour in the cockpit almost immediately followed by cabin crew reporting an acrid odour and smoke in the cabin and declared PAN. Both flight crew donned their oxygen masks, at least one cabin crew donned the smoke hood. The aircraft was vectored for a return to Vienna and landed safely on runway 34 about 15 minutes after departure. The aircraft stopped on the runway for inspection by emergency services, cabin crew reported there was no visible smoke anymore, the aircraft taxied to a remote apron, where passengers disembarked via stairs. There were no complaints by passengers about any health issue, the crew went to a hospital for precautionary checks after all passengers had disembarked. The Aviation Herald received information that following the occurrence the left hand engine (CFM56) was immediately replaced.
On Nov 20th 2018 the airline reported the cause of the smell and light smoke was an engine detergent. The left engine had undergone specific maintenance, a compressor wash was subsequently conducted with the detergent to remove possible soiling from the compressor area. An engine run up was done, it appears however the detergent was more persistent and entered the air ducts.
Officials said an American Airlines flight taking off from Charlotte Douglas International Airport with 59 passengers had to turn around after an “odor in the cabin.” Passengers on board told Channel 9 that they thought the plane caught on fire as it took off Friday morning. American Airlines officials said Flight 5118 from Charlotte to Greensboro returned to the airport shortly after take-off when an odor filled the cabin. No fire was reported.
“Finally, when we got into the air, about 8:30, the airplane just started smelling of smoke. I didn’t really think it was anything major at first,” passenger Ken Burch said.
According to officials, the flight landed safely in Charlotte at 8:32 a.m. and all passengers boarded another plane scheduled to land in Greensboro just before noon. While in the air, passengers took to social media to say they thought the plane had caught fire.
“Right as we’re about to land, they make an announcement: ‘Hey everyone, this is an emergency. We’re heading back to Charlotte. There’s been a little smoke issue on the plane,’” Burch said.
Passengers on the plane, including cheerleaders from the University of Pittsburgh, got off the plane safely. Only one person was treated by medical personnel and then released. American Airlines sent Channel 9 a statement, saying, “The flight operated by PSA Airlines made that emergency landing due to an odor in the cabin.”
An Air France flight carrying 282 passengers from Paris to Shanghai made an unexpected stop in Siberia on Sunday after smoke and a bitter smell filled the cabin, the company said.
No passengers were hurt and they were put up in a hotel near Irkutsk airport in eastern Siberia, Air France told AFP.
“The crew of AF116 on a Boeing 777 from Paris to Shanghai decided to divert to Irkutsk in Russia after an acrid smell and light smoke appeared on board,” the French carrier told AFP.
“The flight landed normally in Irkutsk at 8:10am Paris time,” it said.
Officials at the airport confirmed to Russian news agencies that no one was injured and that experts had been sent to the airport to assess the aircraft. Air France said the flight could continue to Shanghai after technical clearance.
A Guwahati-bound IndiGo aircraft with 76 passengers on board made an emergency landing within a few minutes of take-off after smoke was detected from the plane’s cargo hold, an AAI official said.
“The aircraft made a safe landing at the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport here around 8. 30 pm, 15 minutes after take-off,” the Airports Authority of India (AAI) official said.
The pilot had informed the air traffic control (ATC) soon after the smoke alarm went off in the cockpit, the official said.
An Air Canada Boeing 787-900, registration C-FRTU performing flight AC-848 from Toronto,ON (Canada) to London Heathrow,EN (UK) with 298 passengers and 10 crew, was enroute at FL290 near Quebec City,QC (Canada) when a passenger dropped his eReader down into the seat mechanism and subsequently moved the seat which damaged the eReader. The battery overheated and the case started to melt, smoke emanated from the device. Cabin crew using 2 smoke hoods and 2 portable fire extinguishers were able to control the fire until they retrieved the device from the seat mechanism and placed the device in a Portable Electronic Device Fire Bag. The flight was able to continue to destination. The Canadian TSB reported maintenance replaced the seat cover as well as all emergency equipment used.
A Frontier Airbus A321-200, registration N702FR performing flight F9-1851 from Islip,NY to Myrtle Beach,SC (USA) with 218 people on board, was climbing out of Islip when the crew stopped the climb at FL220 reporting fumes in the cockpit. The aircraft returned to Islip for a safe landing 15 minutes later. A member of the cabin crew and 2 passengers were taken to a hospital, 7 passengers were treated at the airport. The FAA reported the crew declared emergency due to fumes in the cockpit.
The airline reported an odour was detected in the cabin, there was no smoke, the aircraft landed safely. One member of the crew and 2 passengers were taken to a hospital for medical evaluation. 7 passengers were treated at the airport. The flight was cancelled. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground about 6 hours after landing back.
A Lufthansa Airbus A380-800, registration D-AIMJ performing flight LH-401 from New York JFK,NY (USA) to Frankfurt/Main (Germany), was enroute at FL370 about 220nm northeast of Halifax,NS (Canada) when the crew decided to turn around and divert to Boston,MA (USA) reporting oil fumes on board and the reducing engine oil quantity on the #2 engine (Trent 970, inboard left hand). Cabin crew donned their smoke hoods. The aircraft dumped fuel on the way to Boston. Approaching Boston the flight crew reported one of the flight attendants was not feeling well and requested medical services available on arrival of the aircraft. The aircraft landed safely on Boston’s runway 15R about 90 minutes after turning around. The entire crew went to a hospital.
Preliminary information received indicates there had been a strong burning odour related to oil fumes as well as visible smoke in the cabin. All cabin crew donned their smoke hoods, the flight crew donned their oxygen masks. Two cabin crew felt very sick. After landing flight and cabin crew went to a hospital, passengers including babies needed medical attention as well. Maintenance determined an oil leak at engine #2.
The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Boston 19 hours after landing.
A United Express passenger jet was forced back to Halifax Stanfield International Airport just minutes after takeoff Thursday afternoon because of smoke in the cockpit, according to the Halifax airport authority.
The flight to Newark, N.J., left the Halifax airport around 4:20 p.m. and was in the air less than 20 minutes when the pilot noticed the smoke.
A Virgin Australia plane had to make an emergency landing after passengers reported a “burning smell,” coming from the plane, according to multiple reports. According to data from FlightAware,Virgin Australia Flight 465 took off from Perth International Airport at 7:03 a.m. on Thursday, October 18, with an intended destination of Brisbane Airport. Perth and Brisbane are two cities located on opposite coasts of Australia.
The Daily Mirror reports that shortly after takeoff, passengers reported “a distinct electrical burning smell” to the flight crew, with one passenger noting the flight crew seemed “anxious.” According to The Daily Mirror, approximately three hours into the flight the captain notified the rest of the plane of “an electrical issue,” and announced the plane would need to be diverted to Adelaide Airport, off the southwest coast of Australia, where it would land prematurely.
Virgin Australia did not respond to Business Insider’s request for comment.
“In accordance with standard operating procedures, the captain made the decision to divert to Adelaide Airport as a precautionary measure after an odor was detected in the cabin,” a Virgin Australia spokesperson told WA Today, a newspaper covering Western Australia.
“The aircraft was met on arrival by emergency services as a precaution and all passengers and crew safely disembarked the aircraft,” the statement added.
First lady Melania Trump’s plane was forced to return to Joint Base Andrews Wednesday after a “mechanical issue” that led to smoke in the cabin.
According to the press pool traveling with Trump, about 10 minutes after the plane took off, reporters could see a thin haze of smoke and the smell of something burning. Reporters were brought wet towels and told to hold them over their faces if the smell became too strong.
The plane, a Boeing C-32A, landed safely. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar also was on the plane, a pool report said.
The White House did not immediately provide an official explanation of what happened. Stephanie Grisham, Trump’s communications director, told CNN the incident was a “minor mechanical issue. Everything is fine and everyone is safe.”
Trump was headed to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, where she was scheduled to make remarks about neonatal abstinence syndrome. She was originally scheduled to return to Washington Wednesday afternoon.
The trip remains on for later Wednesday and the first lady will take a different plane, Grisham said.
An Easyjet Airbus A321-200, registration G-POWU performing flight U2-8386 from Kefallinia (Greece) to London Gatwick,EN (UK), was enroute at FL360 about 270nm southeast of Milan Malpensa when the crew descended the aircraft to FL240 but continued in the general direction towards London. The aircraft was about 100nm southeast of Milan Malpensa when the crew decided to divert to Milan Malpensa reporting smoke in the cockpit. The aircraft landed safely on Malpensa’s runway 35R about 20 minutes after the decision to divert and about 40 minutes after leaving FL360. A replacement A320-200 registration OE-IVI reached London Gatwick with a delay of about 2 hours. The occurrence aircraft returned to service about 27 hours after landing.
A Swiss International Airlines Airbus A321-200, registration HB-IOC performing flight LX-2110 from Zurich (Switzerland) to Malaga,SP (Spain) with an unknown number of passengers and 7 crew, was climbing through FL290 out of Zurich about 15nm west of Geneva (Switzerland) when the crew decided to return to Zurich reporting the smell of burnt rubber on board. The aircraft landed safely on Zurich’s runway 16 about 50 minutes after departure. Switzerland’s SUST reported the occurrence was rated a serious incident and is being investigated by the SUST.
A PGA Portugalia Airlines Embraer ERJ-195 on behalf of TAP Portugal, registration CS-TTX performing flight TP-494 from Lisbon (Portugal) to Toulouse (France) with 72 people on board, was in the initial climb out of Lisbon’s runway 21 when the crew declared PAN PAN reporting they had a smoke problem on board. The aircraft stopped the climb at 5000 feet and returned to runway 21 for a safe landing about 25 minutes after departure. The occurrence aircraft returned to service about 12 hours after landing.
A Lufthansa Airbus A319-100, registration D-AILM performing flight LH-278 from Frankfurt/Main (Germany) to Milan Linate (Italy) with 113 passengers and 5 crew, was climbing out of Frankfurt’s runway 18 when the crew stopped the climb at FL190 reporting an unusual odour on board. The aircraft returned to Frankfurt for a safe landing on runway 25C about 25 minutes after departure. The flight was cancelled, the passengers were rebooked onto other flights.
A Lufthansa Cityline Canadair CRJ-900, registration D-ACNM performing flight LH-2382 from Munich (Germany) to Geneva (Switzerland) with 38 passengers and 4 crew, was descending through FL150 towards Geneva when the crew reported smoke in the cockpit. The aircraft continued for a safe landing on Geneva’s runway 22 about 13 minutes later. The aircraft stopped on the runway, the passengers disembarked onto the runway via stairs and were bussed to the terminal. The runway was briefly closed, one flight was diverted as result. The return fligh LH-2383 was cancelled. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Geneva about 13 hours after landing. The airline reported the crew noticed an unusual odour like a burning wire in the cockpit and made a precautionary landing in Geneva, there had been no smoke. Maintenance is currently checking the aircraft.
An Endeavor Air Canadair CRJ-200 on behalf of Delta Airlines, registration N8847A performing flight 9E-5370/DL-5370 from Columbus,GA to Atlanta,GA (USA) with 34 passengers and 3 crew, was enroute when the crew received indication of a possible oil leak at the APU. Descending through 8000 feet into Atlanta an odour described like a sweet alcoholic sanitizer followed by visible smoke developed on board, soon after the crew reported smoke in the cockpit telling ATC there was quite a bit of smoke at the interior of the aircraft, they would stop on the runway for an inspection by emergency services. The aircraft landed on Atlanta’s runway 28 a few minutes later and stopped on the runway. The crew told ATC they believed the source of the smoke was in the aft area possibly the APU, emergency services reported there was no smoke or other hazard visible from the outside. The crew subsequently decided to taxi to the apron. A number of crew were taken to a hospital.
According to information The Aviation Herald received the crew received an APU OIL PRESS EICAS message in flight, the APU was shut down, an odour and subsequent intensifying smoke developed on board prompting both flight crew to don their oxygen masks. Several smoke detectors for lavatory, windshield heat, right window etc. activated. The APU was subsequently replaced and its bay cleaned from oil distributed throughout the compartment. Both flight crew were sent to a hospital and discharged after checks.
A LGW Luftfahrtgesellschaft Walter de Havilland Dash 8-400 on behalf of Eurowings, registration D-ABQB performing flight EW-9062 from Dusseldorf to Nuremberg (Germany), was climbing out of Dusseldorf when the crew stopped the climb at 3000 feet due to an odour of burning rubber in the cabin and returned to Dusseldorf for a safe landing about 15 minutes after departure. The flight was cancelled, the passengers were rebooked onto other flights.
A passenger reported the flight had already been delayed before departure, the captain announced there had been a problem with a de-icing system. Shortly after becoming airborne the air conditioning system became audible, a smell of burning rubber developed in the cabin. The noise from the air conditioning system stopped, the captain announced there had been an odour, the odour dissipated and they were returning to Dusseldorf. The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground in Dusseldorf for about 10.5 hours, then returned to service.
An Air India Airbus A319-100, registration VT-SCU performing flight AI-496 from Raikot to Delhi (India) with 123 people on board, was enroute at FL310 about 30nm northwest of Udaipur (India) when the crew received a cargo smoke indication and diverted the aircraft to Udaipur. The aircraft landed safely on runway 26 about 20 minutes later. The aircraft remained on the ground for about 3 hours, then continued the flight and reached Delhi with a delay of about 3:15 hours.
An e-cigarette caught fire while onboard a Pegasus Airlines plane, forcing the aircraft to make an emergency landing. On Tuesday, Pegusus Airliner Flight 1135, a Boeing 737-800, took off from Istanbul and was forced to divert from its scheduled journey to Paris in order to make an emergency landing at Zagreb Airport in Croatia. According to FlightRadar24, a live air traffic website, it was about halfway through the flight when the Pegasus Airline plane needed to divert in the direction of Zagreb. According to reports, a passenger’s e-cigarette caught fire in the middle of the flight. Daily Sabah, a Turkish daily, reports that smoke alarms went off in the airplanes cargo hold, forcing the pilots to make the emergency landing.
In a statement to Business Insider, Pegasus Airlines said, “An electronic cigarette in one of the passenger’s bags caught fire. As a result of the precautionary measures that our pilots took to ensure the safety of our passengers, the aforementioned aircraft made a precautionary landing at Zagreb Airport. All passengers were disembarked from the aircraft safely upon landing, with no medical issues.”
According to a social media post by Turkish Air News, no intervention by the fire brigade was necessary. While it is certainly rare for an e-cigarette to cause a fire on an airplane, it is not out of the ordinary for an accident like this to occur. A recent report by Consumer Affairs found that federal agencies have been underestimating the number of burns, injuries, and explosions created by e-cigarette technology, which converts liquid nicotine into mist through the heating of a battery.
ST. LOUIS, MO – A flight coming from Detroit to St. Louis was diverted to Indianapolis Monday afternoon around 4:30 pm CT. The pilot of the Airbus 319 reported a strong odor in the cockpit.
Delta flight 2848 was carrying 116 passengers and landed safely in Indianapolis. Delta issued this statement after an inquiry by FOX 2: “Maintenance personnel are evaluating the aircraft. While safety is always our top priority, Delta apologizes to customers for this travel delay.”
The flight then headed to St. Louis Monday evening and landed around 8:37 pm.
Some passengers told FOX 2 that emergency crews were seen from the air, waiting on the ground to assist. Other passengers said that no one in the cabin noticed the smell.
“We found out that the pilots had actually had their oxygen masks on which was interesting because no one in the cabin did,” said Scotty Shaw, “but we were there for a while.”
“I wasn’t really panicked but I was concerned,” said Ronald Charles, “because they really kept us abreast of the situation.”
Airline officials have not released any information on what may have caused the odor.
Ever wondered why the in-flight safety videos tell you not to move your seat if you drop your phone? A Qantas business class passenger learned the hard way after dropping their phone during a flight on an Airbus 380from Los Angeles to Melbourne on Wednesday morning. After their phone became stuck in their seat, they attempted to retrieve it and moved their seat in the process, crushing the device.
A Qantas spokesperson said the phone then began “smoking”, before the cabin crew “contained the situation”. The captain then spoke to the operations centre before completing the flight into Melbourne.
A phone was destroyed in a similar incident in 2016, when the lithium battery of a passenger’s phone was crushed in a seat mechanism and caught fire.
The incident prompted the airline to issue a reminder to passengers not to attempt to pick up any electronic devices dropped during the flight. “This incident shows why we ask passengers to seek help from our cabin crew in retrieving their mobile phone,” the Qantas spokesperson said.
In its investigation into the 2016 incident, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) cited the United States Federal Aviation Administration’s guidelines which warn of the risk posed by lithium batteries.
“Lithium batteries are capable of ignition and subsequent explosion due to overheating,” the administration said.
“Overheating results in thermal runaway, which is a chemical reaction within the battery causing the internal temperature and pressure to rise.
“The result is the release of a flammable electrolyte from the battery and, in the case of disposable lithium batteries, the release of molten burning lithium.”
A plane made an emergency landing at the Bacha Khan International Airport (BKIA) on Thursday after the pilot reported that smoke had filled the plane. The emergency was declared after control tower at the facility shared details with the airport authorities and a runway was cleared for landing the plane. The plane, Qatar Airways’ Doha-bound flight (QR-601), landed safely with all passengers shifted to the international lounge. According to details, the Doha-bound plane had departed Peshawar after completing all maintenance checks. However, soon after takeoff, the pilot contacted the control tower and made a mayday call seeking a clear runway for landing, complaining that smoke had filled the cabin.
“It had just taken off when the control tower shared the situation,” a senior Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) officer at BKIA told The Express Tribune. The officer, who requested anonymity since he was not entitled to speak to the media, stated that initially they did not know what happened and the pilot wanted a clear runway for landing. “It was really serious for us since the flight had just left, but it requested for landing and that too an emergency landing,” the official said, adding, “An emergency was declared across the facility with all the CAA staff [required for emergency situation] deputed on the airport apron.”
The CAA’s fire and medical departments apart from others dealing with emergency situations had soon converged at the spot. Soon after the plane landed, all passengers and crew aboard were evacuated and shifted to the lounges at the facility.
Smoke in a defense force plane was the cause of an emergency services call-out to Whitsunday Coast Airport last night.
Whitsunday Regional Council airports and commercial infrastructure manager Brian Joiner said emergency services were called to a smoke incident in the cockpit of the Royal Australian Air Force plane.
The C27 Spartan plane remained at the airport last night and was still there this afternoon.
An Air Serbia plane that last night had to make an emergency landing in Cyprus continued its flight this morning and reached Hurghada in Egypt. According to the latest information, the plane then took off en route back to Belgrade.
As Prva TV reported, the technical problems that caused the Serbian carrier’s plane to emergency land in Paphos had been removed. But the flight from Hurghada to Belgrade, using the same airplane, was several hours late this morning.
The plane landed in Cyprus last night due to smoke in the cockpit. A number of firefighters, ambulances and the police were waiting at the airport. Passengers, 143 of them, and crew were evacuated. Some media reported that the a part of luggage section had likely caught on fire.
As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 16th of September, 2018, on Saturday night at around 21:00, Zagreb’s Franjo Tudjman Airport accommodated the unplanned landing of a WizzAir aircraft flying on a Nis-Basel route. The flight was diverted to the Croatian capital due to smoke in the cockpit while the aircraft was flying over Austrian airspace. The plane landed in Zagreb at 21:02.
One member of the crew and two passengers requested medical assistance which was then provided to them on the spot owing to having brathed in the unexpected cabin smoke.
A British Airways flight from London to Calgary had to make an emergency landing at a remote Canadian airport after pilots reported smoke in the cockpit. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner landed “safely” in Iqaluit Airport in Nunavut where at least one passenger was reportedly treated by medics. The passenger flight landed in temperatures of around 1C at 7.20pm local time (11.20pm BST) after taking off from Heathrow at 6.30pm on Wednesday.
Canadian media said the plane’s pilots wore oxygen masks as they diverted to the airport on Baffin Island. British Airways said the landing was a precaution after a “possible technical issue”. Aviation journalist Tom Podolec tweeted: “Burning smell/fumes in cockpit. Pilots wore oxygen masks. A passenger had a sore arm; treated by medics.” Firefighters and emergency services were waiting in the snow at the airport, which is equipped to receive international flights after the opening of a 9,000-square-foot terminal last year. Nunatsiaq News reported that the some 200 passengers were taken to hotels on school buses before boarding a replacement aircraft to Calgary in the morning.A British Airways spokesperson said: “The aircraft landed safely. Our highly trained flight crew diverted the aircraft as a precaution after a possible technical issue. We’re very sorry that our customers have been inconvenienced and delayed. Our cabin crew have been looking after them and we’ll get them on to their final destination as quickly as we can. The safety of our customers and crew is always our top priority.”
St. John’s International Airport (YYT) firefighters along with folks from the St. John’s Regional Fire Department firefighters are at YYT to deal with an incident onboard a Air Transit Airbus A310 that had to land after reports of smoke in the aircraft.
First responders from various agencies are also on standby at the Tarmac entrance gate by the airport control tower. YYT crews are currently onboard the aircraft investigating the source of the smoke. Three apparatus trucks are staged by the aircraft, which is parked by Gate 1 on the Tarmac.
The plane was enroute from Barcelona to Montreal before it was diverted.
An Austrian Airlines Airbus A320-200, registration OE-LBS performing flight OS-879 from Vienna (Austria) to Shiraz (Iran), was enroute at FL350 about 40nm westnorthwest of Bucharest’s Otopeni Airport when the crew reported smoke on board and decided to divert to Bucharest. The crew requested emergency services on stand by. The aircraft landed safely on Otopeni’s runway 08R about 20 minutes later and was inspected by emergency service before proceeding to the apron.
A replacement A320-200 registration OE-LBQ returned to Vienna as flight OS-879 departing Bucharest about 3 hours after landing. The rotation, Vienna to Shiraz, Isfahan (Ira) and back was cancelled. The airline reported the aircraft diverted to Bucharest due to technical reasons. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Bucharest about 26 hours after landing.
An Easyjet Airbus A319-100, registration OE-LQG performing flight U2-1746 from Berlin Schoenefeld (Germany) to Toulouse (France), was enroute at FL380 about 70nm northwest of Frankfurt/Main (Germany) when the crew reported smoke in the cockpit and requested a rapid descent to FL100, due to conflicting traffic the aircraft was cleared to FL180 at first, after the conflicting traffic had turned out of the way the aircraft continued the descent to FL100. The crew decided to divert to Frankfurt where the aircraft landed safely on runway 07C about 17 minutes after leaving FL380.
A replacement A319-100 registration OE-LKJ reached Toulouse with a delay of about 7.5 hours.
The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Frankfurt about 14 hours after landing.
Flight LH1007 of German airline Lufthansa which connected Brussels to Frankfurt had to make a priority landing in Frankfurt Sunday because of a slight release of smoke in the cockpit of the aircraft. The 73 passengers were able to leave the aircraft safely, said a spokesman for the company.
The pilots of the Lufthansa Cityline Bombardier CRJ-900 aircraft (reg. D-ACNF) noticed a slight release of smoke after leaving Brussels. They warned the airport of Frankfurt, located just an hour flight from Brussels and the plane was able to land safely on runway 07C. Emergency services were on a precautionary standby and did not detect any trace of fire, heat or smoke after landing.
The origin of the smoke has not yet been determined and the aircraft is still under inspection by the technical services.
An Air Asia flight on its way from Amritsar to Bangalore made an emergency landing at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport here late on Saturday night. The pilots of flight no 1629 detected smoke in air and the ATC declared a local standby emergency. The flight landed safely and 112 passengers disembarked the plane safely. The aircraft is currently parked at bay 57, sources said.
A United Airlines plane, with smoke in the cockpit, made an emergency landing Thursday morning at Shreveport Regional Airport. It happened shortly before 11: 30 a.m. in the 5100 block of Hollywood Avenue, near Monkhouse Drive. Officials say Flight 4309 was heading to Louisville, Kentucky from Houston, Texas. No injuries were reported. United Airlines sent another plane from Houston to assist the 47 passengers who were on board. There is no further information at this time. KSLA will keep you updated as details become available.
Officials say a UPS cargo plane made an emergency landing in Cedar Rapids Wednesday morning due to smoke in the cockpit. Personnel on the plane evacuated safely and were taken to a local hospital for evaluation. The cause of the smoke is still being investigated. The plane had been flying from Rockford, Illinois to St. Louis before diverting to The Eastern Iowa Airport in Cedar Rapids.
Passengers on a flight to eastern China feared for their lives on Sunday afternoon when their plane suddenly lost altitude. The 146 passengers and nine crew members were around 20 minutes into their journey on board Capital Airlines flight JD5158 from Kunming, Yunnan province, to Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, when they heard loud noises, quickly followed by the pilot’s announcement that the cabin was losing pressure and oxygen masks would be lowered, according to Chinese media reports.
One of the passengers, identified by his family name Zhang, told the Qianjiang Evening News that he saw and smelled smoke and felt a “strong loss of gravity” as the plane rapidly descended.His six-year-old boy complained about aching ears and asked him why the plane was dropping so quickly, to which Zhang replied they were playing a game of wearing masks.
“I am only in my 30s and I don’t want to die. Even if I had to die, please don’t let anything bad happen to my son,” Zhang recalled him thinking to himself while his wife watched him with tears in her eyes.
Children were crying and a nearby passenger was recording their last words on a mobile to the family, Zhang said. A woman passenger, also surnamed Zhang, told TheBeijing News that she was almost certain she would not survive and wrote a note to her parents.
“I have never had such an experience and I literally thought we were going to crash,” the woman said. “I switched on my mobile phone and wrote to my parents about how sorry I would be if I didn’t survive.”
Passengers said the plane steadied after a while and they were told they would return to the Kunming airport. They were very grateful to the crew and applauded for a long time after they landed safely. A statement from the airline to People’s Daily said the flight returned to Kunming due to mechanical problems. It landed safely at about 3.30pm and no one was injured. Some passengers cancelled their trip while others took another flight to Hangzhou in the evening. The plane, an A320 with more than five years of service, was being repaired, the report said.
A mobile phone caused a big brouhaha in a Korean Air passenger jet heading for Guam, Sunday, causing the cabin to fill with smoke and compelling the cabin crew to use fire extinguishers. Additionally, passengers in Guam waiting for the aircraft to carry them to Incheon had to wait for 15 hours on the U.S. island territory.
According to Korean Air, Monday, an Airbus 330 aircraft took off from Incheon International Airport at 11:30 p.m. on Saturday and was nearing Guam when smoke started rising near a seat. Alarmed flight attendants rushed to extinguish the source of the smoke by using four fire extinguishers. The airline added the plane made a safe landing at the A.B. Won Pat International Airport in Guam.
“While preparing for landing in Guam, a passenger’s cellphone got stuck between seats, which compressed the device to give off smoke,” a Korean Air official said.
“There were neither sparks nor fire and no one was injured.”
However, the airline did not disclose what type of mobile phone it was, adding it was not a Samsung Galaxy Note 7 that was banned from planes by the U.S. Department of Transportation after several of the devices caught fire in 2016. The official added the smoke was caused by compression of the phone, not the device’s own flaws.
Despite the normal landing, the airplane, initially scheduled to take 265 waiting passengers to Incheon, could not return due to a lack of fire extinguishers.
“According to aviation regulations, an aircraft must be equipped with at least four fire extinguishers. However, we used four out of seven on the plane, so we had to go and find one more that fits the requirement there,” the official said.
As a result, the plane, which was scheduled to depart at 2:25 a.m., was postponed to 5:40 p.m. According to Korean Air, the company offered customers meals and accommodation, although some of them had to stay in the lounge as it had difficulty securing hotel rooms in the early morning hours.
An American Airlines pilot reported smoke in the cabin of his plane on the tarmac of Nantucket Memorial Airport just after noon Monday. About 70 passengers and the crew were evacuated from the aircraft, which was preparing to push back from the gate and depart for Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C. Both airport and town emergency personnel responded to the plane. No injuries were reported.
The cause of the smoke has not yet been identified, airport officials said. The plane was flown off-island for inspection and repairs without any passengers on board. Another aircraft was brought in to Nantucket Monday afternoon from Pittsburgh to pick up the stranded passengers.
According to the Nantucket airport twitter account (@AirportACK) the commercial-aviation ramp that was temporarily shut down during the incident has been reopened.
“All passengers are safe, and the commercial ramp has been reopened to traffic,” the tweet states.
An Air Canada Embraer ERJ-190, registration C-FMZB performing flight AC-1113 from Toronto,ON to Regina,SK (Canada) with 60 people on board, was enroute at FL400 over Thunder Bay,ON (Canada) when the crew noticed a burning odour in the cockpit. Later, near Winnipeg,MB (Canada) an avionics computer failed briefly followed by another event of burning odour in the cockpit. The crew declared emergency and diverted to Winnipeg for a safe landing. The Canadian TSB reported maintenance replaced the power supplies of both MAU 1 and MAU 2 and the MAU 1 NIC processor.
A flight intended to travel from Orlando to England has reportedly suffered two days worth of problems, including customers fainting on the plane from heat. The Mirror reports that the Virgin Atlantic flight was scheduled to leave Orlando International Airport Wednesday just after 8:30 p.m. Passengers boarded normally and then had to wait inside the plane at the terminal for two hours. Flight staff reportedly told passengers that the air conditioning on the flight was broken.
“Paramedics had to enter the plane and remove passengers who had fainted due to the heat,” one passenger told The Sun.
Around 11 p.m., the plane returned to the gate and the pilot informed the group that they would not be flying that day. The flight was rescheduled to leave at 6 p.m. Thursday, using the same plane, according to reports.
A spokesperson from Virgin Atlantic said that the second flight was diverted to Shannon, Ireland after reports of smoke on the the plane. Two pilots and a crew member had to be checked for smoke inhalation once the plane landed, according to reports.
“It was obviously extremely serious,” one passenger told The Sun.
The flight has been delayed for over 30 hours. The Virgin Atlantic representative said the flight is now on its way again to London Gatwick Airport.
“We’d like to apologize to our customers for the disruption to their journey and thank them for their patience,” the representative said.
No one was hurt after a private jet made an emergency landing at Columbia Regional Airport Monday night. Columbia director of community relations Steven Sapp told ABC 17 News the pilot aboard the Cessna Citation II jet reported smoke in the cockpit and declared an emergency around 7:40 p.m. One other person was aboard the plane. Sapp said the plane was able to land at COU without incident. The flight originated from Smyrna, Tennessee, with a destination of COU.
A plane was diverted to Kennedy Airport and evacuated Tuesday because of reports of smoke in the cockpit, Port Authority officials said. First aid was given to up to three people with minor ailments, officials said. United flight 4697 was flying from Washington to Providence, Rhode Island when it was diverted after reports of smoke in the cockpit, according to officials. Emergency officials evacuated the plane when it landed, and passengers were bused to a terminal.
Terrified passengers on a Ryanair plane at Barcelona were ordered to evacuate after a mobile phone caught fire.
The passenger’s device was being charged by a battery pack while the aircraft was on the ground preparing to depart aboard a Boeing 737 for the short flight to Ibiza.
It initially burned a hole in an aircraft seat before being knocked to the floor in flames.
A United Airlines flight made an emergency landing in Cleveland Friday night. There were reports of smoke in the cabin of Flight 1611 from Newark to Chicago, according to a United spokesman. The plane landed safely at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport Passengers exited the plane. They are scheduled to leave soon on another aircraft.
“We apologize to our customers for the inconvenience,” the spokesman said.
Emergency crews were called to Eppley Airfield Friday morning as a Frontier Airlines flight approached with the crew reporting smoke in the cockpit. The plane landed safely. Authorities said the crew had isolated the problem prior to landing the aircraft with 176 people aboard. The report came in around 8:45 a.m. The plane was safely on the ground a few minutes later. The crew believes the issue might have been related to an electrial malfunction.
An Air India aircraft made an emergency landing in Kolkata this morning after smoke emerged from the cockpit. The Singapore-bound flight had taken off from Delhi at 11 pm, but two and a half hours later, it landed at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata.
Air India sources confirmed to NDTV that smoke in the cabin prompted the pilots to make an urgent landing which was carried out safely. The national carrier tweeted about the diversion and said that AI 380 was AOG or Aircraft on Ground due to technical failure. An investigation has been ordered.
All the passengers were shifted to a hotel in the city. After a delay of about 18 hours, the passengers arrived at the airport this evening to board the flight, which took off after 8pm.
A plane made an emergency landing at Groton-New London Airport on Thursday night due to smoke in the cockpit, the Federal Aviation Administration said. The Dassault Falcon aircraft, operated by Dumont Aircraft Charter, landed safely at the airport about 7:15 p.m. after the crew declared an emergency and reported smoke in the cockpit, according to an email from the federal agency. Local first responders, including Pfizer police and Poquonnock Bridge Fire Department, were at the scene.
The aircraft later departed from the airport and was headed to Boston’s Logan International Airport, the FAA said. The agency is investigating the incident. No further information was immediately available.
A commercial airplane destined for Hector International Airport landed with smoke in the cockpit Monday, July 9. Shawn Dobberstein, executive director of Fargo’s Municipal Airport Authority, said the 50-seat United Express flight from Denver arrived here at 1:08 p.m.
Dobberstein said the cause of the smoke is under investigation and so far undetermined. In a statement, Trans State Airlines said the flight operating as United Express experienced a possible mechanical issue during its final descent. Despite the smoke, Trans State said the flight landed safely and customers “deplaned normally.”
An Allegiant Airlines flight from the Eastern Iowa Airport to Mesa/Phoenix had to turn around and come back to Cedar Rapids after a report of smoke in the cockpit, according to an airport spokesperson. The plane landed safely and all on board are safe, according to the spokesperson. Authorities have not yet said what caused the problem in the cockpit.
Allegiant released the following statement:
Flight 101 from Cedar Rapids, IA to Phoenix returned to Cedar Rapids after a mechanical issue arose after takeoff. The crew declared an emergency out of an abundance of caution and the plane landed normally. The aircraft was met by local fire and rescue (as is procedure for all emergency landings) and they found nothing unusual. The aircraft taxied to the gate upon landing and passengers deplaned through the jet bridge.There were 157 passengers on board. We are sending another aircraft to Cedar Rapids to get the passengers to Phoenix today.
In April, a report blasted Allegiant for the number of mechanical problems it had between 2016 and 2017. The “60 Minutes” report said Allegiant had three times as many in-flight mechanical problems as six competing airlines.The report said Allegiant flights had an alarming number of aborted take-offs, plus emergency and unscheduled landings.
Passengers were taken off a United Express Jet at Reagan National Airport after its cockpit started smoking Sunday, according to authorities. Metropolitan Media Relations says that airport police and fire crews responded to the scene and that no one was injured. Airport authorities say United flight 6122 was taxiing to leave for Houston when the smoke was reported and passengers and crew evacuated. The airport is now operating normally and passengers were moved to a different plane, officials say. The plane is being checked.
A packed passenger jet was forced to return to Gatwick en-route to JFK in New York after smoke filled the cabin. The Norwegian Air service from London to New York was less than 30 minutes into its journey when the aircraft turned back while passing south of Pembroke, Wales. The aircraft was forced to dump fuel as it was far too heavy to land. Passengers were told they were returning to Gatwick with a technical issue where the jet landed safely around an hour after it departed.
Fire Engines waited for the aircraft on the tarmac as a precaution. The passengers have remained on the Boeing 747 while engineers attempt to fix the fault. One passenger said: ‘I paid £250 for my ticket, which is great value for money. The plane was late taking off from Gatwick, but everything seemed normal until we got to the Irish Sea.
‘There was hazy smoke in the cabin and we turned around. There wasn’t any panic, but it isn’t reassuring to see smoke while in a jet almost six miles up in the sky.”
A United Airlines flight landing made an emergency landing at Detroit Metro Airport Tuesday morning after smoke was reported in the plane. United Flight 4007 left Chicago for Greenville around 7:40 CT and was supposed to land in Greenville, South Carolina, around 10:30. Instead, it made an emergency landing in Detroit after smoke was reported inside the plane. The plane landed a little after 9:30 at DTW without incident. By the time the fire department was able to check on the plane, the odor of smoke had dissipated.
MOSCOW (Reuters) – A Russian passenger plane carrying Peruvian soccer fans from the World Cup city of Ekaterinburg to Tyumen in Siberia landed safely on Friday after an engine fault caused the cabin to fill with smoke, Russia’s air transport regulator said on Saturday.
Safety concerns have plagued Russia’s airline industry, which has witnessed multiple fatal crashes in recent years, and the engine of a plane carrying Saudi Arabia’s soccer team caught fire earlier this week. Russia’s state aviation agency, Rosaviatsiya, said on Saturday that a Utair plane which was carrying Peruvian fans back to Moscow via Tyumen after watching their national side lose 1-0 to France in Ekaterinburg, had suffered engine failure.
“During the landing approach there was a failure in the second turboprop engine,” Rosaviatsiya said in a statement. “As a result of the abnormal engine activity, smoke from overheated oil got into the passenger cabin of the aircraft through the air-conditioning system.”
Rosaviatsiya said the smoke soon cleared from the cabin and that the pilot was able to safely land the plane on one engine. A spokeswoman for Utair said media reports about a fire breaking out on the plane were incorrect.
“The crew acted as instructed and landed the aircraft as usual. The plane taxied in independently, the passengers left via the stairs without using the emergency equipment,” she said in written comments to Reuters. Utair is now working with aviation authorities to investigate whether a foreign object got into the engine, she added.
A Lufthansa Airbus A340-300, registration D-AIGV performing flight LH-489 (dep Jun 23rd) from San Jose,CA (USA) to Frankfurt/Main (Germany), was enroute over the Atlantic Ocean in Canadian Airspace, when a powerbank in the cabin of the aircraft suffered a thermal runaway and caught fire. Cabin crew quickly extinguished the flames and cooled the device down before securing it in a safe container. The aircraft continued the flight to destination for a safe landing without further incidents.
A Swiss Airlines Airbus A340-300, registration HB-JMD performing flight LX-188 from Zurich (Switzerland) to Shanghai Pudong (China) with 215 passengers, was climbing through FL260 out of Zurich about 60nm south of Munich (Germany) when the crew stopped the climb reporting smoke in the cockpit and decided to divert to Munich. The aircraft descended to FL100, entered a hold briefly, then continued for a safe landing on Munich’s runway 26L about 25 minutes after stopping the climb at FL260. Emergency services inspected the aircraft on the runway, then followed the aircraft to the apron.
The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Munich about 8 hours after landing.
A WestJet flight from Calgary bound for Vancouver had to make an emergency landing on Thursday morning. According to WestJet, shortly after departure at around 6:30 a.m. MT, crews from flight 113 were alerted by a fire warning light in the cargo area. Crews then declared an emergency landing before turning back to Calgary, WestJet said. The plane landed normally and safely, according to the company.
“All guests and crew are safe and were unloaded after landing. Guests were rebooked onto a new flight within the hour,” Morgan Bell with WestJet said.
In a statement, the Transportation Safety Board (TSB) said it has deployed a team of investigators to the Calgary airport after a cargo compartment fire aboard the Boeing 737.
A TSB official told Global News that there was “significate heat occurring” in a passenger’s bag. TSB investigators will be in Calgary until Friday, collecting information, according to officials. The TSB said it will “gather information and assess the occurrence.”
An alarming odor coming from the cabin of a Delta plane caused a flight’s emergency landing this morning. A flight attendant onboard flight 1941 noticed the unfamiliar smoke and immediately notified the 6-person crew. The emergency landing occurred in Little Rock, Ar. and passengers were loaded onto another plane to continue on with their journey. The plane was carrying 198 passengers from Atlanta to the intended destination of Orange County, Ca. No one was injured during the dispatch.
Five Virgin Australia crew members are being treated for smoke inhalation after an aircraft landed at Gold Coast Airport this afternoon with smoke issuing from the cockpit. The airport has confirmed smoke was detected in the cockpit of the 4.25pm arriving flight that departed from Melbourne. The aircraft landed safely, and all passengers and crew have since disembarked. Two stretcher ambulance crews were among those on scene but all five crew members are stable.
A Virgin Australia statement said the flight VA745 landed safely in Coolangatta without incident.
“The aircraft was met on arrival by emergency services as a precautionary measure after smoke was detected in the cockpit,” said the statement.
“All passengers and crew safely disembarked the aircraft. Engineers are currently investigating the potential cause.”
Source: Beth McEvoy, Clay Gordon | www.newscentermaine.com
Imagine you’ve boarded a plane, situated yourself in your seat, you have paid attention to the safety flight instructions, the plane lifts off and then smoke begins filling the air. Passengers on an American Airline flight that took off from Portland International Jetport experienced just that Wednesday, May 30.
A report of smoke in the cockpit forced American Airlines flight 4933 to make an emergency landing in Boston. American Airlines tells NEWS CENTER Maine, a mechanical issue caused the plane from Portland to Philadelphia to be diverted to Boston. The smoke allegedly dissipated quickly, according to American Airlines.
The flight landed safely, taxied to the gate and all passengers were able to get off with no issues at Logan International Airport, according to the airline. The FAA said in a statement the plane touched down at 7:15 p.m. American Airlines says passengers were rebooked on other flights and the airline provided hotel rooms for those who had to stay the night in Boston.
“We are sorry for the trouble this caused,” said American Airlines in an official statement about the incident.
The flight was on an Embraer E145 aircraft operated by Piedmont Airlines. The FAA is investigating the emergency landing.
A Scandinavian Airlines plane diverted to Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport as a precaution on Tuesday after pilots detected smoke in the cockpit, airport and airline officials said.
“The flight from Oslo to Brussels diverted after pilots detected smoke in the cockpit and the plane made a precautionary landing at Schiphol shortly after 10am,” airport spokesman Paul Weber said.
The diversion was reported by a number of flight tracking sites. SAS spokesman Knut Morten Johansen added that the Boeing 737 landed after smoke appeared “for a short period”. By the time the plane landed, the smoke had already disappeared and technicians were investigating the cause, Johansen said. Passengers were left waiting in Amsterdam while checks were being done, Johansen said, adding that he hoped the flight would take off soon.
An American Airlines aircraft travelling from Miami to Colombia made an emergency landing at the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston (NMIA) this afternoon. Passengers reported seeing smoke coming from inside of the plane and a decision was made to land the aircraft so that it could be investigated. The passengers landed safely in Jamaica, an investigation was done and the plane was deemed safe for them to deplane. The passengers are now at NMIA awaiting a flight to complete their journey. The authorities say the plane will remain on the ground and a full investigation will be conducted. No one was injured.
A passenger plane has had to make an emergency landing just minutes into take off from Auckland International Airport after smoke was seen in the cabin. An Airport spokesperson said Qantas flight QFA144 has now safely landed. Emergency services are at the airport to check the plane.
According to the Redding Fire Department, a United SkyWest flight was taxiing on the runway, on its way to San Francisco when “a haze” started to fill the cabin, Tuesday night. Following safety protocol, the flight with 40 passengers on board was evacuated on the tarmac.
Passengers were then taken to the terminal, where they waited for a later flight. Officials said there was no fire and the pilot believed the smoke was from an air conditioner malfunction. Another plane was sent from San Francisco, carrying a mechanic to repair the plane. There are no reports of injuries. According to an airport official, some passengers were able to book the next flight to San Francisco. SkyWest flight 5318 left Redding at 10:50 p.m. and arrived in San Francisco at 11:39 p.m.
ORIGINAL STORY:
A passenger airplane reportedly had to be evacuated at the Redding Municipal Airport Tuesday night. Shascom dispatchers say at 7:44 p.m., they received a report of smoke in the cockpit of a passenger plane. Redding Fire is responding. Redding Fire Chief Gerry Gray said that a “passenger jet” was being evacuated on the runway.
A Lufthansa Airlines aircraft, flight LH569 from Nigeria to Frankfurt, Germany early Monday morning made an emergency landing at the TMR Airport in Algiers, Algeria over “electrical smell” in the cabin. The aircraft, Airbus A330, which departed the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos at 11:30pm on Sunday was scheduled to arrive in Frankfurt six hours later, but made an emergency landing in Algiers when one of the passengers raised alarm of smoke from the cabin. The aircraft had 204 passengers on board It was learnt that attention of the cabin crew was drawn to the smoke who in turn informed the cockpit crew.
The flight was over 90 per cent Nigerians who were going beyond Frankfurt. One of the passengers onboard who simply identified herself as Grace, told our correspondent that the smoke caused huge panic in the air among the passengers, but said the cabin crew assured them of safety. According to her, the pilot later announced to the passengers that the aircraft would make an emergency landing at the airport, but did not disclose the cause of the smoke to the onboard passengers.
As at the time of filing this report, the passengers were still in Algiers as they awaited the deployment of another aircraft from Frankfurt to airlift them to their various destinations. Also, Mr. Hakeem Jimo, the media consultant to the airline in Nigeria in an e-mail to our correspondent confirmed the incident, but noted that it was an “electrical smell” and not fire as claimed by one of the passengers. He assured that the passengers would continue their journey today to Frankfurt and beyond, but were yet to depart Algiers. He insisted that Lufthansa would not toy with the safety of passengers and equipment, stressing that the step taken by the pilot was the best professional decision taken.
He said: “Yesterday’s flight LH569 from Lagos to Frankfurt precautionary diverted to TMR due to an unusual smell in the cabin. The Airbus A330 aircraft with 204 passengers onboard has landed safety in TMR and is currently being examined by technicians. The safety of passengers and crew is Lufthansa’s number one priority at all times
“Passengers will continue their journey to Frankfurt today (Monday) with another Lufthansa aircraft to Germany. Lufthansa apologized for inconveniencies caused.”
Passengers were evacuated from All Nippon Airways (ANA) Boeing 767 aircraft on Monday at 10:00 a.m. local time prior to its departure to Hong Kong from Narita airport in Chiba Prefecture after the passenger cabin filled with smoke. After the plane’s doors had been closed at the gate, 137 passengers who had boarded flight 809 bound for Hong Kong were evacuated back to the terminal. At least four of those evacuated from the plane complained off feeling ill after inhaling the smoke but no one was hospitalized, official said.
One man was quoted by local media as saying, “as soon as the plane’s doors closed, smoke came billowing out of the air conditioner and the inside of the plane quickly became filled white with smoke.”
“There was a smell of burning machinery, so I covered my nose and mouth with a handkerchief,” the male passenger said.
Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism said that upon investigation of the grounded plane, they found that an oil leakage had occurred in the auxiliary engine at the rear of the plane and smoke had flowed into the passenger cabin. The ministry said there was no sign of fire, however. A representative for ANA said they were also investigating the cause of the accident.
A Southwest flight from San Diego to Las Vegas made an emergency landing Sunday after reports of smoke in the cockpit. Southwest Airlines flight 2799 left Lindbergh Field at 10 p.m. and landed safely in Los Angeles shortly after taking off. There were 68 passengers on board the plane. All of them were taken to Las Vegas on a new flight and arrived two hours behind schedule, according to an airline official. The plane was taken out of a service and maintenance crews were expected to examine it.
An inbound Delta flight from Detroit was evacuated after landing Tuesday night at Denver International Airport, according to airport staff. One person was taken to University Hospital with no word on their condition, a spokesperson for Denver Health said. Airport staff said Flight 1854 landed and was on the taxiway when the cabin filled with smoke. The passengers were bussed to the terminal.
AJ Davidson, who said he was on the plane, told 9NEWS as soon as the plane landed it began to fill with smoke.
“Everyone was kind of yelling, like, ‘Hey, there’s smoke coming out of the vents. What’s going on? Open the doors. Why aren’t the masks dropping down?’ … After a couple of minutes, the flight attendant was like, ‘Everyone get low to the ground and cover your mouth with a blanket, or clothes, or whatever you have.’ And maybe a minute later, they finally made the call to evacuate the plane. And she yelled, ‘Evacuate the plane,’ and seconds later, the doors popped open. We all jumped down the slide and got out of there as fast as we could.”
Delta released a statement just after 9:15 confirming passengers had to deplane via slides and over the wing after smoke was seen in the cabin.
“Airport response vehicles met the aircraft out of an abundance of caution and customers were transported to the terminal via buses,” the statement said. “The safety of Delta’s customers and crew is our top priority and we apologize for the concern this situation has caused.”
According to DIA, they took a report of a fire on the plane earlier in the evening. A tweet just after 10 p.m. indicates that there were no flames, and the airport is back to normal operations. FAA’s records show this plane is a Boeing MD-90-30 that was built in 1998.
An American Airlines flight headed for Dallas was forced to return to Chicago’s O’Hare airport following reports that the cockpit began filling with smoke. American Airlines Flight 2587, an Airbus 321 carrying 175 passengers and six crew members, left from O’Hare at 8:09 a.m. local time and returned just over an hour later, at 9:13, according to data from Flight Aware. A tweet from Bruce Clark, who claimed to be the son of a passenger on the flight, said he was getting texts from his father about the plane’s impending emergency landing while in the air.
“Happening right now… Texts from my dad [en route] to Tokyo on @AmericanAir via ORD to Dallas — ‘smoke in cockpit, making emergency landing,’” wrote Clark.
American responded to Clark shortly afterward, assuring him the plane was returning safely, and that his father would be “on his way soon.” In a statement, American Airlines also confirmed that the crew decided to return from their departure city after reports of “a possible odor in the cabin,” but made no mention of smoke in the cockpit.
“American Airlines flight 2587, from Chicago O’Hare to Dallas Fort Worth, returned to Chicago after the crew reported a possible odor in the cabin,” the airline stated.
“The aircraft, an Airbus 321 with 175 passengers and a crew of 6, landed safely and taxied to the gate. The aircraft will be evaluated by our maintenance team, and we apologize to our customers for the inconvenience.”
An aircraft operated by a Spanish low-cost airline was evacuated this afternoon (Sunday) after an ‘explosion’ and then smoke and a burning smell filled the inside the plane. The Volotea flight from the Asturias Airport to Sevilla was still on the ground and safely evacuated with no reports of any injuries. Passengers took to social media to Tweet photographs of a plume of white smoke coming from the rear of the aircraft. The flight was cancelled and the company said passengers will be transferred to a later flight. Initially the airline said that there had been a failure in the power unit of the plane, which caused the smoke, but that there had been no explosion. Later the company clarified that a fuse had exploded during routine pre-flight checks. They said that their procedures worked as the checks were stopped when the problem was detected. Engineers are now analysing the reason for the failure of the part.
Air Canada flight 7775 made an emergency landing at Halifax Stanfield International Airport Sunday afternoon after the pilot noticed smoke in the cockpit. The flight, operated by EVAS Air, left Halifax at 11:55 a.m. bound for Fredericton and landed back at the airport at 12:07 p.m.
“When the pilot immediately noticed smoke in the cockpit, they declared an emergency and Halifax Stanfield provided emergency response in relation to that,” said Theresa Rath, an airport spokesperson.
There were 13 passengers on the plane, a Beech 1900D, and everyone made it off safely with no reports of injury. Rath said there were no signs of fire on the plane. The plane landed at an intersection of the airport’s runway. That caused some delays for inbound and outbound flights at the airport for about 45 minutes, as the airport dealt with passengers and towed the aircraft from the runway.
“Normal operations resumed at the airport at about 12:55 p.m.,” Rath said.
Seventeen guardsmen were hospitalized when smoke and fumes were reported inside a C-130 aircraft following takeoff Monday night from the Delaware Air National Guard base near New Castle. Guardsmen, who were conducting medical training exercises, were taken to a medical treatment facility as a precaution, said Lt. Col. Len Gratteri, a spokesman for the Delaware Air National Guard.
“We don’t know of anyone that had any problems,” Gratteri said. “We went and got them checked out. Nobody has reported back and said there is something serious.”
The incident occurred after 7 p.m. when the military transport aircraft, carrying members of the 142nd Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, took off. During the flight, crew members reported smoke and fumes inside the four-engine turboprop plane, declaring the in-flight emergency as standard procedure, Gratteri said. The aircraft landed safely on base and was met by first responders on the runway. Gratteri said a maintenance crew will be inspecting the C-130 to see what the issue was. Squadron members with the 166th Airlift Wing are medical personnel trained to go on the battlefield, pick up injured people and transport them elsewhere.
Flight LH954 from Frankfurt to Birmingham got into trouble over London at around midday. There are reports that smoke in the cockpit forced an early landing. The plane was diverted and landed safely at Heathrow at 12.30pm. Passengers that needed to get to Birmingham were taken by bus. The flight left Germany at 12.09pm local time and was supposed to land in Birmingham at 12.44pm. No injuries were reported.
A Delta flight headed from Minneapolis to Anchorage, Alaska, made an emergency landing at Fargo’s Hector International Airport Thursday, April 12, after reports of smoke in the cockpit. The flight departed Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport at 5:55 p.m. and was carrying 189 passengers, according to Shawn Dobberstein, executive director of Fargo’s Municipal Airport Authority. The Delta plane was flying over the Bismarck area when it was forced to turn around and fly to Fargo, Dobberstein said. The plane was able to land safely at Hector at about 7:30 p.m., with firefighters greeting the plane when it touched down. A flight from Minneapolis was to arrive in Fargo at 11 p.m. to pick up the stranded passengers and take them to their destination. Delta ordered pizza for the passengers during the wait.
An American Airlines flight made an emergency landing Wednesday afternoon at O’Hare International Airport after smoke was reported in the cabin, officials said. The Chicago Fire Department responded to the airport about 3:46 p.m. and determined there were no injuries, officials said. An American Airlines spokesperson said flight #3470 from Columbus to Chicago had 64 passengers and four crew members aboard. Passengers got off the plane on the taxiway, the airline said, where they were bussed to another terminal. No fire was located.
In less than six months after SpiceJet’s Bombardier Q-400 turboprop aircraft made an emergency landing due to smoke in cabin, the airline suffered another incident of smoke in cabin on Wednesday on the same model of plane. According to sources, passengers on board flight SG3466 en route to Bengaluru from Coimbatore witnessed smoke emanating from the cockpit of the aircraft 15 minutes before landing. The aircraft, with 40 people including crew on board, landed normally, albeit in presence of fire tenders waiting in case of any emergency, and the passengers were deplaned safely.
“Passengers were deplaned safely in a normal manner,” a SpiceJet spokesperson said.
An El Al plane carrying around 130 passengers made an emergency landing at Ben Gurion Airport Tuesday afternoon shortly after taking off from there for Vienna, when smoke was spotted in the cabin.
“There was smoke in the plane’s galley,” one passenger told the Ynet news site. “The crew ran to the galley and after a few moments they said there was smoke and we were going back because there was a problem.”
The plane landed safely. It was met by ambulances and paramedics at the airport.There were apparently no injuries in the incident. The cause of the smoke was not immediately clear. Earlier Tuesday another El Al plane, headed for Milan, was forced to return to the airport shortly after takeoff due to an issue with its landing gear indication system.
A passenger plane was evacuated at Moscow’s Domodedovo Airport after the cabin filled with smoke. Passengers were forced to evacuate via inflatable slides in the dark. Flight GH-173 to Novosibirsk had to abort take-off late on Tuesday, when the pilots of the Boeing 727 plane noticed smoke in the cockpit. The entire landing strip was immediately blocked off and passengers were ordered to leave the plane via inflatable slides. Videos from the scene show rescuers rushing to the plane across the landing strip. The evacuation took place in total darkness, lit only by the flashing lights of nearby emergency vehicles. All of the 129 passengers were successfully evacuated and no one was injured in the incident, a spokesperson for Globus Airlines said.
According to a preliminary investigation, the smoke was caused by water that got into the air conditioning system of the plane, the company said. A source with Moscow’s emergency services said the emergency was likely caused by a short circuit. The incident did not disrupt other flights in the airport, according to Domodevo’s press service.
An Air Canada flight from Toronto to Washington DC had to make an emergency landing after smoke was spotted in the plane’s cockpit. The flight was operated by Sky Regional on behalf of Air Canada and left Pearson International Airport at 4:51 p.m. At some point during the flight, pilots saw smoke in the cockpit and the plane made an emergency landing at Dulles International Airport rather than at Reagan National Airport, as originally scheduled.
“All 63 passengers and 4 crew were unharmed after exiting the aircraft on the tarmac,” Sky Regional Spokesperson Naomi Strasser told CP24 in an email.
It’s not yet clear what caused the problem on the plane.
Air Canada is now assisting passengers in getting to their final destinations, Strasser said.
A WestJet flight from Vancouver to Nanaimo declared an emergency after smoke filled the cabin and flight deck on its approach to the Nanaimo airport Tuesday. Passenger Robin Thacker was sitting in row 17 near the back of the Bombardier Q400 twin turboprop.
“It was touch and go in terms of getting scared about it,” he said. “By the time we landed you almost couldn’t see the front row, that’s how thick the smoke was. No masks dropped down and they just told us to breathe through our clothes.”
Thacker said the flight landed normally but then underwent an emergency evacuation on the tarmac with the crew kicking out the doors. He estimates the flight was 90-per-cent full. In a statement, a WestJet spokesperson said all passengers and crew on WestJet Encore flight 3161 were safely evacuated from the aircraft. Thacker said the smoke became noticeable in the last four or five minutes of the 17-minute flight.
“You could tell [the crew] was worried. That’s when the worry kicked in for me,” he said.
WestJet said it has cancelled three subsequent flights the aircraft was scheduled to fly between Vancouver and Vancouver Island due to a maintenance inspection.
There were two emergency situations involving flights in the Buffalo airport area Wednesday. Both ended safely.
The first was at approximately 6am, a Challenger CL-30 took off from Prior Aviation and experienced smoke in the cockpit, the plane came back and landed safely. There were 4 passengers on board.
The second one was just after 9 this morning, an inbound Delta CRJ-200, Detroit to Buffalo, the plane had a minor mechanical issue and landed safely, 19 on board total, 3 were crew members. The plane landed safely.
The fire department responded to Eindhoven Airbase on Wednesday morning after the cockpit of a Hercules C130 suddenly filled with smoke, the fire brigade said on Twitter. The military plane was still on the ground when this happened. The six crew members on board immediately turned off the engines and left the aircraft. No one was hurt. What caused the smoke is still unclear. Defense is investigating, according to the fire brigade. Other aviation traffic was not hindered.
Source: David Lynch and Brittany Costello | www.kob.com
City aviation officials say a Dallas-bound flight was diverted to the Albuquerque International Sunport Sunday evening due to smoke in the cabin that was possibly the result of an electrical fire. Officials said flight 3562, which took off from Phoenix, landed at the Sunport sometime after 8 p.m. Several emergency vehicles could be seen on the tarmac surrounding the plane before leaving the scene around 9:40 p.m. Passengers and crew de-planed onto the tarmac and was taken via city bus back to the Sunport. Two people were transported to the hospital with minor injuries according to AFD.
Brandon Cox was one of the many passengers on that flight. He said about halfway through the flight he noticed something out of the ordinary. “Me and my buddy that was sitting next to me we could feel the air blowing out of the vent was real hot and it was really unusual,” Cox said in a phone interview. “Why would they turn the heat on right now? Then there was a little smell.”
About five minutes after the bizarre smell, an announcement came over the loudspeaker.
“Buckle your seatbelts tight and, you know, bend over, put your head and your hands in your lap and they were on the radio repeating that,” he said.
Passengers were informed plane would be making an emergency landing and would be greeted by a sea of first responders.
“At that point, I didn’t really know what was going to happen,” he said. “I knew that we were going down and that it was an emergency landing so I kind of tried to prepare for the worst,” he said.
While Cox was praying and texting loved ones, others were trying to comfort each other. Despite the panic, the plane landed safely.
A LATAM Argentina Airbus A320-200, registration LV-BFO performing flight 4M-7732/LA-7732 from Buenos Aires Aeroparque,BA to El Calafate,SC (Argentina) with 167 passengers and 6 crew, was climbing through FL300 out of Buenos Aires when smoke developed in the cockpit prompting the crew to divert to Buenos Aires’ Ezeiza,BA (Argentina) for a safe landing about 45 minutes after departure.
Argentina’s JIAAC (Accident Investigation) rated the occurrence a serious incident and opened an investigation. The damage to the aircraft is being determined. The airline reported there had been a small amount of smoke in the back of the cabin. ACARS messages received from the aircraft include “VENT BLOWER FAULT” and “VENT EXTRACT FAULT” indications, both indications related to avionics cooling.
An aircraft operated by Nigeria’s largest airline, Arik Air, made an emergency landing on Tuesday when the pilot detected smoke in the cabin. The aircraft, travelling from Lagos to Accra, Ghana, had smoke coming from its cabin many miles away from its destination in Ghana.
A passenger had taken to the social media Thursday complaining about alleged ill treatment meted out to the affected passengers on the flight when the plane eventually landed in Ghana after the experience. But the airline said in a statement on Thurday that there was no incident and that passengers disembarked without hitches. The airline’s spokesperson, Adebanji Ola, said the captain briefed the passengers when the incident occurred.
“Arik Air flight W3 304 from Lagos to Accra on March 6, 2018 declared an emergency in line with standard operating procedures, when unknown source of smoke was detected in the cabin 81 miles from Accra,” the statement said.
“The captain of the flight briefed the passengers accordingly, assuring them that the aircraft was under control and safe for landing in Accra.
“The aircraft, a Dash 8 Q400, landed safely in Accra without further incident and all passengers disembarked normally.”
The incident occurred against the backdrop of series of near-mishaps recorded in the Nigerian aviation industry in recent weeks.
An Air Canada flight was delayed at Pearson International Airport this morning after a passenger’s cellphone caught fire on the plane, the airline said. Peter Fitzpatrick, a spokesperson for Air Canada, said there were 266 customers on board the flight, which was headed to Vancouver. He said the phone caught fire at around 7 a.m. as the flight crew was preparing for takeoff.
“The fire was immediately extinguished by our crew and there was no damage to the aircraft,” Fitzpatrick said in a statement. Toronto Coun. Joe Cressy was aboard the plane when he said he heard “a commotion” 15 to 20 rows behind him. He said staff immediately snapped into action, extinguishing the fire and calling for any medical professional aboard to come and help.
Brandon Scott, who was also on the flight, compared the fire to a “small campfire-sized flame.”
“I heard yelling, it just seemed like pandemonium, there was confusion about what was going on and people were jumping out of their seats,” Scott said. “I looked behind and in the aisle and it looked like a small campfire-sized flame.”
While it is not known why the phone caught fire, nor has the make or model of the phone been confirmed, CTV’s technology analyst Carmi Levy said occurrences of phones catching fire are becoming increasingly common.
“When it works, lithium-ion is a great technology for mobile devices but if the battery is damaged, if it runs hot, if there’s something wrong with the device… it could be, essentially, a bomb in your pocket,” he said.
All sources say pilots reported smoke in the cockpit, yet later United Airlines spokesperson claims smoke was in the lavatory.
Source: Karma Allen | www.abcnews.go.com
A United Airlines flight from Newark, New Jersey, to Los Angeles was forced to make an emergency landing in Pennsylvania around 9:20 p.m. Tuesday after pilots noticed smoke in the cockpit, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
Flight 1165 was diverted to Lehigh Valley International Airport, about 65 miles northeast of Philadelphia. The plane, a Boeing 757, landed safely, and no injuries were reported, the FAA said.
United confirmed the diversion in a statement late Tuesday, but said the plane had to be diverted “after reports of smoke in the lavatory,” not the cockpit.
“The flight landed safely and we will transport customers back to Newark this evening via bus and provide hotel accommodations, helping customers resume their travels as quickly as possible on Wednesday,” United said. “Our maintenance team will inspect the aircraft to determine the cause. We apologize to our customers for this inconvenience.”
United and the FAA both said they would investigate the incident.
United passengers experienced a much scarier diversion incident earlier this month when part of a plane’s engine fell apart in midair, leaving metal pieces flapping in the wind. The NTSB attributed that incident to an “engine surge and compressor stall” in one of the plane’s engines.
That plane, a Boeing 777, landed safely with no injuries, but passengers on the flight said the said they were terrified.
“I thought we were going to die and hoped that my kids knew that I loved them,” one passenger told ABC News on Feb. 13. “It was horrible. The flight attendants were really professional, but they were scared. You could tell from their face.”
An Airbus Beluga transport plane performed an emergency landing yesterday after the crew reported smoke in the cockpit.
The aircraft with three crew onboard took off from Hawarden Airport at 10.10am on Monday en route to the Airbus site at Hamburg-Finkenwerder in Germany.
The seventeen year old transporter was descending north of Bremen when the flight crew declared an emergency due to the smoke problem. Emergency services were put on standby at Hamburg-Finkenwerder Airport as the Beluga came into land around 15 minutes after the emergency was declared. The airport Fire Service escorted the Beluga off the runway to the airport apron and on inspection it was found that there had been a ‘cable fire’ on the flight deck, which had already extinguished.
According to a report by German news website The Hamburger Abendblatt around 50 firefighters from Hamburg were deployed “with two fire brigades, two command services, one environmental service, three volunteer fire departments, one area leader (FF) and two interchangeable vehicles with the roll-off containers Special Extinguishing Foam and Powder.”
In an update this morning a spokesperson from Airbus told Deeside.com;
“We confirm a “safety landing” of the Beluga (registration F-GSTF) at our Airbus airport Finkenwerder due to apparent smoke in the cockpit. The plane was on a flight from Chester (UK) to Hamburg-Finkenwerder. The plane landed safely and the crew are fine.”
A domestic flight in China was delayed by nearly three hours when a power bank kept in the overhead compartment caught fire. The electronic device went up in flames shortly before takeoff while passengers were still boarding the plane. Fortunately, the fire was put out successfully and no person was reported injured. Video taken by a passenger on-board shows a carry-on luggage covered in flames. A flight attendant promptly throws bottled water at the fire. A passenger joins in by throwing… em, juice at the burning device. They successfully contain the fire within a few seconds, reports Indian Express. Photos and videos of the incident were posted on Chinese social media platform Weibo and soon went viral on other platforms.
According to People’s Daily China, the incident happened on a China Southern Airline flight To Shanghai on Sunday. The plane was still in Guangzhou when the power bank caught fire. Passengers were boarding the flight when smoke and fire were seen coming from a passenger’s bag in the overhead bin, Channel NewsAsia quotes a statement posted by the airline on Weibo. According to the statement, the fire was put out with the help of fire and security departments and there was no further damage or injuries. The passenger who owned the bag was brought in to help authorities in the investigation. According to preliminary probe, the device was not in use when it caught fire.
Passengers were disembarked from the plane following the incident and allocated a new aircraft which took off nearly three hours later, according to information from flight tracking website FlightAware. On social media, the attendant’s firefighting techniques involving water and juice came under much criticism.
The crew and passengers are safe after a disabled aircraft had to make an emergency landing at Scottsdale Airport. There was a report of smoke in the cockpit, according to airport officials. A small section of Taxiway B was closed as a result.
A JetBlue Airplane landed safely at PBIA after reports of smoke in the cockpit Monday night. According to an official with PBIA, either the Pilot or first officer called in an alert 2 and reported smoke in the cockpit of their aircraft as they were approaching the airport. The plane landed safely and passengers exited the plane without incident. Crews are investigating the source of the smoke. No injuries have been reported.
SAVOY, Ill. (WAND) – An American Eagle flight to Chicago returned to Willard Airport Monday morning after smoke was reported in the cockpit according to Gene Cossey, the Executive Director of Willard Airport. The plane landed without incident and was brought back to the terminal where 35 passengers onboard were able to exit the aircraft, said Cossey.
According to Cossey, the smoke in the cockpit cleared once ventilated. Oil on the auxiliary power unit near the cargo outside the cockpit appears to be the source of the smoke, said Cossey. Officials stated there were no physical problems with the aircraft and that no one onboard required medical attention.
Source: Joy Basu & David Rivers | www.dailystar.co.ukFlight BA0213 departed from London Heathrow at 11.15 am today, but the flight was forced to head to Shannon as a “precaution” shortly after take-off. It has since emerged this was due to the cockpit filling with smoke. Flight tracking website AirLive said this was due to a faulty air-conditioning unit. It tweeted: “British Airways #BA213 to Boston diverted to Shannon due to fumes in cockpit and cabin (suspected AC unit failure).”A message on the airline’s website said: “We’re very sorry, this flight scheduled from London to Boston, has been diverted to Shannon.” A spokesman for British Airways confirmed the aircraft landed normally. He said: “Our highly-trained pilots diverted the flight as a precaution.””We have arranged for a replacement aircraft to fly to Shannon this afternoon to make sure all our customers can get to Boston as soon as possible.
“We have apologised to our customers for the delay to their journey.”
A US domestic flight was forced to divert when a passenger’s lithium battery caught fire, injuring two people and spreading smoke through the cabin. Frontier Airlines flight 1883 had departed from Orlando in Florida, destination Phoenix, Arizona, at 8.40pm on 3 February. During the climb, a passenger’s battery that was connected to a smartphone ignited. It burnt the owner, who knocked it to the floor. Another passenger managed to pick it up and take it to the bathroom to place it in the sink, burning his hand in the process. The battery was covered with ice to try to cool it. The pilots decided to divert to Tampa, where the Airbus A320 landed safely about 40 minutes after take-off. The two injured passengers were give treatment for their burns.
A passenger, Kim Gardner, reported on the Aviation Herald website: “Smoke was bad and it smelled awful for a little bit and then pretty much went away. “It was pretty scary for a few minutes with all the smoke and fumes and made you realize how fast something can happen on a plane and how little control you have of things.”
Another passenger, Patrick, wrote: “I was on this flight, about 15 rows back. Cabin oxygen masks did not drop down. The event was quick with a smoke cloud toward the front passenger rows, and the lingering smell.
“When we landed in Tampa, the runway was lined with every emergency vehicle they had. Everyone deplaned after about 25 minutes. At that point I realized that it was going to be a long night. Better than an abruptly short night.”
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) allows spare lithium ion batteries to be carried in the aircraft cabin, but not checked into baggage. In December, a passenger’s iPhone on a United Airlines flight from Barcelona to New York caught fire after it was inadvertently crushed when the seat was reclined. “The phone caught fire and was then retrieved and placed in a containment bag,” reported the FAA. The UK Civil Aviation Authority says: “Lithium batteries are very safe, but because of their high energy, if they are not treated with care or if they are abused or have a manufacturing fault, they can catch fire. “Batteries have been the cause of a number of fires on board aircraft and during ground handling.”
A JetBlue airplane was forced to make an emergency landing at Stewart International Airport in Orange County on Wednesday. Reports say there was smoke in the cockpit of the plane, forcing pilots to use oxygen masks and land the aircraft in New Windsor. The cause of the smoke is believed to be electrical. The plane was headed from Burlington, Vermont to JFK when it had to change course. There are no reports of injuries for anyone onboard.
The Queensland police jet carrying most of Queensland’s top police and emergency services leaders has made an emergency return in Brisbane this morning after a mid-air drama on the way to Townsville. The early morning flight carrying Queensland Police Minister Mark Ryan, Commissioner Ian Stewart and Emergency Services Commissioner Katarina Carroll was near Gladstone when it suddenly plummeted, dropping altitude rapidly. Those onboard reported loud banging and the smell of smoke. The 19-year-old Cessna Citation twin jet landed safely back in Brisbane with those on board having to abandon the plan to join the Premier in Townsville for Australia Day. Mr Ryan said it was a frightening experience.
“But I knew the fantastic and highly experienced pilots of the Government Air Wing were in control. I’m grateful to them for their professionalism, skill, reassurance, and calmness,” Mr Ryan said.
Corrective Services Commissioner Peter Martin and head of Maritime Safety Queensland Captain Patrick Quirk were also on board. A government spokesman said Commissioner Stewart directed the other passengers to follow emergency procedures as the pilots turned the plane around and flew at low altitude and slow speed back to Brisbane.
Passengers on an American Airlines flight suffered some tense moments on Thursday after they were instructed to brace for impact as their plane made an emergency landing due to mechanical issues. The entire frightening incident was recorded by a passenger. In a video from passenger Steve Ramsthel, a flight attendant tells passengers, “you will need to be seated in a brace position for landing.”
The plane, operated by Mesa Airlines, was traveling from Phoenix and ultimately landed safely at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. Ramsthel told Phoenix ABC affiliate KNXV that he could smell smoke in the plane. “There were some people crossing themselves, but I thought the adrenaline was high and everybody just cooperated,” Ramsthel said. “It was pretty amazing to be honest with you.” Ramsthel, who is a certified pilot, said passengers remained calm and the captain and crew handled the situation very well.
American Airlines later released a statement, saying, “A flight made an emergency landing on January 17 due to mechanical issues stemming from a broken fan. There were no reported injuries.” The plane has been inspected, and is now back in service, according to the airline.
An Alaskan Airlines flight that took off at Palm Springs International Airport and was scheduled to land in San Francisco, was diverted to LAX after smoke was reported in the cockpit. AlaskaAir flight 1599 took off from the Palm Springs at 7:30 pm. The plane landed safely on a runway at LAX at a little after 8:30 pm. No word at this time on what may have caused the problem.
An Aeroflot Boeing 737-800, registration VQ-BWA performing flight SU-1415 (dep Jan 8th) from Ekaterinburg to Moscow Sheremetyevo (Russia) with 149 people on board, was descending towards Moscow when sparks and smoke were observed from the cabin ceiling near the cockpit door. Cabin crew discharegd fire extinguishers which stopped the sparks and smoke. The aircraft continued for a safe landing on Sheremetyevo’s runway 24R.
Moscow’s Transport Prosecution Office reported there was sparking and smoke pollution from the video surveillance equipment due to a wiring/insulation fault. Rosaviatsia reported smoke was detected coming from the cabin ceiling in the cabin just at the cockpit door. Cabin crew discharged a fire extinguisher. After some time the sparks and smoke re-occurred, another fire extinguisher was discharged which stopped the sparks and smoke. The aircraft continued to Sheremetyevo Airport and was removed from service. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Moscow about 18 hours after landing.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – A Delta passenger airplane was diverted to Colorado Springs Municipal Airport Thursday after smoke started filling up the cockpit. The Boeing 737 was on its way to Los Angeles from Raleigh, North Carolina, when it had to make the emergency stop. Officials tell us all of the passengers and crew members exited the plane safely. At this time, it’s not known what caused the smoke in the cockpit. Officials didn’t say if the pilots suffered from any smoke inhalation. Delta says it’s bringing another aircraft to COS to pick up those passengers.
All Nippon Airways’ flight ANA/NH805 from Tokyo/Narita, Japan to Bangkok/Suvarnabhumi, Thailand, operated by a Boeing 787-8, diverted to Naha Airport (OKA/ROAH), Japan, due to smoke and odor in the cabin and cockpit while flying over Tokunoshima island, Kagoshima prefecture, Japan. The flight crew declared an emergency at 21:07 LT, and the plane made a safe landing at Naha at 21:40 LT.
The pilots of a cargo plane about to take off at East Midlands Airport had to evacuate the jet after it filled with hot smoke. The pilot and co-pilot – who were the only two people onboard – had at first disregarded a fire alarm that went off but after it sounded the second time they radioed the airport’s ground crew who confirmed that smoke was coming out of the rear of the Boeing 747.
According to a report by the government’s Air Accidents Investigations Branch, “The co-pilot walked to the forward galley and found that the smoke was thickening rapidly and was getting hotter, with the source of the smoke beneath the cargo deck floor.”
Both pilots managed to get to safety and the fault was traced to a duct with a broken clamp leaking very hot air into the plane. The incident has led to the freight company – which was not named in the report – replacing the faulty clamp on all 747-300 and 747-400 cargo aircraft. The incident happened at 12.15am on February 3 at the Leicestershire airport as the plane was about to take off on a scheduled freight trip to Edinburgh. The co-pilot was about to request permission to be reversed out from the terminal in preparation for take-off when a fire warning bell sounded but they saw no fire warning lights and cancelled the bell. But 10 seconds later the bell sounded again.
The report stated: “The commander asked the ground crew whether they could see any smoke or fire coming from the aircraft.”
“The ground crew reported that smoke was emanating from the rear of the aircraft.
“Whilst this message was being received, the crew observed and smelt smoke entering the cockpit, despite the cockpit door being closed.”
After finding the smoke in the galley, the airport fire engines were called out and the co-pilot opened the cockpit door and shouted to the ground crew to bring the boarding stairs up to the aircraft so they could get out.
An aircraft of British Airways, flying from Mumbai to London, made an emergency landing in the Heydar Aliyev International Airport in Baku, the airport told Trend Dec. 11. The emergency landing was made after smoke in cockpit.
“135 passengers and 17 crew members were on the board of Boeing-777, the plane made a successful landing and is at Heydar Aliyev airport now”, the airport said.
Japan Air Commuter’s flight JAC/JC3768 from Tanegashima to Kagoshima, a DHC-8-Q402, suffered smoke in the cabin and the cockpit during a final approach to Kagoshima. The airplane made an emergency landing at Kagoshima, and was stuck on the runway for one hour and twenty minutes, causing 11 other commercial flights to be cancelled and 3 more diverted. No personal injuries were reported among 26 passengers and 4 crew. The smoke may be water mist.
A United Airlines flight heading to Cancun was forced to turn back to Newark Liberty International Airport Friday after the crew reported there was smoke in the cockpit, authorities said. The plane safely landed at the airport and there were no reported injuries, said Joe Pentangelo, senior police public information officer for the Port Authority. No other information was immediately available.
“United Airlines Flight 1048, headed for Cancun, Mexico, returned to Newark shortly after takeoff due to a maintenance issue,” United Airlines said in a statement. “The flight landed safely and taxied to a gate.”
The passengers were put onto a new plane and left two hours later than planned, airline officials said.
“We apologize to our customers for the delay,” the statement continued.
A United Airlines flight that departed Durango en route for Denver on Thursday morning was turned around shortly after takeoff because of a report of smoke in the aircraft. Flight No. 4473 departed at 8:39 a.m. from Durango-La Plata County Airport and declared an in-flight emergency at 8:44 a.m., said Toni Vicari, director of aviation at the airport. “The report that we received was smoke in the aircraft,” he said. The smoke was reported to be in the lavatory, he said. The CRJ700 aircraft turned around and landed safely at 8:52 a.m. Firefighters at the airport inspected the plane but found no signs of active fire. The plane remained grounded as of Thursday afternoon. “We have no reports of anyone injured or aircraft damage,” Vicari said. Airport emergency staff cleared the scene at 9:23 a.m. The plane holds 70 passengers and a three-person crew; it had 71 people on board at the time.
An IndiGo flight from Delhi to Visakhapatnam returned to Delhi safely and made an emergency landing after smoke was detected in its cockpit on Wednesday, November 22. All the 170 passengers onboard IndiGo 6E719 Delhi-Vizag aircraft are safe. The cause of the smoke is not known yet.
A full emergency was declared soon after the smoke was detected in the cockpit of the aircraft. There has not been an official announcement from IndiGo.
Aurora aircraft made an emergency landing at the Yarmouth International Airport on Thursday afternoon, Nov. 16, after the airport was told the crew had detected a smell of smoke in the cockpit.
There were no injuries and any emergency dissipated quickly by the time the plane was down safely on the runway.
Airport manager Mike Fields said the tower operator in Yarmouth received a call from Moncton Air Traffic Control alerting the airport that an Aurora was going to touch down very quickly at the Yarmouth airport.
“They had smoke in the cockpit, no fire, and they were inbound to our runway,” Fields said about what they were told. “From there we launched our emergency response action plan and called 911. All the first responders responded appropriately.”
Responding were RCMP, the Yarmouth Fire Department and EHS. Within less than half an hour all first responders had cleared the scene.
NEW DELHI: In yet another case of a personal electronic device (PED) emitting smoke after possibly catching fire, a laptop on IndiGo’s Thiruvananthapuram-Bengaluru flight had to be sprayed with fire extinguishers last Saturday (November 11). The latest scare happened on 6E-445 (VT-IGV) when passengers reported burning smell from a black bag. The airline crew sprayed fire extinguisher, relocated passengers from nearby seats and kept the laptop in a container of water till the plane landed safely.
Confirming this, an IndiGo spokeperson said: “IndiGo crew operating flight 6E-445 from Thiruvananthapuram to Bengaluru noticed the smoke smell in the cabin on November 11, 2017. The crew quickly identified minor sparks coming from the hat-rack of seat 24RH and immediately informed the pilot-in-command. Taking precautionary measures, the cabin crew on priority relocated all passengers from adjacent seats. Smoke from a black laptop placed in the hand baggage was discharged with a fire extinguisher, as per the standard operating procedures prescribed by the aircraft manufacturer. The laptop was then transferred into a container filled with water in lavatory. The aircraft made a normal landing at Bengaluru airport, all passengers were deplaned as per normal procedure and the DGCA was voluntarily informed.”
An Aer Lingus flight from Cork to London Heathrow was forced to turn back shortly into its journey after smoke was seen in the cockpit. The flight had been due to depart at 11.50am but was delayed until 12.46pm. Shortly into the flight, the alarm was raised, and it turned back, landing safely at Cork Airport at 13.23pm. The airport was put on full alert, with fire crews and ambulances on standby. There were 151 passengers and crew on board. Passengers had to be evacuated by chute and stairs but there are no reports of any injuries. A full technical investigation of the Airbus 320 is now under way. The Air Accident Unit of the Department of Transport has also been notified. The airline has said the emergency landing was made due to a “technical issue” with the aircraft. A spokesman for Cork Airport would not comment on reports of smoke in the cockpit. Efforts are now being made to transfer or re-schedule flights for passengers.
At the time the government certified Boeing’s 787 Dreamliners as safe, federal rules barred the type of batteries used to power the airliner’s electrical systems from being carried as cargo on passenger planes because of the fire risk.
Now the situation is reversed.
Dreamliners worldwide were grounded nearly three weeks ago after lithium ion batteries that are part of the planes led to a fire in one plane and smoke in a second. But new rules exempt aircraft batteries from the ban on large lithium ion batteries as cargo on flights by passenger planes.
In effect, that means the Dreamliner’s batteries are now allowed to fly only if they’re not attached to a Dreamliner.
The regulations were published on Jan. 7, the same day as a battery fire in a Japan Airlines 787 parked at Boston’s Logan International Airport that took firefighters nearly 40 minutes to put out.
Pilots and safety advocates say the situation doesn’t make sense. If the 787’s battery system is too risky to allow the planes to fly, then it’s too risky to ship the same batteries as cargo on airliners, they said.
“These incidents have raised the whole issue of lithium batteries and their use in aviation,” said Jim Hall, a former National Transportation Safety Board chairman. “Any transport of lithium batteries on commercial aircraft for any purpose should be suspended until (an) NTSB investigation is complete and we know more about this entire issue.”
Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, a former US Airways pilot famed for his precision flying that enabled passengers and crew to survive an emergency landing on the Hudson River in New York, said in an interview that he wouldn’t be comfortable flying an airliner that carried lithium ion aircraft batteries in its cargo hold.
The battery rules were changed in order to conform U.S. shipping requirements with international standards as required by Congress, the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration said in a statement.
The NTSB is investigating the cause of the 787 battery fire in Boston. Japanese authorities are investigating a battery failure that led to an emergency landing by an All Nippon Airways 787 on Jan. 16. All Dreamliners, which are operated by eight airlines in seven countries, have since been grounded.
Smoke appeared in the cockpit of an easyJet aircraft due to an electrical fault known to the manufacturer, an investigation found.
The airline was unaware 10 similar failures had been reported previously, according to the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB).
Of the 11 failures, at least seven had resulted in diversions, a report by AAIB revealed.
The captain and first officer of the easyJet flight became aware of smoke and fumes 11 minutes after taking off from Edinburgh.
There were 172 passengers on board the flight on November 28 last year.
The pilots were forced to wear oxygen masks, issue a mayday alert and divert the Airbus A320 to Newcastle.
The source of the smoke was traced to an overheated device which converts voltage in the cockpit, the AAIB found.
Aircraft manufacturer Airbus did transmit warnings about the problem but they were in a format used for “information” rather than “instructions” and were not routinely reviewed by easyJet.
Another “large UK operator” also did not regularly study these messages, the inquiry revealed.
EasyJet believes the defect should have been “classified as a safety issue” and communicated to carriers in higher-profile alerts.
“Both the aircraft manufacturer and the operator intend further safety action, in addition to that which has already been taken,” the AAIB report said.
There was also a three-minute delay in the co-pilot being able to speak to cabin crew due to difficulties using the aircraft’s communication system.
The incident occurred on flight EZY6931 from Edinburgh to Hamburg.
The aircraft landed safely in Newcastle and the passengers were able to disembark normally.
Source: Aeroinside.com
A Skywest Airlines Canadair CRJ-200 on behalf of Delta Airlines, registration N868AS performing flight OO-4281/DL-4281 from Detroit,MI to Newburgh,NY (USA) with 45 passengers and 3 crew, was enroute at FL290 about 30nm south of Buffalo,NY when the crew reported smoke in the cockpit and diverted the aircraft to Buffalo for a safe landing about 20 minutes later. Attending emergency services found no trace of fire or heat.
The aircraft remained on the ground for about 4.5 hours, then continued the journey and reached Newburgh with a delay of 4:45 hours.
Source: Aeroinside.com
A Hawaiian Airlines Boeing 767-300, registration N583HA performing flight HA-64 from Lihue,HI to Los Angeles,CA (USA) with 276 people on board, was enroute at FL370 about 1200nm eastnortheast of Lihue about 3 hours into the flight and about 1000nm northeast of Hilo,HI (USA) when the crew reported smoke in the cockpit and decided to turn around and divert to Hilo (with a substantial tail wind during the diversion), where the aircraft landed safely about 2:20 hours later. The aircraft taxied to the apron, where the passengers disembarked normally.
A replacement Boeing 767-300 registration N588HA reached Los Angeles with a delay of 11 hours.
The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Hilo about 12 hours after landing.
Source: Aeroinside.com
An Expressjet Embraer ERJ-145 on behalf of United, registration N15574 performing flight EV-3968/UA-3968 from Chicago O’Hare,IL (USA) to Montreal,QC (Canada) with 50 passengers and 3 crew, was enroute at FL350 about 50nm northwest of Buffalo,NY (USA) when the crew reported smoke in the cockpit and diverted the aircraft to Buffalo for a safe landing on runway 23 about 25 minutes after leaving FL350. Emergency services checked the aircraft, the aircraft subsequently taxied to the apron.
A replacement Embraer ERJ-145 registration N14148 reached Montreal with a delay of 6:40 hours.
The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground for 14 hours then positioned back to Chicago.
Source: Avherald
An Egypt Air Airbus A330-200, registration SU-GCG performing flight MS-640 from Madinah (Saudi Arabia) to Cairo (Egypt) with 50 passengers and 10 crew, was climbing out of Madinah when the crew stopped the climb at about FL110 reporting smoke in the cockpit and returned to Madinah for a safe landing on runway 35 about 15 minutes later.
The occurrence aircraft was able to depart after about 4 hours on the ground and reached Cairo with a delay of 4:10 hours.
Source: AvHerald
A Lufthansa Airbus A380-800, registration D-AIMI performing flight LH-440 from Frankfurt/Main (Germany) to Houston Intercontinental,TX (USA), was enroute at FL380 near Montreal,QC (Canada) when smoke and fire broke out in the cabin of the aircraft, which was extinguished by cabin crew.
A passenger in the aft cabin reported the aircraft was enroute near Montreal when a fire alarm triggered and smoke developed. The captain announced a short circuit had triggered a fire in the cabin. The passenger reported everything except the exit signs went dark, only sirens could be heard. Obviously vents were opened, an air rush exiting the cabin could be felt. Flight attendants battled the fire with fire extinguishers. After the fire was out the captain announced, that there had been no damage to the aircraft, and they were able to continue to the destination.
A Westjet Boeing 737-800, registration C-FWSE performing flight WS-658 from Calgary,AB to Toronto,ON (Canada) with 158 passengers and 6 crew, was enroute at FL370 about 40nm southeast of Winnipeg,MB (Canada) when the crew smelled electrical fumes and observed smoke originating from the audio panel #2. The crew diverted the aircraft to Winnipeg where the aircraft landed safely about 20 minutes later.
The Canadian TSB reported maintenance replaced the #2 audio panel.
By: AeroInsider
An Air Canada Airbus A320-200, registration C-GQCA performing flight AC-185 from Toronto,ON to Vancouver,BC (Canada) with 122 people on board, was climbing through FL290 out of Toronto when the crew observed a burning smell followed by smoke in the cockpit. The crew declared Mayday and returned to Toronto. During the approach to smoke dissipated. The aircraft landed safely, was inspected by emergency services and taxied to the gate.
The Canadian TSB did not (yet) report about the cause of the odour and smoke.
SPANISH FORK, Utah — A Utah County pilot had to make an emergency landing in a cornfield Saturday after his engine blew up 1,000 feet over Utah Lake.
“It was just the slightest little shake that didn’t feel right,” said pilot Mike Patey.
The shake was Patey’s engine exploding. Flying right next to him, in his own plane, was his twin brother Mark Patey.
Passengers aboard a flight to Dallas/Ft. Worth International Airport were forced evacuate their plane after a smoky landing this morning, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
Everything aboard American Eagle Flight 3492 from Mobile, Alabama, operated by Envoy Air was business as usual this morning until the plane was already on the ground, according to the airline. Upon landing, the aircraft’s brakes became hot and began to produce smoke, according to American Airlines spokesperson Ross Feinstein.
The airport and American Airlines told ABC News the plane landed safely and no one suffered any serious injuries.
Source by: Simon Hradecky A Jetblue Embraer ERJ-190, registration N187JB performing flight B6-913 from Westchester, NY to Fort Lauderdale, FL (USA) with 98 passengers and 4 crew, was enroute at FL380 about 110nm north of Charleston, SC (USA) when the crew donned their oxygen masks, reported smoke in the cockpit and diverted to Charleston for a safe landing about 20 minutes later. The aircraft vacated the runway, stopped just past the hold short line and was evacuated via slides. There were no injuries. A replacement Embraer ERJ-190 registration N307JB was dispatched to Charleston, resumed the flight and reached Fort Lauderdale with a delay of 6.5 hours.
Gulfport police and fire officials from the Combat Readiness Training Center responded to the Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport Tuesday after a U.S. Coast Guard aircraft had to make an emergency landing, the airport director said.
Clay Williams, director of the Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport, said the pilot called the airport from the air, saying there was smoke coming from the cockpit.
A Scandinavian Airlines Systems plane was forced to make an emergency landing in Gdansk, Poland, shortly after takeoff on Tuesday due to smoke in the cabin.
A spokesman for Polish firefighters says a plane with 94 people aboard flying from Gdansk to Copenhagen returned to the airport and made an emergency landing after smoke appeared on board. No injuries were reported.
The Airbus 319 (reg. OY-KBR) had been due to fly from Gdansk to Copenhagen, and had been scheduled to arrive in the Danish capital at 0710 LT.
A Lufthansa Airbus A319-100, registration D-AILR performing flight LH-16 from Frankfurt/Main to Hamburg (Germany) with 130 passengers, was descending towards Hamburg when the crew reported smoke in the cockpit. The aircraft continued for a safe landing on Hamburg’s runway 33 and stopped on the runway. The passengers disembarked via stairs and were taken to the terminal.
An American Airlines Airbus A330-300, registration N275AY performing flight AA-759 from Athens (Greece) to Philadelphia,PA (USA), was enroute at FL360 about 70nm southwest of Shannon (Ireland) when the crew requested to divert to London Heathrow,EN (UK) reporting smoke in the cabin, but declining to declare emergency, subsequently advising it was an electrical odour. The aircraft landed safely on Heathrow’s runway 27L about one hour later.
The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Heathrow about 7 hours after landing.
TOKYO (Reuters) – Smoke was detected in the cockpit of a Korean Air Lines flight on Friday as it approached Fukuoka airport in southern Japan, but there was no fire reported and no injuries among the passengers, civil aviation and transport officials said.
All 162 passengers and crew on the plane disembarked normally, officials said.
The cause of the smoke in the cockpit of the Boeing 737 has not yet been determined, the transport ministry official said.
The pilot of flight 783 from Busan, South Korea, reported to the control tower that there was smoke in the cockpit as the plane neared Fukuoka airport.
The smoke cleared once the plane landed, an official at the Civil Aviation Bureau in Fukuoka said.
Pallbearers making their way from Inverness, Scotland, to the late Duke of Westminster’s funeral on board his £5million private jet had to evacuate his plane after the cockpit filled with smoke….
Smoke reportedly engulfed ’Aero Contractors flight NG316 from Port Harcourt International airport to Lagos on April 18, causing panic among the passengers. The smoke engulfed the cabin some 20 minutes after take-off and continued until it touched down in Lagos. The flight had departed Port Harcourt airport at 1608GMT with 52 adults and one infant on board. The plane was a Bombardier Q300 Dash 8. There are different accounts of the incident with some claiming that the smoke came from the baggage compartment. The airline’s Managing Director Captain Ado Sanusi said on Wednesday that the smoke originated in the cargo section of the aircraft and got into the cabin through the air-conditioning system. He said the pilot however conducted the flight well and landed safely, adding that there was no technical problem with the airplane. Capt. Sanusi, who has also reported the incident to aviation authorities, said another round of thorough investigation was ongoing. One of the passengers who noted that officials of the Fire Service Emergency Unit were already waiting on the runway as the plane eventually landed in Lagos, however stated that no apology or explanation was offered to the passengers. Barely 48 hours later, another airliner, Air Peace, grounded two of its planes after they brushed each other while being towed to the ramp of the General Aviation Terminal [GAT] of Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos to be in position for departure. Air Peace said the wing of one of the planes, a B737 with registration number 5N-BQR, brushed the wings of another stationary plane with registration number 5N-BQP on the ramp. There were no passengers on either aircraft at the time of the incident. Flying is often said to be the safest form of transport. Globally, data show that flying is about five times safer than it was a quarter century ago, with twice as many airplanes carrying twice as many people but when midair calamity strikes, the results are often catastrophic. Speculation is immediately and unhesitatingly articulated by social media trending, and news of such avoidable air mishap travels fast, moving relatives of passengers quickly from a state of anxiety to one of hysteria. While we may always have the occasional accident and near collisions, the onus is on the authorities to strive even harder to avoid the avoidable ones which are due to poor maintenance, lack of observing the rules or what are lumped together as “pilot error.” For smoking to be billowing into the cabin of a plane in flight is a terrifying experience for passengers and even the crew. We are very happy to note that this particular incident did not end in a catastrophe but Aero Contractor’s management and the aviation authorities still have many questions to answer. Efforts have been made by both Aero Contractors and aviation authorities to downplay this incident, especially since the plane landed safely, but it must not be swept under the carpet. To begin with, this company has been facing financial difficulties for a long time and its management was taken over by Assets Management Company of Nigeria [AMCON] last year as part of debt recovery efforts. This is not an enviable position for an airline to be in and the danger is real that in this transitional phase, maintenance of aircraft and equipment may be sub-optimal. We are not saying this is what happened, only to underscore the need for thorough investigation of the incident and for the public to hear the truth about what happened. Reports of air mishaps and near mishaps tend to take years to come to light. This incident should not be all that difficult to unravel. We want to know what caused smoking in the cabin of a plane in flight and if anyone was guilty of negligent conduct, that person or persons should be sternly punished.
A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-700, registration N7878A performing flight WN-4639 from Columbus,OH to Chicago Midway,IL (USA), was descending towards Chicago over Indiana when an electronic device in the cabin started to send smoke signals. Cabin crew quickly doused and contained the device, while the flight crew declared emergency subsequently advising emergency services that the electronic device had been contained and continued for a safe landing on Midway Airport’s runway 04R. Emergency Services did not need to intervene anymore. A passenger reported an e-cigarette began smoking when the aircraft was over South Bend,IN (USA). The occurrence aircraft was able to depart for the next sector about 75 minutes after landing.
Amateur video footage has shown the moments terrified passengers on board a Nigerian plane became engulfed in smoke in mid-flight. The Aero Contractors flight NG316 became overwhelmed in smoke about 20 minutes after take-off, causing panic among the passengers. The situation prompted the deployment of fire engines to the Murtala Mohammed Airport in Lagos to curtail any fire when the plane carrying 52 adults and one infant finally landed. The airline’s Managing Director, Captain Ado Sanusi, told television reporters that the smoke originated from a fire in the cargo section of the aircraft and had seeped into the cabin through the air-conditioning system. Preliminary reports say the plane was at 24,000ft when cabin crew observed that the cabin was misty. This was reported to the captain, who briefed the passengers accordingly, assuring them of a safe landing in Lagos in a couple of minutes. “Expectedly as announced by the pilot, normal descent was initiated into Lagos. While descending however, a passenger went into the lavatory, after which the lavatory smoke detector alarm came on. “The cabin crew again reported this incident to the Captain and by this time the smoke was getting denser in the cabin. “Ready and armed with “Aft Cargo Smoke” indication in the flight deck, the crew carried out the smoke dispersal procedures and contacted air traffic control, requesting for emergency support services and proceeded to Lagos, which is the airport with the full complement of emergency support.
A China Eastern Airbus A330-300, registration B-6125 performing flight MU-721 from Shanghai Hongqiao to Hong Kong (China), was climbing out of Shanghai when passengers detected a burning odour and developing haze in the cabin prompting the crew to stop the climb at 5500 meters (FL181) and return to Shanghai Hongqiao for a safe landing about 45 minutes after departure. A replacement Airbus A330-300 registration B-6119 reached Hong Kong with a delay of 4.5 hours delay. The airline reported a technical fault prompted the return to Shanghai.
A Cayman Airways Boeing 737-300, registration VP-CKZ performing flight KX-793 from New York JFK,NY (USA) to Grand Cayman (Cayman Islands), was nearing Grand Cayman when an electrical odour was noticed in the cabin prompting the crew to declare emergency and accelerate descent and approach to Grand Cayman Airport, where the aircraft landed safely. The airline reported a fluorescent light in a lavatory was identified as source of the odour. The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground for about 20 hours, then returned to service.
In Modesto, California, an Alaska Airlines flight was bound from Sacramento to San Diego but had to make an involuntary landing on another Californian airport, due to a possible fire in the cargo section of the plane. According to the report, after the Alaska Airlines Flight 3391 takes off from the Sacramento International Airport, the flight was running smooth and also its pilots, who were not aware of anything happening in the back. But, after several miles, the flight’s indicator started blinking, and the pilots were shocked because the indicator was an alarm for a potential fire in the cargo bay of the plane. Because of no disturbance in flying the aircraft, the pilots didn’t panicked and asked the nearest airport to get ready for an emergency land. The air traffic control of the Modest City-County Airport responds and asked about the emergency, which in reply the Flight 3391 pilot told the officials about the fire situation, then they agreed to make the arrangements. The landings were done in a calm way, and no incidents happened when the flight lands, but after landing the Modesto Fire Department came in and checked the cargo bay with their thermal cameras. But, they found no trace of any fire except heat signals, thus the fire department concluded the plane’s fire extinguishing system had been activated, and it should be grounded for thorough checkups. All the 55 passengers were taken in a bus back to Sacramento, as all the arrangements were made by SkyWest, who was operating that particular flight, says a spokesperson.
An ASL Airlines France Boeing 737-400 freighter, registration F-GZTJ performing freight flight 5O-773 from Marseille to Ajaccio (France), was climbing out of Marseille when the crew reported an odour and smoke in the cockpit. The crew stopped the climb at about FL110 and returned to Marseille for a safe landing about 15 minutes after departure. A replacement Boeing 737-400 registration F-GZTI reached Ajaccio with a delay of about 2.5 hours. The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground for about 20 hours, then resumed service.
An Air Arabia Airbus A320-200, registration A6-ANT performing flight G9-522 from Chittagong (Bangladesh) to Sharjah (United Arab Emirates) with 164 passengers and 17 crew, was climbing out of Chittagong when the crew stopped the climb at FL300 reporting smoke in the cockpit and diverted to Kolkata (India) for a safe landing about 15 minutes later. The aircraft remained on the ground for about 4 hours, then was able to continue the flight and reached Sharjah with a delay of 4.5 hours. The airline reported all passengers and crew were safe, the aircraft was able to continue after the fault was attended to.
HONOLULU – Hawaiian Airlines flight HA47 from Oakland to Honolulu was diverted to Kahului on Monday due to an odor of smoke in the cabin, according to the airline. The captain decided to land in Kahului due to an abundance of caution, according to Hawaiian Airlines. The jet landed in Kahului at 11:29 a.m. The passengers are booked on the next available flight to Honolulu. Hawaiian Airlines say there were 241 passengers and 10 crew members on the plane.
Smoke in the cockpit of a plane had emergency services rushing to Palmerston North Airport, but the pilot managed to land successfully. A police spokeswoman said the pilot reported smoke in the cockpit just before 10.15am. Police, ambulance and firefighters responded. They were stood down soon after. A spokeswoman from Airways’ Palmerston North Tower said the pilot, in a Massey aviation twin star DA42 aircraft, also initially reported landing gear issues. “The pilot sent a standard emergency call, requesting a local standby of emergency services. Local standby means that all local and town services are advised but remain where they are. “The aircraft was given priority, joined direct to Palmerston North Tower, and landed safely.” The emergency call was cancelled at shortly after 10.15am. The aircraft had no visible evidence of any fire, smoke or damage, she said.
The passenger was listening to music and napping on a recent flight from Beijing to Melbourne when about two hours into the journey the headphones caught fire and an apparent explosion jolted her from her slumber. “As I went to turn around I felt burning on my face,” she said. “I just grabbed my face which caused the headphones to go around my neck. “I continued to feel burning so I grabbed them off and threw them on the floor. They were sparking and had small amounts of fire.” Such a situation could prove highly dangerous while in the air and fortunately members of the flight crew were quick to respond. “As I went to stamp my foot on them the flight attendants were already there with a bucket of water to pour on them. They put them into the bucket at the rear of the plane,” she said. The incident has prompted the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) to issue a warning to the public reminding airline passengers about the dangers of battery-powered devices on flights.
An Egypt Air Cargo Airbus A300B4, registration SU-GAC performing flight MS-521 from Ostend (Belgium) to Cairo (Egypt), landed on Cairo’s runway 23C when the crew reported smoke in the cockpit originating from one of the panels in the cockpit. Emergency services responded and identified a faulty control panel as source of the smoke. The aircraft returned to service the following day after about 17.5 hours on the ground.
An American Airlines plane heading to Chicago from Miami made an emergency landing in Jacksonville after smoke was reported in the cockpit Tuesday afternoon.American Airlines flight 1090 landed at Jac…
An Oman Air Airbus A330-300, registration A4O-DI performing flight WY-123 from Muscat (Oman) to Munich (Germany), was enroute at FL380 about 160nm northeast of Sofia (Bulgaria) in Romanian Airspace when the crew decided to divert to Sofia reporting a smell of smoke in the cabin. The aircraft landed safely on Sofia’s runway 09 about 35 minutes after leaving FL380. The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground in Sofia for about 23 hours, then continued the flight as WY-123D and reached Munich with a delay of 23 hours. The airline reported smell of smoke prompted the flight crew to divert the aircraft to Sofia.
A LATAM Airlines Brasil Airbus A321-200, registration PT-XPB performing flight JJ-3067 from Recife,PE to Brasilia,DF (Brazil), was descending towards Brasilia when the crew received a cargo smoke indication. The aircraft continued for a safe landing on Brasilia’s runway 11L. Attending emergency services did not find any trace of fire, heat or smoke. The airline reported it was a false alarm. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Brasilia about 25 hours after landing.
An Avianca Brasil Airbus A320-200, registration PR-OCN performing flight O6-6304 from Sao Paulo Guarulhos,SP to Recife,PE (Brazil) with 156 passengers and crew, was climbing through FL260 out of Sao Paulo when the crew decided to return to Sao Paulo due to a cargo smoke indication. The aircraft landed safely back about 60 minutes after departure. A replacement A320-200 registration PR-ONX reached Recife with a delay of 3 hours. The airport reported the crew reported smoke in the cockpit. The airline reported the aircraft returned as a precaution. A listener on frequency reported the crew reported a cargo smoke indication and returned to Guarulhos. Other aircraft were instructed to enter holdings advising those aircraft an emergency aircraft on fire approaching Guarulhos. The aircraft landed safely, following inspection by emergency service who did not find any evidence of fire, heat or smoke, the aircraft taxied to the apron.
The Virgin Australia Airlines had a close call last Tuesday when Flight VA1188 was forced to make an emergency landing at the Newcastle airport. The flight was supposed to be from Port Macquarie to Sydney, and the emergency landing was due to the smoke detected from the instrument panel in the cockpit. The pilots immediately took action and called for an emergency landing. The plane safely landed at Newcastle airport at 3:06 pm local time. All the passengers and crew members were evacuated safely. Upon landing, fire and rescue crews immediately rushed to the aircraft and contained the situation. Although all passengers were evacuated, three of them were immediately treated by paramedics on site, while two people were taken to the local hospital because of possible smoke inhalation. “All passengers have disembarked the aircraft which was met by emergency crews as a precautionary measure. Virgin Australia will work to get all customers to their destination as soon as possible. Safety is Virgin Australia’s number one priority and we have immediately commenced a full investigation into the incident,” said a spokesperson from Virgin Australia. This incident happened a day after the Beechcraft charter plane crash in a shopping mall in Melbourne where five people were reportedly killed. The crash happened just a short while after its takeoff from Essendon Airport. Among the people killed were 4 American tourists with the pilot. The chartered plane was supposed to go land at Tasmania Island when it hit a part of the DFO shopping complex. Thankfully, no one inside the building was hurt. In an interview with CNN, Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner Stephen Leane said: “It was a catastrophic plane crash that has taken a number of lives. But certainly, if we look at the circumstances, we’ve been very lucky today depending on the time of day and who was around.”
BOSTON — A flight leaving from Boston had to divert back to Logan International Airport due to a possible smoky odor in the cockpit. Advertisement Officials said GoJet Airlines Flight 6266, operating as a Delta connection, was en route to Raleigh-Durham when the odor was detected. “We actually have smoke in the cabin,” the pilot said over the radio. “Declaring an emergency and coming back to the airport.” The crew was calm as they communicated with the towers in Boston. The aircraft diverted back to Boston and landed safely. “Out of an abundance of caution, the pilot elected to have passengers deplane on the tarmac and taken by bus to the terminal,” a Delta spokesperson said. 76 passengers and 4 crew members were on board the aircraft at the time. The plane was removed from service for inspection.
A private jet was forced to make an emergency landing in Manchester after performing a dramatic U-turn over the Peak District. The NetJets Europe plane from Dublin to Hamburg had to touch down at Manchester Airport after sending out an emergency signal The jet turned around over the Peak District before circling back towards the north of Greater Manchester towards Liverpool, turning over Warrington. It is understood the Cessna plane lost altitude over the Peak District near Sheffield before sending out an emergency ‘squawk’ shortly before 1pm on Thursday. The plane landed at Manchester Airport before being taken to a private terminal. The plane turned back towards Manchester after reporting the emergency on board Passengers on the runway in another plane reported a ‘fire in the cockpit’ of the jet, but the fire service said there was no smoke in the cabin when the plane touched down. A spokesman for Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service said the jet landed safely and two pilots on board were quickly evacuated. No-one else was on board at the time. A spokesman for Manchester Airport said an engineer was looking at the plane once it had landed and that there had been ‘no impact on the airport’s operations’.
BEAUMONT – Engine problems forced the landing of a small plane at the Beaumont Municipal Airport Wednesday. Beaumont firefighters responded after being notified by air traffic controllers that Cessna was landing at the airport with one person on board and smoke in the cockpit. The engine problems are what caused the smoke, however, the plane landed without incident and the pilot walked away unharmed.
For the second day in a row, a Disney-themed WestJet plane leaving Calgary had to turn back after smoke was reported in the cockpit. Flight 662 to Toronto turned back shortly after takeoff on Friday. “There was an odd smell, and then an alarm went off,” said passenger Becky Salmond. “The plane then began to turn around and the crew announced we would be heading back to Calgary. Everyone was very calm,” said Salmond. “The airport fire trucks arrived when we landed, and seemed to accompany us back to the terminal.” The Boeing 737 landed safely and no injuries have been reported. On Thursday morning, WestJet Flight 1402 to Phoenix — the same plane — had to return to Calgary with the same issue after taking off. It made an emergency landing after burning off fuel. Again, there were no injuries.
A WestJet flight that was forced to turn around after the crew spotted smoke in the cabin and cockpit has now landed safely at the Calgary airport. WestJet Flight 1402 to Phoenix left the Calgary International Airport at 10:54 a.m. MT. The flight crew declared an emergency after seeing the smoke and turned back to the airport, WestJet spokesman Robert Palmer said in an email to CBC News. The fire department had responded with “multiple apparatus,” spokesperson Carol Henke said. The declaration of emergency was precautionary and did not necessarily mean the plane was ever in danger, Palmer said. “The declaration does two things: it establishes priority landing and ensures the availability of emergency vehicles if they’re needed,” he said.
A Tiger Air Australia Airbus A320-200, registration VH-VNG performing flight TT-612 from Sydney,NS to Coolangatta,QL (Australia), was enroute at FL290 about 90nm southsouthwest of Coffs Harbour,NS (Australia) when the crew reported smoke in cockpit and cabin and decided to divert to Coffs Harbour. The aircraft landed safely on Coffs Harbour’s runway 03 about 20 minutes later, vacated the runway and stopped. Emergency services checked the aircraft. The passengers disembarked via stairs. The remainder of the flight and the return flight TT-615 were cancelled. The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground for 8 hours, then positioned back to Sydney but has not yet resumed service about 19 hours after landing. A ground observer reported that fire engines and ambulances were alerted for smoke in cockpit and cabin and were surrounding the aircraft when the passengers disembarked via stairs.
A plane carrying the National Hockey League’s Dallas Stars landed safely at St. Louis Downtown Airport despite having smoke in the cockpit. The Stars 737 airplane took off at 11:52 a.m. to head to Los Angeles for their next game with the Kings, but less than five minutes into the flight had to turn around because of smoke in the cockpit. The team was in St. Louis for a Saturday night game against the Blues. The plane was carrying 50 passengers, the team and its personnel. St. Louis Downtown Airport Fire Department Chief Mike Mavrogeorge said the smoke might have been caused by an electrical issue, but that there was no fire. The fire department shut off electricity to the plane. Maintenance crews were inspecting the plane while another was on the way to take the Stars to Los Angeles in time for Monday’s game. The team tucked into a lunch they were supposed to eat on the plane while they waited in the Jet Aviation terminal. Stars spokesman Ben Fromstein said the team didn’t notice any smoke in the cabin. “Everybody is safe and that’s all that matters,” he said. The fire chief said his crew of eight firefighters is well-versed in responding to aircraft emergencies. Just recently they trained on how to respond to a 737 crash. While electrical problems are rare, “they do happen,” Mavrogeorge said. Cahokia, Sauget and Camp Jackson fire departments, along with MedStar ambulance, also responded to the scene.
A plane was evacuated Friday afternoon at George Bush Intercontinental Airport due to reports of smoke in the cockpit. A pilot reported smoke coming from the cockpit at about 3 p.m., according to the Houston Fire Department. The pilot requested emergency vehicles due to the possibility of hot brakes, Lynn Lunsford, spokesperson for the Federal Aviation Administration, said in a statement. The plane safely taxied to the gate. There is no further information available at this time. Two weeks ago, there was another scare at IAH. When a United Airlines plane was descending to the airport on Dec. 15, the nose landing wheels did not automatically deploy. The airline crew had to manually prepare the plane for landing. The jet, coming from Bogota, Colombia, landed without incident, Houston airport system spokesman Bill Begley said.
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – A Spirit Airlines jet made an emergency landing at Palm Beach International Airport Tuesday afternoon, according to airport officials. Spirit Airlines 151 landed safely at Palm Beach International Airport at 5:30 p.m after the crew declared an emergency and reported smoke in the cockpit. The flight began at Atlantic International Airport, officials said. It’s not clear how many passengers were on board. Fire officials are at the scene investigating the aircraft. There were no reported injuries.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A JetBlue flight landed safely at Jacksonville International Airport after the pilot reported smoke in the cockpit, according to an airport spokeswoman. The pilot called in an Alert 2, which indicates a possible issue that could be mechanical, technical or medical. It also indicates the pilot wants emergency vehicles on standby on the tarmac. The flight was coming from Boston to Jacksonville. No one was injured and all 130 people on board are safe. The airline issued the following statement: “JetBlue flight 1209 from Boston to Jacksonville requested a priority landing into Jacksonville out of an abundance of caution following reports of an odor of smoke during decent. The flight landed safely at 4:52 local time and customers deplaned normally.”
Norwegian Air Shuttle flight DY-1348 had to divert and make an emergency landing in Stavanger, Norway, on December 16th. The Boeing 737-800 plane heading from Oslo, Norway, to Manchester, United Kingdom, was diverted after the crew noticed smoke in cockpit. The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained safe.
Denmark’s HCL reported that a few minutes after departure smoke appeared in the cockpit that increased in intensity, the occurrence had been rated a serios incident A Danish Air Transport Avions de Transport Regional ATR-72-200, registration OY-LHA performing flight DX-31 from Bornholm to Copenhagen (Denmark) with 14 passengers and 4 crew, was climbing out of Bornholm’s runway 11 when the crew reported smoke in cockpit and cabin, stopped the climb at 2500 feet, joined a right downwind and landed back on runway 11. The aircraft was evacuated. The airline reported that maintenance inspected the engines (PW124) and found severe internal damage to the #1 engine. The engine was replaced. On Dec 15th 2016 Denmark’s HCL reported that a few minutes after departure from runway 29 smoke appeared in the cockpit that increased in intensity. The crew received a low oil pressure warning for the left hand engine and indication of 30% loss of torque of the left engine. The crew donned their oxygen masks, shut the engine down and declared emergency reporting smoke in cockpit and cabin. The aircraft returned for a landing on runway 11 about 4 minutes later. There were no problems with the flight controls or other technical issues. One flight attendant put on their smoke hood, the other flight attendant attempted to open the bag of the smoke hood without success. A passenger observed abnormal noise, sparks and a flame from the left engine just when the smoke started. The occurrence had been rated a serios incident and is being investigated by the HCL. Note to Readers Aerospace Reporter reports only on commercial flights or commercial operators occurrences involving airplanes with 19 passenger seats or more. The reports consider active flights, from entering the takeoff runway to leaving the landing runway. Other occurrences at the gate or during taxi are summarily dismissed.
FRI DEC 16 2016 ~1:01 PM Chicago Fire Department Still and Box/EMS Plan 1 MIDWAY RUNWAY 13C Chicago, IL Chicago Fire Department standby for a report of an aircraft in with smoke in the cockpit. About 70 people on board. Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-800 Flight 385 destination San Diego returning to the airport, pilot reporting smoke in the cockpit Aircraft landed safely about 1:06 p.m.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 is generally referred to as “the phone that explodes,” but in the last few months, we’ve seen many other devices catching fire, including here Apple’s iPhones and other Samsung models. It goes without saying that the bigger the number of exploding phones, the more worrying the whole thing gets, and today Samsung’s getting all the attention. Again. With a different phone. A Samsung Galaxy S6 exploded onboard a China Airlines flight earlier this month, filling the cabin with smoke and causing injuries to the man who was holding it. The flight, identified as CI027, was heading to Taipei, when a Galaxy S6 burst into flames, leading to small burns to the owner, who quickly threw it to the ground. Flight attendants managed to stop the fire quite quickly, and nobody else was injured, but the cabin was filled with smoke, which obviously can’t make you feel safe, especially mid-flight. Samsung remaining tightlipped Taiwan’s Aviation Safety Council has already started an investigation, but stated in a press release that the aircraft landed at Taoyuan International Airport safely at 2204 and everyone on board was safe. “After receiving the notification, Aviation Safety Council (ASC) sent the investigators for flight crew and cabin crew interviews, and removed the CVR (Cockpit Voice Recorder), and FDR (Flight Data Recorder). The event is identified as an aviation occurrence according to Aviation Occurrence Investigation Act, and with reference to ICAO Annex 13. The Investigator-In-Charge and investigation team has been assigned to this investigation,” the ASC said. Samsung hasn’t yet issued a statement on this, but the company is certainly looking into this case, so expect more information to emerge in the coming weeks. As for the causes of the fire, nothing is certain at the moment, but what’s important to note (no pun intended) is that the Samsung Galaxy S6 isn’t suffering from a widespread battery issue as it was confirmed in the case of the Note 7. Most likely, this was caused by physical damage or other factors, but this remains to be determined by the involved parties.
An Easyjet Switzerland Airbus A320-200, registration HB-JXB performing flight U2-1234 from Budapest (Hungary) to Basel/Mulhouse (Switzerland/France), was enroute at FL380 about 110nm eastsoutheast of Stuttgart (Germany) when the crew reported smoke on the flight deck and decided to divert to Stuttgart for a safe landing on runway 25 about 30 minutes later. The airline reported the aircraft diverted to Stuttgart due to a technical defect. The 162 passengers disembarked normally and were bussed to Basel. A ground observer reported emergency services reacted to a call because of smoke in the cockpit, were in their stand by positions for landing and after a first examination of the aircraft accompanied the aircraft from the runway to the apron and were overall engaged for about one hour after landing.
The KLM 1511 flight from Amsterdam carrying 54 passengers had been due to land at 4.50pm but declared an emergency two minutes before coming in to land. Smoke had been reported in the cockpit while on the final approach to runway 27 and precautionary emergency measures were activated. Fire crews from Earlham, Sprowston, Carrow, Aylsham, Dereham, Fakenham and Hethersett were put on stand by at 4.45pm. The aircraft landed safely at 4.52pm and passengers were taxied to the terminal and disembarked normally. By 5.11pm the incident had been closed and the fire crews were stood down. Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service said the alarm had been raised after an “electrical fault” on the craft.. A spokesperson for Norwich Airport said they were “delighted” the incident had been resolved safely.
A KLM Cityhopper Embraer ERJ-190, registration PH-EZU performing flight KL-1155 from Amsterdam (Netherlands) to Gothenburg (Sweden), was climbing through FL310 about 100nm northeast of Amsterdam when the crew decided to return to Amsterdam reporting light smoke on board and advising that no assistance was needed and a normal landing would occur. The aircraft landed safely on Amsterdam’s runway 24 about 35 minutes later. A replacement ERJ-190 registration PH-EZS reached Gothenburg with a delay of 2 hours.
The Boeing 777 airline Qatar Airways had to make an emergency landing in Zurich due to a malfunction in the cockpit. There for some unknown reason was smoke. Information about the incident Saturday, November 19, published by the Swiss media. The Boeing circled about 30 minutes over the landing strip, to burn off fuel and then landed at 11 am local time in Zurich. The plane was already waiting on the runway a group of experts from fire brigades. According to preliminary information, anybody from passengers has not suffered. At the moment, are the cause of the incident. The Boeing 777 of Qatar Airways followed the route Miami – Doha, the largest city in Qatar.
A Loganair de Havilland Dash 6-400, registration G-HIAL performing flight BE-6844 from Campbeltown,SC to Glasgow,SC (UK), was climbing out of Campbeltown when the aircraft experienced a hydraulic failure shortly followed by smoke in the cockpit. The aircraft returned to Campbeltown for a safe landing about 20 minutes after departure. A passenger reported about 10 minutes into the flight a hydraulic system failed, a short time later a fuse blew in the cockpit and smoke appeared in the cockpit. The first officer needed to manually pump the hydraulic system for landing. Emergency Services at Campbeltown including a life boat was on stand by for the return. After leaving the aircraft the passengers were taken to the terminal and medically checked for shock.
NEW DELHI: An Air India aircraft flying from Kolkata to Delhi on Sunday witnessed a serious scare when the pilots reported fumes and smoke in the cockpit of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. They immediately switched off some non-essential electrical equipment in the cockpit and then managed to make a safe precautionary landing at the Indira Gandhi International Airport. “The pilots first saw some smoke in the cockpit and then there was a strong burning smell. They checked with the crew if the same was being reported by passengers. However, the problem seemed limited to the cockpit,” said a source. The crew then declared an emergency and proceeded to Delhi. En route, they followed the check list and switched off some non-essential electrical items. “Following this, the smoke and smell did not increase. The plane made a safe landing in Delhi. Passengers alighted at the terminal and then the plane was towed to a remote bay,” said the source. AI engineering then inspected the plane and immediately got in touch with Boeing. Preliminary check, said sources, suggested that the cabin air compressor(CAC), which pumps air inside the aircraft, of the cockpit may have failed. “We informed the Directorate General of Civil Aviation who asked AI to carry out the repairs on Monday as they want to oversee what will be done,” said a source. AI has in recent days witnessed a number of CAC failures in its Dreamliners. However, Sunday’s was the first instance of smoke and smell being caused due to that. “We are expecting to hear from Boeing on this issue and see how this can be resolved,” said a source. In fact, AI’s troubles with the Dreamliners have erupted after two to three years of relative quiet. The airline saw about five instances of windshield cracks of the B-787 in past few months. The airline has sought compensation from the US aircraft major for the windshield problem. AI started getting the Dreamliners four years ago and has now got 22 of the 27 B-787s it ordered. “The first batch of this plane AI got had some technical issues. Then Boeing upgraded all our first few deliveries and the subsequent ones were delivered after making the required changes. Last two years were okay but now we are again witnessing a rise in issues regarding B-787. While the aircraft is perfectly safe, snags grounding the aircraft time and again means a huge loss to AI,” said a senior official.
The recent recall of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphone due to its potential to catch fire has highlighted the threat that all lithium-ion battery-powered devices present, especially on board an aircraft. With millions of mobile devices in use, training crews on how to deal with this possible hazard is now crucial. Since 1991, there have been 129 incidents involving aviation and lithium battery fires, 17 percent of them occurring in the last year alone, according to FAA statistics (although not all of these involved mobile devices). Flaws in battery manufacturing, impact damage, overheating of gray-market batteries or overcharging by low-cost replacement chargers can all start a fire. While typical fire-suppression methods such as electrical-qualified fire extinguishers might temporarily extinguish the flames, they will not end the threat as the overheated device will flare up again and burn until there is no more fuel to consume. Another concern is that battery damage to a Li-ion-powered device could cause thermal runaway days later. Yet it is a tough call for a flight crewmember to tell a passenger in flight that their smartphone, tablet or laptop is about to ignite. “If it is heating, particularly if you are starting to see smoke, even wisps of smoke, it’s going to go,” said industry safety expert John Cox, the CEO of Safety Operation Systems, who has been studying aircraft fires for the past 15 years. “It’s totally unpredictable as to the severity of the discharge, so you have to assume that it will be a severe discharge and cool it.” In a presentation on Wednesday at NBAA 2016, he described how battery cells rupture and burn at more than 1,000 deg F, in the process ejecting flaming gel, spraying molten copper and emitting clouds of toxic, highly-flammable, ether-based vapors and smoke that can quickly reduce visibility in an aircraft cockpit. Cox recommends dousing the device in water, cooling it below its ignition temperature, and then securing it in an airtight containment device. He also advocates the adoption of new FAA guidelines, and the introduction of specific crew training to deal with the problem. To ensure cockpit visibility in a continuous smoke situation he recommends the use of products such as VisionSafe’s EVAS, which comes as standard equipment on the Gulfstream G650. Lastly he urges operators to provide proper protection for those who will have to deal with an exceptionally hazardous situation.
LITTLE ROCK – An American Airlines flight made an emergency landing in Little Rock, Arkansas after reports of smoke in the cockpit. Flight 1134 was traveling from Nashville to Los Angeles before making the unexpected stop. There were no reports of injuries. The flight landed safely at the Clinton National Airport on Saturday. Actors Jamie Bell and Kate Mara were both on the flight and tweeted during the delay, talking about their frustrations with the airline. American Airlines responded to both actors, asking them to send a private message so they could fix the issue. American Airlines sent a replacement plane from Dallas to pick up the passengers and carry them to Los Angeles.
Smoke in the cockpit prompted a Lufthansa crew to don oxygen masks and land in Newfoundland, Canada. The 747-400 Jumbo-jet was on a flight from Frankfurt to Orlando with 345 passengers on board. The German news agency DPA and “Die Welt” newspaper reported Wednesday that the source of the smoke could not be identified after a safe landing. Lufthansa, like other airlines, recently banned the use of a new model mobile phone, the Galaxy Note 7, on its flights after Samsung recalled several million of its devices on fears that faulty batteries could catch fire. Lufthansa said the crew of 18 landed the airliner at Gander on Canada’s east coast while wearing breathing masks. “Due to the smoke, the cockpit crew decided to re-route the plane to Newfoundland and landed there safely,” a spokesman said. Destination Florida Tuesday’s trans-Atlantic flight LH 464 from Frankfurt was en route to Orlando in the southern state of Florida. “Die Welt” said emergency exits were not activated and it quoted passengers as saying the pilots had kept them well briefed during the landing, described by Lufthansa as “precautionary.” A substitute aircraft was provided to forward passengers to their destination, Lufthansa said.
An American Eagle flight had to be diverted to the Willard Airport on Tuesday 18th October after smoke got detected inside the cockpit of the jet by the pilot. The flight initially took off from the airport in Chicago and it was heading towards Arkansas. As the warning light started to warn about smoke inside the cockpit, the pilot had to request for an unscheduled stop at the Willard Airport in Savoy. The spokesperson for the Savoy Fire Department, Eddie Bain informed that the authorities of the Willard Airport requested the firefighters to gather at the airport around 5:30 pm local time after the American Eagle pilot requested to make an emergency landing due to ‘condition yellow’. The flight later managed to make a safe landing at the airport and the fire crew found minimal smoke inside the jet. None of the 53 air passengers and the flight crew members was hurt during the emergency landing. Willard Fire Department Captain Jason Brown informed that the airport authorities had to deplane the passengers from the flight after it landed. He also stated that the flight later took off for Arkansas around 9 pm local time on Tuesday, 18th October. This was the second time in a week, when the Willard Airport authorities had to prepare for emergency landings. On Sunday 16th October another Delta Connection flight hat to make an emergency landing at the same airport after facing a generator failure.
A Southwest Airlines flight in Louisville, Ky., bound for Baltimore was grounded on the tarmac Wednesday morning after a passenger’s Samsung smartphone caught fire and filled the cabin with smoke. Capt. Kevin Fletcher, of Louisville fire department’s arson unit, said a Samsung smartphone overheated Wednesday morning and began to smoke, which led Southwest Airlines to evacuate the plane before it departed for Baltimore. A spokeswoman from the Louisville airport confirmed to CBC News that the Southwest flight 944, a Boeing 737, was grounded then emptied 10 minutes before takeoff with 75 passengers and crew aboard. “A customer reported smoke emitting from an electronic device,” the airline told CBC News in a statement. “All Customers and Crew deplaned safely via the main cabin door.” Fletcher said there was minor damage to the plane’s carpet where the device was dropped. U.S. website The Verge reported Wednesday that the device in question was a Galaxy Note 7 that was powered down when the fire broke out. Citing the owner of the smartphone, it said the device in question had apparently already been recalled and allegedly repaired last month, after official warnings about the smartphones came out. Samsung, Southwest and American federal aviation-safety officials declined to say what model of Samsung phone was involved, saying they were still investigating. Samsung is in the process of recalling millions of Galaxy Note 7 phones because of problems with the battery. The company says it’s aware of almost 100 incidents in the U.S. in which the devices have caught fire. Many airlines have been advising customers to not fly with the devices, and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration officially advises against bringing the devices onto an airplane. Air Canada and WestJet have urged passengers not to use the phones on their flights.
AN Air India flight was cancelled on Sunday after the pilot reported smoke emanating from an unspecified source in the cockpit when the flight was about to take off at the Pune Airport. The incident also led to blocking of the runway at the airport leading to diversion of two flights ,which were to land at the airport. The flight AI 854 was scheduled to depart on Saturday but was rescheduled for Sunday afternoon due to some “technical issues.” The incident led to cancellation of the flight and the 25 passengers on board had to wait for hours until they were accommodated in another AI flight. Air India and the Airports Authority of India officials denied that there was a fire in the aircraft. “It was a technical snag. While the flight was about to take off, the captain noticed that there was some smoke. The aircraft was then brought to the parking bay and inspected. There was no fire. Sometimes if the fuel is old it may cause extra smoke. We accommodated the passengers in another flight,” said Suhas Jadhav, Station Manager, Air India.
Australia’s Perth airport was at the center of a dramatic airplane evacuation Friday after the cockpit and passenger cabin began to fill with fumes and smoke. The Qantas Link Fokker 100 flight was traveling from Newman to Perth with 97 passengers and five crew on board. Emergency services were on the scene when the plane touched down at 11:36 a.m. local time. “At 11:50 a.m. local time this morning the Western Australia (WA) Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) received a call from Perth Airport’s fire service that a Qantas Link Fokker 100 had declared an emergency, with 102 people on board,” a WA Department of Fire and Emergency Services spokesperson told CNN. “The Airport declared a full emergency and DFES responded for assistance with 10 crew,” the spokesperson said. “All 102 people on the plane were evacuated safely after reports of fumes in the cockpit and the cabin filling with smoke. No dangerous goods were detected on board.”
A city-bound IndiGo flight from Cochin carrying 173 passengers onboard was diverted to Bangalore on Friday, where it made “precautionary” landing after a “smoke warning” was detected in the cargo hold of the Airbus A320 plane. As soon as the flight landed, the flight crew along with the airport fire services examined the cargo hold area but no smoke was observed, IndiGo said. All passengers are safe, it said. IndiGo confirms that its flight 6E-516 flight operating on Cochin to Delhi route made a precautionary landing at Bangalore airport this morning at 0745 hours, the airline said in a statement. While the aircraft was airborne, the flight commander noticed cargo hold smoke warning in the cockpit, it said adding keeping in mind the safety, the flight crew immediately discharged fire extinguisher which is as per the Standard operating procedures prescribed by the manufacturer. The Pilot-in-Command simultaneously informed the ATC and requested for precautionary landing at the Bangalore airport, it said. After landing, all 173 passengers were deplaned at the Bangalore airport as per normal procedure, the statement added. The incident is being probed both by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation DGCA and IndiGo’s safety department, the airline said.
A Delta flight at Nashville International Airport had to return to the gate after reports of smoke in the cockpit. The issue happened after the plane left the gate, but the flight did not take off. The plane turned around on the tarmac and later returned to the gate. Channel 4 is working to find out more information about the flight. A Nashville International Airport spokesperson issued this statement:
A United Boeing 737-800, registration N76514 performing flight UA-766 from San Francisco,CA to Portland,OR (USA), was on final approach to Portland’s runway 10L still in contact with approach control when the crew reported smoke in the cockpit adding subsequently that the right hand engine (CFM56) was damaged. The aircraft was handed off to tower, continued for a safe landing on runway 10L, vacated the runway via a high speed turn off and stopped. The crew then indicated that both engines had been damaged and requested emergency services to check both engines out. The FAA reported the aircraft received minor damage when wing (singular) and engines (plural) struck birds. Has your flight been delayed or cancelled recently? If you’ve been on a delayed or cancelled flight or been denied boarding within the last three years you could be entitled up to €600 from the airline.
A Condor Boeing 757-300, registration D-ABOK performing flight DE-155 from Antalya (Turkey) to Hamburg (Germany) with 224 people on board, was descending towards Hamburg when the crew reported a burning odour in the cockpit. The aircraft continued for a safe landing on Hamburg’s runway 15 and taxied to the apron with emergency services in trail. The airline reported the cause of the burning odour is being investigated. The aircraft is still on the ground in Hamburg 10 hours after landing.
GOODYEAR, Ariz., — Goodyear police and fire crews were at the scene of an aircraft that was forced to make an emergency landing on a dirt road in south Goodyear Saturday afternoon. According to police, the plane came to rest on a dirt road near Rainbow Valley Road and Germann. There are no reports of any injuries.
A PLANE HAS made an emergency landing at Cork Airport after reporting smoke in the cockpit. Emergency services were on standby for the plane’s arrival, however the landing passed off without incident. The Aer Lingus EI3701 flight from Birmingham instigated a full emergency plan after the captain had reported the issue.
A plane coming from New York landed safely at Pearson International Airport in Mississauga Saturday after reports of smoke in the cockpit. Peel police received a call just after 1:45 p.m. from the crew of an American Airlines flight about the issue. All 50 passengers and three crew members were safely evacuated from the plane, which came from LaGuardia Airport. Police said there was no active fire onboard, but the source of the smoke is not known at this time. Pearson was the intended destination of the aircraft. Transport Canada will be taking over the investigation, police said.
By: Harry Harris, Marc Vartabedian and Thomas Peele, Bay Area News Group and the Eureka Times Standard
Four people were killed early Friday when a medical transport plane bound for Oakland crashed in sparsely-populated forestland in Humboldt County, authorities said. Three women and one man died when then the plane went down on the property of a private timber company near McKinleyville shortly after taking off from Crescent City in Del Norte County. The names of the dead have not been released, but in addition to the pilot, a patient, a nurse and a medic were on board. It remained unclear Saturday if the patient was bound for a Bay Area hospital. The remains of the twin-engine Piper PA31 Cheyenne were found Friday at about 10 a.m.. It left a debris field over about a quarter mile of land, Humboldt sheriff’s officials said. The plane had lost contact with air traffic controllers early Friday after the pilot radioed there was smoke in the cockpit, officials said. The aircraft was associated with REACH Air Medical Services and Cal-Ore Life Flight, officials said. It took off about 12:29 a.m. Friday from Crescent City Airport, Jack McNamara Field bound for Oakland. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, at about 1 a.m. the pilot declared an emergency because of smoke in the cockpit and indicated he was going to return to Crescent City. But radar contact with the plane was lost about five miles northeast of Arcata Airport, the FAA said. Don Wharton, REACH Director of Business Relations, said Friday he could not provide the identities of those on board or other details. Advertisement “It’s heartbreaking, it’s very difficult,” Wharton said. Steve Morris Logging water truck driver Dennis Huffman, who was at the scene Friday afternoon, said he was called out that morning because the crash caused a “small smoldering fire.” Huffman said the main crash site was up hill from where wreckage had tumbled down and spilled onto the dirt road; he believed the crash was discovered by a mechanic driving along the road. On Friday afternoon, the road where some of the wreckage landed was taped off. The National Transportation Safety Board is set to arrive at the site Saturday morning. Eureka Times-Standard reporter Marc Vartabedian contributed to this story.
An Emirates Boeing 777-300, registration A6-EGG performing flight EK-652 from Dubai (United Arab Emirates) to Male (Maldives) with 309 people on board, was enroute at FL330 over the Arabian Sea about 470nm westsouthwest of Mumbai (India) when the crew reported smoke in the cockpit and decided to divert to Mumbai. The aircraft descended to FL310 for the diversion, on approach to Mumbai advised the smoke had dissipated, landed safely on Mumbai’s runway 09 (active runway 27) and taxied to the apron. Attending emergency services found no trace of fire, heat or smoke. The airline reported EK-652 diverted to Mumbai due to a technical fault. The aircraft remained on the ground for about 5 hours, then departed Mumbai and continued the flight to Male, where the aircraft arrived with a delay of 6:15 hours.
A London-bound Philippine Airlines (PAL) flight was forced by smoke in the aircraft to return and make an emergency landing on Friday afternoon at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia). According to a report from the Manila International Airport Authority (Miaa) operations division, PAL flight PR 720 took off from the Naia for Heathrow Airport at around 2 p.m. on Friday. Mid-flight, the cockpit indicators detected smoke initially in the cabin emanating from the air-conditioning system. Smoke and fire was later observed on the main landing gear forcing the plane to turn back to the Naia. PR 720, which had around 155 passengers on board, was able to return and land safely at the Naia some 17 minutes after it departed. As the aircraft docked at Bay 49 of the Naia terminal 2, Miaa fire and rescue division personnel were deployed as a precautionary measure. The Miaa operations division said PAL eventually cancelled the flight citing mechanical problems on the aircraft.
All passengers aboard American Airlines flight 3260 Pensacola to Miami, which had to divert to Panama City Beach due to smoke in the cockpit, have been taken by bus to the Fort Walton Beach airport (VPS) where they’ll resume their flight to Miami. Original story July 20, 2016 9:30 a.m. There were some anxious moments in the air for passengers of American Airlines flight 3260 from Pensacola to Miami after the pilots noticed smoke in the cockpit. According to FlightAware.com, at 6:34 a.m., the plane was just off the coast of Panama City when the pilots declared an emergency and diverted to Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport. The 50 passenger Embraer ERJ 145 was able to safely land at ECP at 6:53 central time. No injuries were reported. AA3260 is being operated by Envoy Air, a wholly-owned subsidiary of American Airlines which, along with other regional carriers, feeds the American Airlines network under the American Eagle brand. As of 9:30 a.m., the flight to Miami is scheduled to takeoff at 12:01 p.m. central time.
An electrical burning smell in the cockpit of an Air New Zealand flight to Sydney has forced it to return to Auckland. The Boeing 787, flight NZ103, took off at 9am on Saturday but was back safely on the ground 45 minutes later after crew detected the unusual smell. The Fire Service says the smell was reported to be like electrical burning. Firefighters were not eventually needed. Passengers were put on an alternative service. The airport says NZ103 would now leave at 1pm local time. Earlier this week, the same flight to Sydney was aborted on the runway after passengers reported seeing smoke coming from an engine. However, it turned out to be normal water vapour
An Allegiant Airlines flight with 166 people on board had to make an emergency landing at Jacksonville International Airport on Wednesday after smoke was reported in the cockpit, according to airport officials. Flight 749, outbound at 11 a.m. from South Bend to Orlando’s Sanford International Airport, landed safely at JIA about 1:30 p.m., according to Jacksonville Aviation Authority spokesman Michael Stewart. “It landed safely and went to the gate,” he said. No one was injured.
Information downloaded from the repaired flight data recorder (FDR) retrieved from the wreckage of the Egyptair A320 that crashed into the Mediterranean Sea on May 19 confirms the existence of smoke in the airplane’s lavatory and avionics bay before its rapid descent, according to Egypt’s Civil Aviation Ministry. The Egyptian authorities also reported that recovered wreckage of the front of the aircraft showed signs of high temperature damage and soot. The findings appear consistent with ACARS data transmitted as the pilots apparently lost control of the airplane. The series of messages, sent over a period of three minutes, also relayed window sensor indications and problems with the autopilot and flight control system. Egyptian aviation authorities had turned over both the flight data and voice recorders to the French aviation accident investigation bureau (BEA) after they failed in attempts to extract any information from the heavily damaged devices. The Egyptian civil aviation authority on Tuesday announced that BEA experts had repaired the FDR and that repairs to the CVR would begin on Wednesday. In Cairo, investigators have begun decoding and validating more than 1,200 FDR parameters to start what the CAA called the next phase of reading and analyzing the data. Separately, the CVR remains in Paris, where the BEA continues its efforts to repair the device. Meanwhile, recovery crews continue to search for remaining bodies of the 66 passengers and crewmembers that died in the crash.
The Hercules C-130 that declared a full emergency coming in to land at Whenuapai Airport in Auckland had earlier encountered a problem with its electrical generator. The NZ Defence Force said the issues developed while en route to Nausori in Fiji. Seven fire crews were at the airport after a C-130 Hercules declared a full emergency. The crew reported smoke in the cockpit and was dumping fuel. Advertisement Full emergency was requested. The aircraft landed safely. The NZ Defence Force said the smoke entered the cabin through the aircon system while the crew was attempting to isolate the problem with the faulty generator. “The C-130 can operate safely at full capacity with a faulty generator with no impact to aircraft safety,” it said in a statement. “Nevertheless, it is standard procedure to turn back to the nearest suitable landing airfield following situations such as this.”
An American Airlines flight from Mobile, Ala., was evacuated this morning after the pilot reported that the brakes were too hot when the plane touched down at DFW International Airport. The Federal Aviation Administration said the crew of Envoy Flight 3492 reported smoke in the cockpit shortly after landing at the airport about 7:45 a.m. Crew and passengers were evacuated after “possible flames” were spotted in a wheel well. The airport’s fire crews were sent to the runway to help. Despite reports of a fire on the plane, American Airlines spokesman Ross Feinstein said there was “no indication of a fire.” No injuries were reported, either. Maintenance crews are checking the aircraft to see if it’s OK to fly again, Feinstein said.
PASSENGERS were forced to evacuate an American Airlines plane using the emergency slides at Heathrow after a technical issue caused smoke to fill the cabin. The airbus A330 with 277 passengers on board was evacuated on the terminal 3 runway due to smoke in the cabin at around 12.30pm today. Fire crews remain at the scene after passengers were evacuated due to smoke in the cabin Most passengers and crew got off the plane using the jet bridge. About 12 passengers used the emergency slides to get off the plane a few minutes after boarding. Video uploaded on Twitter showed the passengers coming down the inflated slides and onto the runway. Fire engines were seen surrounding the plane as flyers made their way off. Ross Hiscock, 28, was on a flight that landed at Heathrow from Helsinki when he saw smoke coming off the tail-end of the plane next to his. He said: “I saw a lot of smoke come out from the tail-end of the aircraft. I wondered if it was normal, whether it was just exhaust fumes. “Then the door opened on the right side of the aircraft and crews deployed slides from the rear and the middle of the plane. “Next we wondered whether it was a drill, but then we saw they were real passengers. I saw at least one carrying a child. “It all happened in a matter of seconds. Everyone seemed to be okay.” Another eyewitness said around 10 fire engines, seven ambulances and a number of police were at the scene. He told the Mirror Online: “From what I heard there was smoke coming off the back engine of the plane and it set off smoke detectors which caused the emergency slide to be deployed.” A number of passengers and crew are being treated by medical personnel.
An Eurowings Airbus A319-100, registration D-AGWJ performing flight 4U-24 from Cologne/Bonn to Berlin Tegel (Germany) with 116 people on board, was in the initial climb out of Cologne’s runway 14L when the crew donned their oxygen masks and decided to return to Cologne reporting fumes on the flight deck. The aircraft levelled off at 2000 feet MSL and returned for a safe landing on runway 14L about 10 minutes after departure. A passenger reported that the aircraft stopped the climb shortly after takeoff and performed a low level circuit to return to Cologne, while on final approach the crew announced there was a smell in the cabin and cockpit, the smell subsided after takeoff power was reduced. Emergency services accompanied the aircraft from the runway to the apron where they disembarked normally via stairs. Seated in the aft cabin the passenger could not smell anything out of the ordinary. A second passenger reported the aircraft returned to Cologne because of the “smell of odour”. There was no apparent smoke or fire, aircraft was received by fire and medical services, the passengers were checked out but did not need medical assistance. Emergency services reported that an emergency doctor and medical staff as well as fire services were dispatched to receive the aircraft, there were no injuries. The entire crew, although not complaining about any health issues, went to see a doctor as a precaution. Representatives of the BFU were on site, first examinations suggest an engine problem rather than a problem of the air conditioning.
An American Airlines Airbus A321-200, registration N142AN performing flight AA-1086 from Boston,MA to Miami,FL (USA) with 189 people, was climbing through FL330 out of Boston about 50nm east of New York JFK,NY (USA) when the crew reported smoke in the cockpit and decided to divert to New York JFK. While descending towards JFK the crew reported it appeared the smoke was dissipating. The aircraft continued for a safe landing on JFK’s runway 22L about 25 minutes later. Emergency services reported smoke from the left hand engine (V2533). The crew responded they had experienced a #1 engine stall and smoke in the cockpit, but everything went away and they wanted to make sure everything looked good. The crew taxied the aircraft to the apron. Passengers reported there were two loud booms, the aircraft started to rattle, some passengers observed streaks of flames from the left hand engine, then smoke started to enter the cabin. The rattle, streaks and rattle subsided soon after. The airline reported there was a problem with one of the engines, the aircraft is now being examined.
A Skywest Canadair CRJ-700 on behalf of Alaska Airlines, registration N219AG performing flight OO-3470/AS-3470 from Portland,OR to Santa Barbara,CA (USA) with 70 passengers and 4 crew, was enroute at FL370 about 180nm south of Portland when the crew decided to return to Portland reporting smoke in the cockpit. On approach to Portland the crew advised that the smoke had dissipated, the aircraft continued for safe landing on Portland’s runway 28L. The crew advised that no further assistance was needed and taxied to the apron. The airline confirmed the crew reported smoke in the cockpit, maintenance examined the aircraft to determine the cause of the malfunction. The passengers were rebooked onto another flight.
May 31, 2016
May 28, 2016
By: Robert Davidson
TUPELO,MS (WCBI) – Details this Saturday morning on the fatal Tupelo plane crash which happened May 16th . That plane went down in a field along Colonial Estates Road just moments after taking off from Tupelo Regional Airport. Two couples from Kerville, Texas died in the crash . Below is the National Transportation Safety Boards preliminary results of its investigation into the crash . NTSB CRASH PHOTO 14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation Accident occurred Monday, May 16, 2016 in Tupelo, MS Aircraft: BEECH A36TC, registration: N60RW Injuries: 4 Fatal. This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators either traveled in support of this investigation or conducted a significant amount of investigative work without any travel, and used data obtained from various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report. On May 16, 2016, about 0835 central daylight time, a Beech A36TC, N60RW, was destroyed when it impacted terrain in Tupelo, Mississippi. The airline transport pilot and three passengers sustained fatal injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight that originated at Tupelo Regional Airport (TUP), Tupelo, Mississippi, about 0830, destined for Williamsburg-Whitley County Airport (BYL), Williamsburg, Kentucky. An instrument flight rules flight plan was filed for the personal flight conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. According to air traffic control recordings, shortly after departing runway 36, the pilot advised the tower controller that there was smoke in the cockpit and that they needed to return to the airport. According to witnesses, the airplane made a left, westbound turn, at an altitude of about 500-1,000 feet. Witnesses reported seeing the airplane turning back towards the approach end of runway 18. Witnesses also reported seeing the airplane in a descent with smoke and flames coming from the airplane before it impacted terrain. The on-scene investigation revealed that the wreckage, which was mostly consumed by fire, was located on flat terrain with trees in the vicinity at 34 degrees, 17.464 minutes north latitude, 088 degrees, 45.922 minutes west longitude. Tree cuts, commencing about 50 feet above the terrain, descended at an approximately 30-degree angle for about 165 feet along a heading of 110 degrees magnetic. All flight controls surfaces were accounted for at the accident site, and flight control continuity was confirmed from the cockpit to their respective control inputs. The outboard portion of the right wing was found about 80 feet past the initial tree strike; it was separated from the airframe and heavily burned. The right aileron remained attached, but the right flap was separated. The left wing remained attached at the forward spar, but sustained extensive fire damage. One of the propeller blades exhibited S-bending and leading edge gouging, the other blades exhibited tip curling and aft bending. Examination of the engine revealed that the exhaust pipe was missing from the exhaust side of the turbocharger. A subsequent examination of the engine at a recovery facility did not reveal any other preexisting mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Thumb compression was obtained on all cylinders, and continuity was confirmed throughout the drive train. The exhaust pipe was recovered by airport personnel from the runway, along with a fractured V-band retaining clamp used to secure it to the turbocharger, and small fragments of fabric insulation. The recovered items were forwarded to the NTSB Materials Laboratory where a preliminary examination of the V-band clamp revealed that the outer band was fractured at a spot weld, and that oxidation and deposits found on the fracture surface were consistent with the presence of a preexisting crack. The six seat, low wing, retractable tricycle-gear airplane, was manufactured in 1980. It was powered by a Continental TSIO-520, 300 horsepower engine, equipped with a McCauley three-blade, constant-speed propeller. The pilot held an airline transport pilot certificate, with ratings for airplane single-engine land, multi-engine land, and instrument airplane; as well as flight instructor single-engine land, multi-engine land, and instrument airplane. He was issued a third-class medical certificate on October 24, 2014, and he reported 5,675 total hours of flight experience on that date. Weather TUP, about 2 miles south of the accident site, reported at the time of the accident included; sky conditions 5,000 feet overcast, 10 statute miles of visibility and winds from 130 degrees at 9 knots. Aviation Accident & Synopsis Query Page
Long before EgyptAir Flight 804’s pilots received an alert signaling smoke in a vital electronics compartment, U.S. safety watchdogs documented that such warnings on that airliner model were frequently erroneous and sometimes prompted unnecessary and risky cockpit responses. According to people familiar with the probe into this month’s crash of the Airbus Group SE A320, investigators are trying to determine whether the pilots reacted to the smoke message by following an emergency checklist that can lead to shutting down essential safety systems, including automated flight-control protections. ADVERTISING inRead invented by Teads Possible pitfalls of that procedure emerged vividly in an April 2011 incident. Shortly after United Airlines Flight 497 took off from New Orleans, the pilots of the A320 plane received a smoke alert from the hub of its avionics system, but investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board later said they found “no evidence of fire or overheated components.” Egyptians lighted candles for the victims of EgyptAir Flight 804 on Thursday inside Cairo’s opera house. ENLARGE Egyptians lighted candles for the victims of EgyptAir Flight 804 on Thursday inside Cairo’s opera house. PHOTO: KHALED ELFIQI/EUROPEAN PRESSPHOTO AGENCY The pilots told investigators that “after they began to respond to the smoke warning, electrically powered items in the airplane ceased to function,” according to National Transportation Safety Board documents. The crew lost some radios and a transponder, and needed air-traffic controllers to direct the jet back to the runway, where it landed with impaired steering and its nose wheel veered into grass beside the runway. Nobody was injured. Ten days later, United sent pilots a bulletin saying its “Airbus fleet has experienced cases of spurious avionics smoke warnings” and stressing that emergency electric shutdowns are required only in the event of “perceptible smoke.” It isn’t known if the EgyptAir alert was false, or what actions the crew took. The newer-model, optical smoke sensors installed on the 13-year-old jet have been deemed more reliable than older technology like that on the United plane. But the more recent variants continued to issue false warnings—though at significantly lower rates than the older ones—and were “still sensitive to dust and some aerosols,” Airbus told U.S. crash investigators in 2011. Recovery of the black-box voice and data recorders is expected to reveal whether the aviators got the warning and began the prescribed series of complex, computer-aided steps intended to isolate the problem by shedding electrical load from the main circuits. Going back to 2011, that procedure, designed by Airbus, was controversial among critics who said it could be confusing and overly complicated. The prospects that the EgyptAir crew inadvertently cut off power to some essential systems or otherwise failed to react appropriately during the checklist procedure are among the investigative strands being pursued by the international team of experts involved in the EgyptAir probe, people familiar with the issue said. The effort includes running ground-based simulator sessions to re-create possible sequences of events. Given the scant information now available, it isn’t clear which of the scenarios examined so far—ranging from aircraft malfunctions and pilot missteps to a terrorist act—can be considered the most likely, these people said. Airbus has been working on the problem of erroneous avionics smoke alerts since the late 1990s. An Airbus spokesman on Friday declined to comment, citing the continuing investigation. EgyptAir officials couldn’t be reached to comment. Theories about what might have occurred in the avionics bay of Flight 804—an under-floor compartment near the cockpit that houses the jet’s electrical brains—don’t seem to fit with the relatively few system-failure messages the aircraft automatically transmitted before it stopped communicating with the ground, safety experts said. In addition to the avionics smoke warning, the six other messages included malfunctions of cockpit-window systems and of a flight-control system. The avionics smoke checklist rarely pops up during recurrent training, according to several pilots who fly the workhorse A320, one of the world’s most widely used jetliners. “We only get to practice the procedure once or twice in the simulator every couple of years,” said Ben Riecken, who flies A320s for a U.S. carrier. In the past, information compiled by the manufacturer and U.S. accident investigators showed avionics smoke detectors were plagued by systemic problems. According to data Airbus supplied to the NTSB as part of an earlier A320 investigation, the manufacturer collected 63 reports of avionics smoke warnings between 1996 and 2011. Forty-two of them were false. At the time, more than 1,400 older planes were still due to be retrofitted with improved sensors. But in the probe into the 2011 United Airlines incident, Airbus experts tried to play down the significance of smoke-warning hardware altogether. They told NTSB investigators that the “primary method of smoke detection” from the avionics compartment was “visual and smell on the part of the flight crew and that the avionics smoke detector is secondary,” according to a summary of interviews posted on the board’s website. Around the 2011 probe, United Airlines told the safety board that only one of 19 reports related to avionics smoke warnings ended up with pilots actually sensing smoke. Still, 15 of those flights either returned to their departure airport or were diverted to an en-route alternate. A spokesman for the carrier on Friday said it “made procedural changes in coordination with Airbus” in the wake of the incident, but declined to elaborate. Barely hours after the EgyptAir crash killed all 66 people on board, Egyptian officials appeared to jump on the idea of terrorism. But since then, with President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi saying nothing has been ruled out, public attention has shifted to other potential causes spanning an array of airplane malfunctions and cockpit errors. In the case of EgyptAir Flight 804, safety experts said turning off both generators could account for the sudden loss of automated transmission of system updates as well as dropping off air-traffic control radar screens. But they cautioned that other combinations of problems also could lead to such communication loss. Investigators are also looking into terrorism, including checks of those on board and others who may have accessed the plane at Charles de Gaulle airport before it left Paris. —Robert Wall contributed to this article.
A Eurowings Airbus A319-100, registration D-AGWA performing flight 4U-9023 from Dresden to Dusseldorf (Germany), was on approach to Dusseldorf when the crew reported smoke in cockpit and cabin. The aircraft continued for a safe landing on Dusseldorf’s runway 23L with emergency services on standby. The aircraft taxied to the apron after landing. Due to the engagement of emergency services there were no departures and landings in Dusseldorf for about 25 minutes. On May 25th 2016 the BEA reported Germany’s BFU rated the occurrence a serious incident and opened an investigation.
May 25, 2016
May 21, 2016
By: http://news.sky.com/
Smoke was detected in a toilet close to the cockpit of EgyptAir flight MS804 moments before the aircraft plunged off radar screens, French investigators have confirmed. Warning messages about the smoke were sent automatically by the Airbus A320’s computer systems to ground stations on Thursday. The French Bureau of Investigations and Analysis confirmed messages were transmitted shortly after the plane entered Egyptian airspace. “There were … messages emitted by the plane indicating that there was smoke in the cabin shortly before data transmission broke off,” an agency spokesman told reporters. The spokesman added that such messages “generally mean the start of a fire.” The communications also seem to indicate a problem with the controls and computers, critical to controlling the plane. Sky News has obtained a screen grab of the data, believed to be from EgyptAir Operations Centre’s computer. It has time stamps that match the approximate time the aircraft disappeared. The French agency added that it was “far too soon to interpret and understand the cause of the accident as long as we have not found the wreckage or the flight data recorders”. EgyptAir, Airbus and Egyptian officials have not yet commented on details of the smoke. :: Flight MS804: What Do We Know So Far? Simon Hradecky of The Aviation Herald, a website that covers the aviation industry, told Sky News what the series of messages suggests. He said: “The window sensors are all temperature sensors. “Their activation suggests they went over-temperature – for whatever reason. “So the right hand sliding window is at the start of the whole sequence indicating that the window became too hot – and this is why pilot discussions more and more focus on the right hand side of the cockpit. “Then the lavatory smoke alert comes. “The ATA Code is not completely known, it probably identifies which of the lavatories was affected. Everybody right now assumes it was the forward lavatory right behind the cockpit wall. “Then the avionics smoke comes active, indicating the avionics bay, the room below the cockpit with all the aircraft electronics and all its computers, contained smoke. “And now the right hand fixed window comes active (which is forward of the sliding window and better exposed to the oncoming air) two minutes after the start of the sequence. “Then the systems start to crumble, all of which are in the avionics bay. So one can see how the heat/fire spread and affected the systems, and that pattern makes sense. “Many pilots assume that there was a fire in the avionics bay just below the cockpit floor.” He added: “The smoke/fire was the first event in the crash sequence that started the crash sequence. What then happened is up to speculation until we know the contents of the cockpit voice recorder. Aviation expert Geoffrey Thomas “The 360 degrees turn, as described by the Greek Defence Minister, is a good pilot manoeuvre to increase drag and thus accelerate the descent. “In case of a catastrophic fire pilots will try to ditch the aircraft (if over water), and it would appear plausible that this is what happened.” Experts say answers will only come with an examination of the wreckage and the plane’s cockpit voice and flight data recorders. Search crews have found floating human remains, luggage and seats from the jet which plunged into the Mediterranean Sea. But ongoing efforts are being made to find large pieces of wreckage and the black boxes. Egyptian authorities say they believe terrorism is a more likely explanation than equipment failure. No militant group has claimed responsibility. Flight MS804 left Paris at 10.09pm BST on Wednesday with 66 people on board, but vanished at 1.30am on Thursday. EgyptAir said on Twitter that radar contact with the plane was lost about 295km (around 180 miles) from the Egyptian coastline.
By: Raf Sanchez, cairo, of http://www.telegraph.co.uk/
To the untrained eyes, the data recorded by Flight 804’s sensors is a meaningless jumble of code and technical language: But to an aviation professional, it tells a terrifying story of a series of cascading faults before the system stopped transmitting. I spoke to a European airline pilot who helped make sense of the data from the ACARS (Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System). The ACARS sends short transmissions from the aircraft’s internal systems to receivers on the ground. It is nowhere near as detailed as a blackbox recorder but it gives some sense of what was happening on the plane. The data was published by the Aviation Herald. Each entry begins with a time stamp, like 00:26Z. This is referring to Zulu time, which is the same as GMT, but is used by sailors and fliers across the world to coordinate movements and make sure they are all running to the same schedule. 00:26 Zulu time would have been 02:26am above the Mediterranean. The European pilot helped decode each entry. Here’s what they all mean: 00:26Z 3044 ANTI ICE R WINDOW: There’s a fault in the right cockpit window’s heating element. The window should be heated to stave off ice but it isn’t working. 00:26Z 561200 R SLIDING WINDOW SENSOR: There’s a fault in the co-pilot’s sliding window sensor. This sensor tells the crew if a cockpit window is closed or not. 00:26Z 2600 SMOKE LAVATORY SMOKE: Smoke has been detected in one of the lavatories. The smoke detector is an optical sensor and detects if a cloud has come between two points of light. It detects smoke but also fog inside the cabin. 00:27Z 2600 AVIONICS SMOKE: Smoke has been detected in the avionics compartment. Located underneath the cockpit, this area can be entered via a latch in the cockpit or via a latch at the nose wheel. It is a big area where all the aircraft computers are located. 00:28Z 561100 R FIXED WINDOW SENSOR: There’s a fault in another cockpit window on the right side. 00:29Z 2200 AUTO FLT FCU 2 FAULT: There’s a fault in the Autopilot Flight Control Unit 2. There are two channels in the control unit and losing one will result in the spare one taking over automatically. 00:29Z 2700 F/CTL SEC 3 FAULT: There’s a fault in the system that controls the wing’s spoilers, the portion of the wing that rises during landing. This is the final entry. Each entry tells a discrete story about some part of the aircraft breaking down. But what do they mean altogether? Firstly, they indicate that something catastrophic happened to the plane in the air, which would seem to rule out a deliberate crash by the pilots or a hijacking that forced the plane into the sea. The pilot I spoke to said an “internal explosion” seemed the most likely explanation, based especially on the the problems with windows in the cockpit. “It looks like the right front and side window were blown out, most probably from inside out,” he said. The fact that the sensors in the cockpit were triggered doesn’t mean the explosion came from the cockpit. There are more sensors at the front of the plane so there could be something going wrong in the main cabin but the sensors are not picking it up. The two smoke related messages also point to something happening inside of the cabin. The pilot suggested it could be fog suddenly filling the air due to a sudden loss of cabin pressure. This video from a US military training facility shows fog and steam filling a chamber when pressure is lost.
By: Richard Wescott: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-36349096
I’ve just spoken to a man who has been a pilot for forty-six years, flew the Airbus A320 for six years and has spent the past eleven years investigating fires on planes. Captain John Cox, a fellow at the Royal Aeronautical Society, told me the Egyptair facts are “confusing”. IF the timings we have are right (they are still not officially confirmed), there were 3 minutes of smoke and heat warnings, followed by 4 minutes of powered flight without warnings, followed by a 2 minute fall. “For a fire, that’s a very short period of time. For an explosive event (like a bomb) that’s a very long period of time”, he says. “It’s got me and many other experts scratching their heads. There is an answer, but it’s not clear yet”. John has some sobering statistics. Every year, there are around 900 to 1,200 smoke related incidents on aircraft in the U.S. If you double that number you’ll get a rough, global figure. The vast majority end perfectly safely, but fires have brought down planes. “It’s shockingly regular…and along with drones, it’s the only part of aviation that’s getting more dangerous”. John puts the rise down to two things. An increase in the number of flights. And a huge rise in people taking lithium batteries on board. One estimate says that an airliner carrying 100 people could have 500 lithium batteries in the cabin. In cameras, laptops, tablet computers, phones, e-readers etc. He says crushed batteries are increasingly problematic. “Maybe someone falls asleep. Their tablet computer or phone slips down the side of the chair. They move the seat and accidentally crush the battery.” Potentially, that could start a fire. To be clear, if you buy lithium batteries from a respectable company, they are thoroughly tested and safe, with a one in ten million failure rate. But John says there could be 3.5 billion batteries taken on aircraft throughout a year. It only takes one to go wrong, and they pack a hell of a punch. Look at my report from 2014. And then there are the “grey market” batteries and chargers some people buy on the cheap. They may well not have been safety tested at all. Modern aircraft have smoke detectors, but the only automatic extinguishers are in the cargo bay. Otherwise, it’s down to crew members using a hand-held fire extinguisher. There’s one in the bin of each toilet, for example. A recent paper, co-written by John, says experience shows that many fires start in “inaccessible locations”. Places that crew may not be able to reach. He also made the point that the US regulator, the FAA recently said you can never eradicate all sources of ignition on an aircraft. John used to fly the A320 and says it’s a wonderful aircraft. He’s never heard of a major fire in the front right part of the plane. And it’s been flying in various forms since the late 1980s. Many airlines also now train their staff in how to cope with a lithium battery fire. I want to stress this again. We DO NOT KNOW what caused the Egyptair airliner to come down. It could be an accident. It could be more sinister. But fires on aircraft are an issue and John is calling on the industry to do more to tackle it.
A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-700, registration N7838A performing flight WN-607 from San Jose (Costa Rica) to Baltimore,MD (USA) with 140 passengers and 8 crew, was enroute at FL380 near Roatan Island (Honduras) when the crew decided to divert to Roatan reporting smoke in the cabin. The aircraft landed safely in Roatan. A fault in an electrical system was identified as cause. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground 19 hours after landing.
A Delta Airlines Airbus A320-200, registration N377NW (our reports database features 0 other incidents for the same aircraft, Delta has been listed 317 times within our reports database) performing flight DL-2841 from Grand Rapids,MI to Minneapolis,MN (USA) with 131 passengers and 5 crew, was climbing through FL270 out of Grand Rapids about 70nm southeast of Green Bay,WI (USA) when the crew reported smell of smoke in the cockpit, stopped the climb and diverted the aircraft to Green Bay for a safe landing on runway 36 about 17 minutes later. Emergency services inspected the aircraft before it taxied to the apron. The remainder of the flight was cancelled. The airline reported maintenance is examining the aircraft after the crew detected a smokey odour on the flight deck. At the time of writing, the aircraft type Airbus A-320 is being featured at least 815 times.
An Iberia Airbus A330-200, registration EC-MIL performing flight IB-6012 from Montevideo (Uruguay) to Madrid,SP (Spain) with 253 passengers, was enroute at FL370 about 340nm westsouthwest of Fortaleza,CE (Brazil) when smoke was observed from the crew rest area/lavatory prompting the crew to divert to Fortaleza. The aircraft landed safely on Fortaleza’s runway 13, however, the left hand brakes overheated. The passengers disembarked normally. The aircraft is still on the ground in Fortaleza about 18 hours after landing. The airline confirmed a technical problem causing smoke in the cabin. Maintenance is attempting to get the aircraft ready for a departure later on Apr 17th, if this turns out not possible, the airline is going to invoke the next best alternative solution for the passengers.
April 17, 2016
April 16, 2016
By: http://PRWeb.com
VisionSafe Corporation, the creator of the Emergency Vision Assurance System, (EVAS®) has reached an agreement with King Schools to host their EVAS Training Course on the King Schools online learning platform, iLearn. The EVAS course is available for purchase through the King Schools website and purchasers of the EVAS product will receive 2 free course keys with each unit. The web-based course can be accessed on any online device. It is also “AppAble” with the KING Companion App, allowing you to download your lessons to iPads and iPhones for offline access. The Companion is available from the App Store. The EVAS (Emergency Vision Assurance System) is a self-contained system that includes a battery powered blower which draws smoky air in through a filter, removing visible particles, and venting to a flexible air duct, which is connected to an inflatable transparent envelope, called the “Inflatable Vision Unit” (IVU). The entire EVAS system is contained in an aluminum container that is about the size of a Jeppeson manual, and weighs approximately 6 pounds. The system provides a clear area so a pilot can see flight instruments during a smoke in the cockpit incident. Training is required. “We are thrilled to work with VisionSafe to provide easy access the training that professional pilots need when flying EVAS equipped aircraft,” said John King. “Many professional pilots already rely on the iLearn environment for their training needs, so hosting this important training for VisionSafe was a natural fit,” concluded Martha King. For more information: http://www.kingschools.com/evas About King Schools For over 40 years, students and pilots at all levels have enjoyed King Schools´ clear, simple and fun video courses. King Schools estimates that over 50% of the pilots flying in the U.S. today have learned with King. The company is also a leader in on-line pilot certification and avionics training for pilots of high-performance and turbine aircraft. To find out more, please visit http://www.KingsSchools.com or call (800)-854-1001. For worldwide (858) 541-2200. About VisionSafe VisionSafe Corporation was formed to explore various new ways to provide vision in vision impaired conditions for individuals in common land and air environments as well as marine, submarine, and scuba diving environments. In the process, the company developed and patented the EVAS® system for pilots to see to safely control and land when confronted with dense, blinding smoke in the cockpit. The system has been certified by the Federal Aviation Administration since 2001. To learn more about the product, please visit http://www.VisionSafe.com. KingSchools.com 3840 Calle Fortunada • San Diego, CA 92123 Toll-Free (800) 854-1001 Worldwide (858)-541-2200 FAX (858) 541-2201 VisionSafe.com 46-217 Kahuhipa Street • Kaneohe, HI 96744 Factory: (808) 235-0849 Sales & Marketing: (973) 864-6206 Fax (973) 864-6202
About midnight on Feb. 7, 2006, the crew of UPS flight 1307 was alerted to a smoke indication in the cockpit as their DC-8 freighter was on its final approach to Philadelphia International Airport. The pilots immediately evacuated the airplane after landing, escaping with minor injuries as fire destroyed the plane and its cargo on the ground. A little over four years later, UPS Flight 6, a 747-400F flying from Dubai to Cologne also developed an in-flight fire, this time resulting in a devastating crash and the death of two crew members. Subsequent investigations of both mishaps initially focused on an examination of safety procedures protecting airliners from cockpit smoke. Cargo carried on the flights consisted of the usual mix of commodities found on freight planes flying the late-night skies on their way to make early-morning deliveries. Another similarity between the two is that both contained shipments of lithium batteries. While not definitively determined as the cause of the Philadelphia incident, the report on the Dubai crash indicated that the spontaneous ignition of the contents of a cargo pallet, which contained a significant number of lithium batteries caused the fire. These and other flights on which lithium batteries were suspected of causing fires may have, to varying degrees, shared the consequences of any growing industry, where there will always be a few manufacturers that make low-quality counterfeits and use inappropriate packaging. But overall, the incidents shared the effects of insufficient government supervision over poor manufacturing standards and illegal declarations of battery shipments as regular cargo. This lack of government enforcement is why a total ban on bulk shipments of lithium-ion batteries in passenger aircraft bellies, which was announced recently, is a disappointment. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) imposition takes effect in April and will remain in force until its work groups decide on a new packaging standard, now expected sometime in 2018. The regulation is binding on all 191 ICAO member states and for the airlines that serve those countries, but is not required of those not participating in ICAO. However, as with many impractical directives, barring these shipments across the board punishes those who abide by the rules, essentially eliminating a significant shipping option, while enabling governments to shirk essential enforcement obligations. While initial guidance from ICAO and subsequent media reports describing the ruling seemed vague, further clarifications now indicate that the ban does not apply to lithium-ion batteries packed with, or contained within, equipment. Fortunately, this means that computers and phones can still ship in bulk configurations with the batteries included. We all know the use of lithium-ion batteries has become common in electronics, auto, aircraft and many other industries worldwide. As lithium-ion cell uses increase, their swift and expedited delivery provided by airfreight is forecasted to rise as these industries mature and resulting demand grows. There is no doubt that lithium-ion batteries, when packed together without the proper packaging and handling precautions, can certainly be dangerous. In 2014, the Federal Aviation Administration applied heat to a container packed with 5,000 lithium-ion batteries that resulted in a thermal runaway and subsequent explosion of flammable gases emitted within the container. Even a favorite fire suppressant, when used, was ineffective in extinguishing the fire. The danger appears to be inherent in all aircraft configurations, passenger or all-cargo. Responding to this evidence, many airlines, including U.S. carriers, voluntarily stopped shipping lithium-ion batteries on their passenger planes. The FAA’s testing has shown that the risk of lithium-ion battery fires can diminish if the devices are charged only up to 30 percent of their maximum. Perhaps with this in mind, the solution lies in going a step further and shipping the batteries with an even lower charge using existing packaging and packing methods. But it should not stop there. The private sector, including lithium battery manufacturers working with ICAO and governments, must develop strict certification programs for those making, shipping and handling these cells. Once in effect, vigorous worldwide government oversight of the supply chain must enforce these mutually agreed upon standards. Countries must fulfill a vital role by investing in research and development of lithium battery detection technology and even employing canine screening to find undeclared batteries before they reach the plane. It is important that governments increase efforts to crack down on battery counterfeiters and those who fail to comply with these enhanced shipping regulations. Others around the world should sanction authorities that fail to enforce global standards through the imposition of trade restrictions designed to correct such negligent behavior. An industry-initiated ban is no substitute for effective government oversight and vigorous enforcement allowing people and batteries to fly safely together.
A second JetBlue flight was diverted to Buffalo on Wednesday night because of an odor in the cockpit. JetBlue Flight 497 from Boston to Seattle landed at Buffalo Niagara International Airport just before 9:30 p.m., the airline said in a statement. The flight was diverted “out of an abundance of caution following reports of an electrical odor in the cockpit.” Earlier Wednesday, JetBlue Flight 1012 from Chicago to Boston landed at the airport at 11:45 a.m. because of smell of smoke in the cockpit. That flight also was diverted “out of an abundance of caution,” an airline spokesman said.
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Smoke in the cockpit of a JetBlue plane forced pilots to make an unscheduled landing in Buffalo Wednesday. Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz says the JetBlue flight was heading from Chicago to Boston when it had to divert to the Buffalo-Niagara International airport around 11:40 a.m. Poloncarz says everyone is OK. JetBlue says there was an odor of smoke in the cockpit and the flight was diverted as a precaution. The airline says the plane is being inspected and customers are being put on other flights.
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Smoke in the cockpit of a JetBlue plane forced pilots to make an unscheduled landing in Buffalo Wednesday. Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz says the JetBlue flight was heading from Chicago to Boston when it had to divert to the Buffalo-Niagara International airport around 11:40 a.m. Poloncarz says everyone is OK. JetBlue says there was an odor of smoke in the cockpit and the flight was diverted as a precaution. The airline says the plane is being inspected and customers are being put on other flights.
Fire and rescue crews were called to the airport about 11:33 a.m. The plane was traveling from Chicago to Phoenix when it reported the problem. The plane has 192 people on board. The flight landed safely at 11:55 a.m. Andrew Wall, an airport operations supervisor, said all passengers were OK on the American Airlines.
NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — An American Regional passenger jet was forced to make an emergency landing at Norfolk International Airport Tuesday afternoon, officials confirm. Officials at Norfolk International tell 10 On Your Side that there were 26 passengers on board the 50-seat plane. Airport Administration says smoke in the cockpit forced the in-flight emergency landing. Pilots declared the in air emergency at 1:30 p.m. when smoke was in the cockpit. Airport Fire Department is on the scene, and the 26 passengers are safely off the plane. Robert Bowen, Executive Director of the Norfolk International Airport, tells 10 On Your Side, “Everyone is safe, and we are investigating what caused the smoke in the cockpit.” Bowen did not have the flight number, the originating city or the final destination.
THE source of an odour which prompted a plane carrying almost 70 people to make a hasty landing at Melbourne Airport remains a mystery. Tigerair advised an engineers’ assessment after Tuesday’s drama did not identify any issues with the A320 aircraft. It was cleared to resume services that evening. Flight TT511, from Brisbane, had made a priority landing just after 10am when the crew reported an unusual odour. Paramedics assessed four people at the scene. Those treated did not need to go to hospital. Tigerair, in a statement, said: “A Tigerair service from (Brisbane to Melbourne TT 511) landed safely at around 10:05am today without incident at Melbourne Airport after an unusual odour was detected in the cabin on descent.” “Emergency services were on standby to meet the aircraft in Melbourne, which is standard for an event of this nature,’’ the airline said. “The aircraft will undergo an engineers’ assessment in Melbourne.” Tigerair said the flight was given “priority landing”. UPDATE: paramedics are assessing four people (not three) at @Melair following reports of a hazmat incident #melair #melbourne — Ambulance Victoria (@AmbulanceVic) February 29, 2016 All passengers on board the plane walked off unassisted. Four cabin crew underwent medical assessment as a precaution and were given the all-clear. Ambulance Victoria confirmed paramedics — responding to the “hazmat incident” — assessed four people. Federal Transport Minister Darren Chester said the flight crew reported an odour in the cockpit and cabin on approach to Melbourne. “There were reports that crew members were taken ill,’’ he said. “Emergency plans at the airport were immediately activated; the flight was provided priority landing and the flight landed safety around 10am. “Fire and emergency services were on standby and the Victoria Ambulance attended to a number of passengers. Mr Chester said airservices and emergency services “worked seamlessly in parallel today to ensure the safety of the passengers and crew onboard.” Melbourne Airport originally listed Tigerair flight TT511 as landing at 9.58am, and the airport was scheduled to unload passengers at gate 18. The plane departed Brisbane at 6.40am with 1 hour and 58 minutes flying time. An Airservices Australia spokesman confirmed the odour, initially reported as smoke, was logged with air traffic control during the flight. Melbourne Airport enacted its airport emergency plan with paramedics, fire crews and police at the scene. A media conference was already scheduled this morning at Melbourne Airport to announce a five-year partnership extension between Tigerair and NRL club Melbourne Storm. The media conference, scheduled for 10:30am, was held up for more than 45 minutes. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau was investigating. Originally published as Smoke fills plane from Brisbane
An Envoy Embraer ERJ-145, registration N632AE performing flight MQ-3047/AA-3047 from Sioux Falls,SD to Chicago O’Hare,IL (USA) with 29 people on board, was enroute at FL250 about 80nm northwest of Waterloo,IA (USA) when the crew reported smoke in the cockpit and decided to divert to Waterloo for a safe landing on runway 12 about 25 minutes later. Emergency services did not need to intervene. A replacement aircraft is being dispatched to Waterloo to continue the flight.
February 18, 2016
February 16, 2016
By: Dana Hedgpeth | www.washingtonpost.com
A plane that took off from Reagan National Airport on Monday morning had to make a quick landing at Dulles International after its pilots reported smoke in the cockpit. Alaska Airlines Flight 1, headed to Seattle, had just taken off around 10:22 a.m. when the pilots “noticed indications of smoke” in the cockpit, said Cole Cosgrove, a spokesman for the airlines. The plane landed at Dulles at 10:38 a.m. Cosgrove said he did not know if the crew saw smoke and/or smelled smoke. It was also not known where the smoke was coming from immediately. Chris Paolino, a spokesman for the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, said six people were taken to an area hospital. He said they were all members of the plane’s crew. The Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 was carrying 161 passengers, all of whom were evacuated safely at a gate at Dulles and rebooked Monday and Tuesday on other flights, officials said. Authorities said the cause of the incident is under investigation….
An Alaska Airlines flight was diverted to Dulles International Airport this morning, just 16 minutes after taking off from nearby Reagan National Airport, due to smoke in the cockpit, the airline confirmed to ABC News. Seattle-bound Alaska Airlines Flight 1 -– with 161 passengers and 6 crew members — departed Reagan National at 10:22 a.m. and landed at Dulles at 10:38 a.m, according to the airline. The cause of the smoke is still being investigated, said the airline, adding that the two pilots asked to be “checked out” by doctors and were transferred to a hospital as were four other crew members. Their conditions were not clear. None of the passengers were injured or taken to a hospital. “The flight landed without incident, was checked by our fire department and cleared to taxi under its own power to the gate,” read a statement released by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority…..
(FOX 11) – American Airlines flight #564 made an emergency landing Thursday at LAX after a report of a mechanical issue. The plane took off from San Jose carrying more than 100 passengers shortly after 9 a.m. and was en-route to Phoenix when the problem was reported. The pilot initially reported smoke in the cockpit, and the passengers’ oxygen masks were deployed. The flight landed safely just before 11 a.m….
On Sunday, a United Airlines plane was forced to make an emergency landing at Tucson International Airport in Arizona after smoke filled the cabin and the cockpit. According to Ally Aldrete and Christina Myers of ABC News, Flight 6517 departed from Tucson at around 6 a.m. local time and was en route to Los Angeles International Airport when the incident occurred. Shortly after takeoff, the cabin and cockpit began to fill up with smoke, prompting the pilot to call for an emergency landing. Tucson Airport….
At least 10 fires have been linked to the popular hoverboards’ lithium-ion batteries that can quickly overheat and self-ignite. Article features the EVAS system.
A Trans States Airlines Embraer ERJ-145 on behalf of American Airlines, registration N623AE performing flight AX-4151/AA-4151 from Montreal,QC (Canada) to New York La Guardia,NY (USA) with 25 passengers and 3 crew, was in the initial climb out of Montreal when the crew declared emergency reporting smoke in the cockpit. The crew stopped the climb at about 2500 feet and returned to Montreal for a safe landing about 10 minutes after departure. The Canadian TSB reported maintenance identified a failed Air Cycle Machine as cause of the smoke.
November 27, 2015
October 30, 2015
By: George Hatcher
Republic Airlines flight YX-4488/AA-4488 had to divert and make an emergency landing at Raleigh–Durham International Airport, Morrisville, North Carolina, on October 28. The Embraer ERJ-170, flying from Philadelphia, to Jacksonville, had to make an emergency landing due to smoke in cockpit. The plane landed uneventfully. All 69 people aboard remained safe
October 30, 2015
May 15, 2015
By: By PAIGE AUSTIN (Patch Staff)
A United Airlines flight from San Francisco landed safely at Los Angeles International Airport after reporting smoke in the cockpit, an airport spokesman said. All 134 passengers aboard the flight were safe and unharmed, the spokesman said. The smoke was caused by an unspecified mechanical problem, the spokesman said.
CHICAGO (WLS) — A plane was evacuated at Midway Airport Friday morning, due to smoke in the cockpit. Chicago firefighters are on the scene at the Signature Airlines terminal, where the small plane is still on the ground. Everyone was reportedly off the plane by around 8 a.m. and no one was injured.
A passenger plane landed at Yeager Airport in Charleston on Friday morning after its electrical system temporarily failed and had to be reset, Yeager Airport officials said. The airplane, United Express 5012 from Dulles Airport near Washington, D.C., was headed to Charleston in the first place. The pilots told Yeager officials shortly before they landed that there was smoke in the plane’s cabin, and one person on board required medical attention. The plane landed safely shortly before 10:30 a.m., Yeager Airport Director Rick Atkinson said. The person who needed medical help was checked out on the plane and declined to be taken to a hospital, Atkinson said. Atkinson said the plane’s electrical system had to be reset during the flight, and the smoke in the cockpit could have been from a burned-out fuse. Atkinson said there was nothing visibly wrong with the airplane, a de Havilland Dash 8 turboprop, as it came in to land. Except for the rain and fog, he said, the aircraft made a smooth and normal landing. Some passengers who disembarked from the plane after it landed said they didn’t smell any smoke. Kanawha County attorney Marc Slotnick was one of 35 people on the plane. He said air pressure in the cabin dropped slightly for a second, but passengers didn’t smell smoke and didn’t know anything was wrong until they landed and saw emergency vehicles around the plane. He said passengers were told to leave their baggage on board and get off of the aircraft as quickly as possible. Atkinson said passengers disembarked directly onto the tarmac and walked into the terminal, which is normal procedure for the type of aircraft. Their baggage was unloaded a short time later. Reach Rusty Marks at rustymarks@wvgazette.com, 304-348-1215 or follow @rusty_marks on Twitter.
April 4, 2015
March 30, 2015
By: By KBOI Web Staff, http://www.kboi2.com/news/local/Southwest-flight-diverted-Boise-298073431.html
BOISE, Idaho (KBOI) – A flight from Phoenix to Spokane was diverted to Boise after a report of smoke in the cockpit. A spokesman for the Boise Airport says that Southwest Flight 1166 landed in Boise just before 5:30 p.m. Monday evening. According to the website FlightAware, the plane was between Boise and Spokane when it turned around and flew back to the Boise Airport. The airport says ground crews inspected the plane after it landed and it appears to be OK. No injuries were reported.
March 30, 2015
March 4, 2015
By: Jesse Paul and Laura Keeney The Denver Post,
Passengers on a US Airways flight arriving at Denver International Airport on Wednesday afternoon were told to evacuate the plane after smoke was reported in the cockpit. The plane, an Airbus A321, was being operated by American Airlines. “While taxiing to the gate, the pilot was alerted to possible smoke in the cabin,” airline spokeswoman Andrea Huguely said in an issued statement. “The passengers and crew deplaned via the slides.” Passengers were then bused to Concourse A to be reunited with their luggage, airport spokeswoman Mindy Crane said. An airport official said three people possibly sustained “very minor injuries.” The airline confirms they are in contact with the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration to investigate the incident. “There was smoke coming out of the wall,” said Captain Greg Pixley, a spokesman for the Denver Fire Department. “What caused it was contained to that one area. They are still investigating the cause.” Pixley said the issue has been contained. “I can’t say there was fire, but there was smoke,” Pixley said. “There was not visible fire.” Mike Tsang, a passenger on the plane, said smoke began filling the cabin as soon as the plane landed. He said at first passengers were just confused but that concerns were heightened when the smoke kept getting “thicker and thicker.” “We came to a complete stop on the runway,” he said. “The captain came on and said, ‘This is your captain, evacuate.’ The first time he said it, I think everyone was just dumfounded.” Flight attendants quickly began moving passengers out the plane, Tsang said. “Everyone was actually pretty calm,” he said. “There was no pushing, no screaming.” Tsang posted photos of the smoky cabin on Twitter and of passengers gathered on the tarmac outside of the plane. He also took video from the evacuation showing passengers exiting the plane on emergency slides and gathering on the snowy tarmac. US Airways Flight 445, arriving at DIA from Charlotte, NC, had 158 passengers and six crewmembers on board, according to the airline. FlightAware.com shows the plane landed at about 11:45 a.m. Jesse Paul: 303-954-1733, jpaul@denverpost.com or twitter.com/JesseAPaul
March 4, 2015
February 26, 2015
By: Mississauga.com,
MISSISSAUGA — Air Canada flight AC127 to Edmonton returned to Toronto this afternoon after smoke was reported in the cockpit, according to reports on Twitter. The Airbus A320 had left Toronto at 2:54 p.m. with 147 people on board, scheduled to arrive in Edmonton at 7:07 p.m., Toronto time. It turned around as it passed over Thunder Bay, landing safely on Pearson’s runway 5 just after 5 p.m. The airport’s fire services inspected the landing gear. No injuries or damage have been reported.
February 26, 2015
February 21, 2015
By: Simon Hradecky,
A Thomas Cook Boeing 757-300, registration G-JMAA performing flight MT-1125 from Sofia (Bulgaria) to London Gatwick,EN (UK) with 280 people on board, was enroute at FL340 about 100nm south of Budapest when the crew declared PAN reporting “smoke in the flight deck” and decided to divert to Budapest. While descending towards Budapest the crew performed the smoke drills and subsequently reported that the smoke and fumes in the flight deck had dissipated but there was still a strong smell of burning in the cabin and some smoke. The aircraft landed safely on Budapest’s runway 31R about 20 minutes after leaving FL340. Emergency services checked the aircraft, which afterwards taxied to the apron. The passengers were taken to hotels. The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground for about 17 hours, then continued the flight and is estimated to reach Gatwick with a delay of 21 hours.
February 21, 2015
February 21, 2015
By: AVStop.com,
February 20, 2015 – VisionSafe Corporation has received Supplemental Type Certification (STC) for the Emergency Vision System (EVAS) Cockpit Smoke Displacement equipment applicable to the Boeing 777. The Boeing 777 is the latest aircraft to get FAA certified equipment and includes models 777-200, -200LR, -300, -300LR and the 777F. VisionSafe has customer orders pending for the Boeing 777 and expects to begin delivery in March 2015. With the company seeing growing demand in the air cargo segment, EVAS OEM VisionSafe has 4 other certifications for heavy transport aircraft due out this year. The company now has EVAS STC’s for over 80 aircraft types. The FAA recommends that aircraft meet higher standards for continuous cockpit smoke protection (FAA AC25.109). The Air Line Pilots Association’s (ALPA) in-flight fire project reported more than 1,100 in-flight smoke and fire incidents over only 10 months, causing 360 emergency landings. FAA’s concern about smoke continues, this is still a “serious” problem and the statistics are essentially unchanged. Flight Safety Foundation ranks smoke/fire emergencies as the 3rd highest cause of fatalities. Smoke is also a leading cause of diversions of ETOPS aircraft. The alarming rate of smoke incidents has been addressed by more than 600 operators, including the US military, FAA, airlines, and corporate flight departments. All have done so using the more than 3000 EVAS systems delivered by VisionSafe. UPS is the 1st air cargo carrier to commit an entire fleet to EVAS. In 2003 Fed Ex joined industry leader JetBlue Airways as one of the first airlines to address smoke in the cockpit by installing EVAS.
February 21, 2015
February 12, 2015
By: Simon Hradecky,
A Jet2.com Boeing 737-300, registration G-GDFE performing flight LS-509 from Newcastle,EN (UK) to Prague (Czech Republic), was enroute at FL330 about 25nm northeast of Norwich,EN (UK) when the crew declared emergency reporting smoke in the cabin. The aircraft diverted to Leeds,EN (UK) for a safe landing on runway 32 about 45 minutes later. The airport reported emergency services checked the aircraft, there was no fire on board of the aircraft. The airline reported the aircraft diverted due to an “operational issue”. A replacement Boeing 737-300 registration G-GDFL reached Prague with a delay of 2:15 hours.
Jan 29 (Reuters) – A United Airlines flight in which a burning smell was reported aboard the plane was diverted shortly after takeoff from Los Angeles on Thursday to a smaller Southern California airport where it landed safely, the airline said. United Flight 1181, en route to Washington-Dulles International Airport in northern Virginia, made an unscheduled stop at LA/Ontario International Airport with 199 passengers and seven crew members aboard, according to airline spokeswoman Mary Ryan. The Boeing 757, which had taken off from Los Angeles International Airport, landed safely at Ontario, about 60 miles (100 km) to the northeast, and a maintenance crew was examining the aircraft, Ryan said. She said it was not immediately clear whether the burning smell was reported in the passenger cabin or the cockpit, or both. City News Service in Los Angeles reported the diversion was prompted by a problem that produced smoke in the cockpit. A spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration, Ian Gregor, said he had no further information except to say the flight crew had declared an emergency before diverting to Ontario and landing without incident at 9 a.m. PST (1700 GMT). (Reporting by Steve Gorman; Editing by Mohammad Zargham)
MILWAUKEE — Authorities are investigating after a military plane was forced to make an emergency landing at Mitchell International Airport due to mechanical issues. An official with the Wisconsin Air National Guard 128th Air Refueling Wing says a KC-135 Stratotanker returned to the airport Tuesday night in the midst of a training mission after crew members noticed smoke and fumes in the cockpit. Master Sgt. Tom Sobczyk says no injuries were reported and the aircraft landed safely at the airport just before 9 p.m. Officials say the smoke and fumes were caused by a battery charger that failed. An investigation into the incident will attempt to determine why the battery failed.
January 29, 2015
January 14, 2015
By: Larry Higgs | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com ,
A United Airlines flight bound for London with 84 people on board had to return to Newark Liberty international airport Wednesday morning after the pilot reported smoke in the cabin. The flight, United 922 to Heathrow Airport, left from Newark airport and returned at 10:41 a.m., after the smoke condition was reported, said Federal Aviation Administration officials. The FAA is investigating what caused the smoke issue in the Boeing 767 airliner. Port Authority of New York and New Jersey officials said the plane returned without incident. FAA officials said the smoke was initially reported in the passenger cabin.
A Porter Airlines flight heading from Toronto to Sudbury, Ont., made an emergency landing Sunday evening. It was the second Porter Airlines flight on Sunday that was diverted from its original route. The airline confirmed on its website shortly before 9 p.m. that flight PD539 had been diverted to Pearson Airport. The Greater Toronto Airport Authority said that there was a “medical call” involved in the emergency landing. Peel paramedics said they transported an elderly female passenger from the plane to an Etobicoke hospital. Despite reports of smoke in the cockpit, they said the woman’s health issue was not smoke-related. Brad Cicero, a spokesperson for Porter, said that there was no indication of a fire in the plane. “One of the two engines was shut down using standard procedures and the aircraft landed safely,” he said. Medical personnel attended to two passengers for suspected anxiety, Cicero told CTV Toronto. The flight took off from Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport around 7:30 p.m., according to Porter’s website. Earlier in the day, a Washington, D.C.-bound flight had to divert to rural Pennsylvania after it took off from Billy Bishop around 8 a.m. It landed safely at Williamsport Regional Airport around 9 a.m., after smoke was detected in the cockpit. The plane had 66 passengers on board, and the airline’s spokesperson said another plane would pick them up and take them on to Washington. Porter Airlines uses only Canadian-built Bombardier Q400 turboprop aircraft. The airline reported a number of delays on Sunday and Porter’s 8:30 p.m. flight to Sudbury was cancelled.
A First Air flight heading out of Yellowknife turned back Wednesday after declaring an emergency with smoke in the cockpit. It happened during takeoff on the 10 a.m. flight to Rankin Inlet, Nunavut. “Emergency procedures were implemented,” an incident report filed to Transport Canada reads. The Boeing 737-217 landed safely back in Yellowknife. No one was injured. The incident meant that a Canadian North flight was delayed 15 minutes and a Discovery Air flight was delayed by 10 minutes.
December 19, 2014
December 17, 2014
By: Cory Shaffer | Northeast Ohio Media Group ,
CLEVELAND, Ohio — A United Airlines plane was diverted to Cleveland Hopkins International Airport Wednesday after the pilot reported smoke on board. The pilot on a flight from Los Angeles to Newark, New Jersey called the air traffic control tower at Hopkins at 1:59 p.m. to report possible smoke in the cabin, according to officials. Cleveland firefighters responded to the airport as the plane landed. The plane landed safely, taxied to the gate, and the safety alert was cancelled at 2:18 p.m., Cleveland Hopkins spokeswoman Jacqueline Mayo said. The plane’s passengers continued to Newark on other flights, a United spokeswoman said. (Update: Cleveland Hopkins officials told Northeast Ohio Media Group the pilot reported smoke in the plane’s cockpit. United officials said the smoke was actually reported in the cabin.)
December 17, 2014
December 5, 2014
By: http://www.toledoblade.com/,
A commercial airliner landed safely Thursday night at Toledo Express Airport after the crew aboard reported smoke in the cockpit, authorities said. Delta flight 312 left Detroit shortly before 8 p.m., headed for Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, according to the airline’s Web site. The tower at the airport was alerted around 8 p.m. that an aircraft was about 10 minutes away from the airport and would be landing. Lucas County Sheriff’s deputies and area fire departments, including Swanton’s, responded. By 8:30, the plane was on the ground and authorities reported that the smoke in the cockpit had cleared and passengers were allowed off the plane. Delta’s Web site reports that the flight was expected to resume its trip to Florida, leaving Toledo at 12:23 a.m. Friday Holly Kemler, spokesman for the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority, said there were 225 people aboard the 757. She said there were no reports of injury or other physical problems. A relief aircraft will be flown in and will take the passengers to Florida. She said that Toledo Express was notified that the plane was having problems at 8:06 p.m. It was on the ground at 8:18 p.m.
A Transavia Boeing 737-800, registration PH-HZO performing flight HV-5749 from Amsterdam (Netherlands) to Casablanca (Morocco), was in the initial climb out of Amsterdam’s runway 09 when the crew declared PAN PAN PAN reporting they had smoke in the electrical recirculation. The aircraft levelled off at FL060 and returned to Amsterdam for a safe landing on runway 18C about 13 minutes after departure. The aircraft taxied to the apron with emergency services following the aircraft. A replacement Boeing 737-800 registration PH-HZK reached Casablanca with a delay of 3.5 hours.
November 27, 2014
November 21, 2014
By: http://www.straitstimes.com/
MANILA (AFP) – A Japan-bound All Nippon Airways jet returned to Manila airport and made an emergency landing on Friday after pilots reported smoke in the cockpit, the Philippine authorities said. There were no reported injuries and all 175 passengers and 10 crew safely disembarked from the Boeing 767, said Manila International Airport Authority public affairs officer Ariel Arcilla. “The plane safely landed and there was no panic. It appears the pilot just followed safety protocols,” Mr Arcilla told AFP. Investigators are looking into the cause of the cockpit smoke, which the pilots noticed shortly after take-off from Manila, he added. The jet, bound for Tokyo’s Narita airport, was airborne for 35 minutes before making a successful emergency landing, Mr Arcilla said.
LONG BEACH >> Communication between a JetBlue flight crew and air traffic controllers reveals a calm, measured response after an engine fire forced the flight to make an emergency landing at Long Beach Airport in September. The Press-Telegram obtained the recordings this week after filing a Freedom of Information Act request shortly after the emergency. The audio files have been edited to remove pauses, silent segments and background noise. The content of the communications has not been altered. Officials with the National Transportation Safety Board still have not concluded their investigation into what caused the engine fire aboard JetBlue Flight 1416 on Sept. 18. Keith Holloway, a spokesman for the NTSB, said the agency is not conducting a so-called “major investigation” but is looking into whether there are any manufacturing, maintenance or other issues that caused the engine fire. A JetBlue representative could not be reached for comment on Friday. A pilot aboard Flight 1416 can be heard declaring an emergency on the second of two recordings with air traffic controllers at Southern California Terminal Radar Approach Control, or TRACON. “JetBlue 1416: We’re declaring emergency, number two engine fire,” the pilot says in a calm, monotone voice. “JetBlue 1416, advise of your intentions,” the air traffic controller asks. “Back to Long Beach immediately,” the pilot says later. The controller immediately begins giving directions and initiates communication with Long Beach Airport and authorities to have a runway cleared. The third recording obtained by the Press-Telegram contains communications between the flight crew and controllers at Long Beach Airport Traffic Control Tower concerning the flight’s final approach and landing.
November 8, 2014
November 5, 2014
By: http://www.aeroinside.com/
A United Boeing 767-300, registration N664UA performing flight UA-819 (dep Nov 4th) from Houston,TX (USA) to Buenos Aires Ezeiza,BA (Argentina) with 262 people on board, was enroute near Lima (Peru) when the crew reported smoke in the cockpit and diverted to Lima for a safe landing. The remainder of the flight was cancelled, the passengers were rebooked onto other flights. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Lima 3.5 days after landing.
November 5, 2014
October 21, 2014
By: Darryl Mills
There were some scary moments Tuesday afternoon on a Transwest Air commercial flight out of Prince Albert, when smoke in the cockpit forced the pilot to declare an emergency and return to the Prince Albert Municipal Airport. Flight 502 from Prince Albert to La Ronge took off at 1:44 p.m. local time and returned to Prince Albert Airport only minutes later. The crew immediately donned oxygen masks and turned the Saab-340B aircraft around and with airport emergency crews responding, landed safely, with the passengers doing a rapid de-planing. There were 20 adult passengers and one infant on the plane, along with the flight crew of three. According to Transwest Air COO Garrett Lawless, it was a minor incident, but he praised the crew of the aircraft for their quick-thinking and response for guaranteeing that it didn’t become anything worse. “It was a textbook response,” Lawless said. “Soon after take off, the GPS screen went blank and right afterward, there was an acrid smell in the cockpit,” Lawless said. “The crew immediately put on their oxygen masks and declared an emergency and returned to Prince Albert.” The flight was at 11,000 feet when the situation arose and Lawless had nothing but praise for the entire crew, which included Captain Logan Redekop, First Officer John Verbeteen and Flight Attendant Wendy Kolababa. “The crew response was so impressive,” Lawless said. He said the response of the pilots was absolutely textbook, while the work of Kolababa was just as impressive. “Everyone thinks of serving drinks and snacks when they think of flight attendants,” Lawless said. “But the real purpose of a flight attendant is to manage the back of the airplane in situations like these. “Panic can turn a non-event into an event, and she did a great job of keeping passengers calm.” He said the crew was in communication with the passengers throughout the incident so they knew what was happening. Lawless said passengers were aware of the acrid smell, but did not see smoke. Another Saab was dispatched from Saskatoon, and all of the passengers were back in the air, with a different air crew, less than two hours later and all had arrived safely at their destinations by late afternoon. Lawless noted an event like this one is “very rare,” but that crews practice for this type of event regularly. The airplane in question had a new GPS unit in place and was already being test-flown without any passengers late Tuesday afternoon. It will be fully inspected by Transwest Air maintenance staff, and when it gets the all-clear will return to Saskatoon. Lawless said the incident, although scary, was handled so well by the crew, that it really had him beaming with pride when it comes to the people working there, as he is still settling into his COO role, which he only started in August. “I’m really proud of our people and it gives me great confidence in the people we have,” he said. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada was contacted by Transwest Air soon after the incident occurred and has opened a file on the matter.
October 21, 2014
October 3, 2014
By: Pakistantoday.com
An Emirates passenger airline with 82 people on board bound for Dubai was pulled off the runway minutes before it was supposed to take off after the pilot detected smoke in the cockpit. Just as flight EK 609 was due to depart on Saturday evening, the pilot called for emergency assistance soon after he had started backing off the Airbus 320. It had earlier been reported that the plane had taken off and had to turn around for an emergency landing, however, officials denied this was the case and that the plane had not taken off. “All the passengers and crew members were evacuated and the plane has been parked on one side. No one was hurt,” said Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) spokesperson Pervez George. The plane deployed chutes to evacuate passengers.
October 3, 2014
September 22, 2014
By: Dailynewsen.com
A smaller plane landed safely at Palm Beach International Airport on Saturday evening after reporting smoke in its cockpit, Palm Beach County Fire Rescue stated. Crews received an alert about the plane shortly after 6:30 p.m., stated Capt. Albert Borroto, Fire Rescue spokesman. There had been no reported injuries, Borroto stated. Our editors found this article on this site using Google and regenerated it for our readers.
Jared West was headed home Thursday morning on a flight to Austin after visiting family in Fullerton. Not long after his plane took off from Long Beach Airport, the Dripping Springs, Texas, resident heard a “boom” on the right side of the plane. About 10 seconds later, the cabin filled with smoke. Oxygen masks dropped from the ceiling and passengers nearby were screaming and holding each other tight. Fearing this was his end, West, himself an amateur pilot, put on his oxygen mask and started recording a video message on his smartphone. “I said, ‘If anyone finds this, tell my mother that I love her,’” West, 34, said. But it wasn’t the end for West and the other 141 passengers and five crewmembers on JetBlue Flight 1416. Shortly after takeoff at 9:05 a.m., “an overheat warning” was reported for one of the aircraft’s two engines, airport officials said. Long Beach Fire Department spokesman Jake Heflin said the crew spotted smoke billowing from the engine and pilots deployed a fire extinguishing agent from the cockpit. Passengers exiting Long Beach Airport later that afternoon described flight attendants deploying oxygen masks and telling them to “brace, brace, brace!” The smoke in the cabin was so thick they couldn’t see, some passengers said. For a moment, passengers such as Upland resident Laura Andreasen, 57, who was aboard the airliner with her family traveling to Orlando, Fla., for a Disney cruise, feared for their lives. “I wasn’t sure if we were going to plummet or make it back,” she said. The airplane landed safely and the passengers and crew evacuated on inflatable slides. Three people were treated for injuries and released, and one was taken to a local hospital, Heflin said. One of the passengers had tailbone pain after using the evacuation slide, he said. The Airbus A320 was in the air for less than 30 minutes. After departing, it turned back and landed at the airport at 4100 Donald Douglas Drive at 9:29 a.m., city officials said. Some departures were delayed, and two flights from the Bay area that were scheduled to arrive before 11 a.m. were diverted. The aircraft was cleared and operations were back to normal by 11:15 a.m., but with some delays expected throughout the day, officials said. Jackson Rathbone, an actor who portrayed Jasper Hale in the movie “Twilight,” tweeted that he was on the plane. “Our right engine exploded and our cabin filled with smoke,” he wrote. “The doors were thrown open, once on the Tarmac. The stewardesses yelled for us to get out and as far away from the airplane as possible…I grabbed my son and jumped down the inflated ramp, my wife following. We left all our personal effects onboard.” Mission Viejo resident Cody Friend, 27, was on his way to his bachelor’s party in Austin with friends when the emergency landing delayed their plans. Though the experience shook them up, the group still decided to take another flight to Austin later in the day. “When we got off the plane, we had a big hug and decided the most important thing was to get a drink,” he said. Register staff writer Alma Fausto and photographer Bill Alkofer contributed to this report. Contact the writer: jchandler@losangelesregister.com, kablaza@ocregister.com
September 19, 2014
September 11, 2014
By: Lance M. Bacon
NORFOLK, VA. — Loss of spatial awareness and disorientation due to dense smoke from a fire in the upper port wall caused the Jan. 8 MH-53E Sea Dragon crash that killed three, according to a Navy investigation released Sept. 11. The crash, which occurred while the helo was towing a 180-pound Mk 104 acoustic minesweeping device during an exercise, resulted from a combination of mechanical failures, said Capt. Todd Flannery, commodore of Helicopter Sea Combat Wing Atlantic. There was no indication of trouble and nothing the crew could have done to avoid the fire, he said. Two pinholes in the port fuel line allowed atomized fuel to escape. In addition, insulatedelectrical line coverings had rubbed against the surface of an aluminum fuel transfer line. This enabled an electrical arc to breach the transfer tube and ignite the pressurized fuel. The fire erupted in the crew cab aft of the port window, the report found. Due to the January cold and the minesweeping exercise, the side windows were closed and the back ramp was lowered. The cockpit and cabin filled with billowing black smoke in about 20 seconds. It blinded the aircrew and resulted in a loss of visual reference to the horizon and cockpit instrumentation, according to investigators. At a Sept. 11 press conference for the report’s release, Flannery likened it to a driver closing his eyes at 25 mph for 20 seconds, which would cover the distance of about three football fields. The captain called the report’s scenario the likeliest version of events, noting that not all components were recovered. The investigation did have the bulk of the material and testimony from the two survivors who were in the fuselage at the time of the fire. A subsequent investigation found that 28 of 153 Navy and Marine Corps aircraft had similar issues with fuel lines, Flannery said. All have been corrected. In addition, all of the Navy’s Sea Dragons had one or more of the same discrepancies that led to the Jan. 8 fire: electrical wires coming in contact with items, leading to chafing; deteriorated insulation around electrical wires; or deteriorated insulation around fuel lines. They also have been corrected in the nine months since the tragedy, Flannery said. The captain called the Sea Dragon “safe and dependable,” and said he would not hesitate to climb in and fly it. He last did so Aug. 6, he said. He acknowledged that the Sea Dragons are aging and will require extensive maintenance to remain in the fleet through 2025, as planned. Killed in the crash were: pilots Lt. Wesley Van Dorn, 29, and Lt. Sean Snyder, 39, and Naval Aircrewman (Helicopter) 3rd Class Brian Collins, 25. Flannery called them “outstanding sailors who loved to fly.” The crew, assigned to Mine Countermeasures Squadron 14, were conducting mine countermeasures training with another helicopter about 18 miles off Virginia Beach when they went into the water. Van Dorn, Collins and two aircrewman were rescued by the other helicopter and taken to a local hospital, where Van Dorn and Collins died from their injuries later that day. Both surviving crew members were released from the hospital by Jan. 10. Navy, Coast Guard and Virginia Beach Police Department assets aided in a search for Snyder and the wreckage. Coast Guard and Virginia Beach crews withdrew from the search Jan. 9. Navy divers discovered Snyder’s remains inside the helo’s cockpit on Jan. 15. Family and friends gathered for a memorial service two days later at Naval Station Norfolk. The Sea Dragon airframe is in use by two Norfolk-based squadrons — HM-14 and HM-15. This was the fourth Sea Dragon crash in less than two years; the previous three occurred in 2012. Most were due to rotor issues. Following two HM-15 crashes, the unit’s commanding officer and command master chief were fired. One of the Jan. 8 crash survivors is headed to Pensacola on new orders. The other is still in physical therapy, officials said. Healing within the squadron has “been a progression,” Flannery said, as there has been some trepidation in the ranks. Staff writer Meghann Myers contributed to this report.
A Jetblue Airbus A320-200, registration N662JB performing flight B6-787 from New York JFK,NY (USA) to Sint Maarten (Sint Maarten) with 139 people on board, was enroute at FL330 about 230nm northwest of Bermuda (Bermuda) when the crew declared emergency reporting smoke in the cockpit and decided to divert to Bermuda. Enroute to Bermuda the crew reported they had the smoke pretty much under control the fumes however still persisted. The aircraft landed safely on Bermuda’s runway 12 about 40 minutes later, emergency services checked the aircraft after landing before the aircraft proceeded to the apron.
A Jetblue Airbus A320-200, registration N662JB performing flight B6-787 from New York JFK,NY (USA) to Sint Maarten (Sint Maarten) with 139 people on board, was enroute at FL330 about 230nm northwest of Bermuda (Bermuda) when the crew declared emergency reporting smoke in the cockpit and decided to divert to Bermuda. Enroute to Bermuda the crew reported they had the smoke pretty much under control the fumes however still persisted. The aircraft landed safely on Bermuda’s runway 12 about 40 minutes later, emergency services checked the aircraft after landing before the aircraft proceeded to the apron.
A British Airways plane from London to Canada was forced to abort its flight after smoke was discovered in the cockpit. The captain of the airline’s Boeing 767, which departed Heathrow Airport on Tuesday, requested a priority landing following the emergency. Cabin crew on board Flight 103 reported seeing smoke in the cockpit of the Calgary-bound plane, which departed London at 5.35pm.
They acted ‘decisively’ in the face of a sudden emergency, according to a British Airways spokesman. Reports claim the priority landing was requested as the plane was flying over Liverpool. Spokesman Michele Kropt, who did not confirm how many passengers were on board the flight, said: ‘The flight crew reported seeing smoke in the cockpit.
An emergency landing of a privately owned Boeing 737 last week is being blamed on smoke and fumes in the cockpit. The aircraft, which is based in Victoria and owned by Pacific Sky Aviation, had taken off from Victoria International Airport on Wednesday evening and was headed to Peace River, Alta., when it was forced to turn around near Nanaimo. The pilot reported fumes in the cockpit and returned to Victoria, declaring an emergency. The aircraft landed without mishap and the 10 people on board were not harmed. Directors for Pacific Sky Aviation include David Curtis, CEO and president of Viking Air Ltd., manufacturer of de Havilland aircraft. The incident was followed on Thursday by a bird strike on a WestJet 737 as it landed in Victoria. There was no damage to the aircraft but a dead sparrow was found on the runway. The cause of the emergency was published online through the Civil Aviation Daily Occurrence Report System (CADORS).
VERSAILLES, Ohio (WDTN) — A plane makes an emergency landing at the Darke County Airport after the cockpit fills with smoke. It happened before 4:30 p.m. Saturday at the airport along State Route 121. The Darke County Fire Chief said a belt broke in the engine compartment and caused some smoke in the plane. Fire officials said there were three people on board the plane. There was no damage to the plane and no one was hurt.
August 9, 2014
July 12, 2014
By: Radar Online
What happened on the plane that was forced to make an emergency landing on one of the most remote islands in the world? That’s what investigators must find out after United Airlines flight 201, a Boeing 777 carrying 335 people from Honolulu to Guam, landed on Midway Island after an electrical odor was reportedly detected in the cabin. After the plane set down safely on Friday on tiny, 2.4 mile long Midway Island, the site of a famous World War II battle, news began leaking out about the terrifying ordeal….
July 12, 2014
July 9, 2014
By http://www.aeroinside.com/item/4334/delta-md88-near-knoxville-on-jul-9th-2014-smoke-in-cockpit
A Delta Airlines McDonnell Douglas MD-88, registration N949DL performing flight DL-770 from Orlando,FL to Cincinnati,KY (USA) with 52 passengers and 5 crew, was enroute at FL370 about 25nm southeast of Knoxville,TN (USA) when both flight crew donned their oxygen masks, declared emergency reporting smoke in the cockpit and decided to divert to Knoxville. On approach to Knoxville’s runway 23R the crew advised that the smoke appeared to be dissipating after they had turned off some of the equipment, but continued to use their oxygen masks. The aircraft landed safely on runway 23R and stopped on the runway, the crew removed their oxygen masks and requested emergency services to check the aircraft from the outside for any indications of smoke or abnormality explaining they had a smoke event. Emergency services reported no trace of fire, smoke or heat and advised they would follow the aircraft to the gate. The aircraft taxied to the apron with emergency services in trail. The crew reported 57 people on board to emergency services, the airline reported 41 passengers and 5 crew were on board of the aircraft. A replacement MD-88 reached Cincinnati with a delay of 2:45 hours
July 9, 2014
June 28, 2014
By Simon Hradecky
A British Airways Boeing 747-400, registration G-CIVO performing flight BA-209 from London Heathrow,EN (UK) to Miami,FL (USA), was enroute at FL340 over the Atlantic Ocean about one hour into the crossing when the crew reported smoke in the cabin and decided to turn around and divert to Shannon (Ireland). The aircraft descended to FL280 for the flight back. The crew subsequently reported also smoke and fumes in the cockpit and decided to divert to Dublin (Ireland), then to return to London Heathrow, where the aircraft landed safely about 2 hours after turning around.
June 28, 2014
June 18, 2014
By Jacqueline Tempera: jacqueline.tempera@globe.com
A JetBlue flight bound from Boston to Seattle was diverted to North Dakota today, after the pilot smelled smoke in the cockpit, officials said in a statement. JetBlue Flight 597 left from Logan International Airport this morning, but did a precautionary early landing at Minot International Airport, after crew members said they smelled an “electrical odor” onboard, Sharon A. Jones, an airline spokeswoman, said. The flight landed safely, and was assessed and cleared by maintenance technicians. It departed rom Minot, and was expected to land in Seattle at 1:51 p.m. local time. The flight had 126 people aboard, Jones said. Jacqueline Tempera can be reached at jacqueline.tempera@globe.com. Follow her on twitter @jacktemp
June 18, 2014
June 18, 2014
By http://www.aeroinside.com/item/4276/austrian-b763-near-toronto-on-jun-18th-2014-white-smoke-in-cockpit
An Austrian Airlines Boeing 767-300, registration OE-LAZ performing flight OS-66 from Chicago O’Hare,IL (USA) to Vienna (Austria) with 195 people on board, was enroute at FL330 about 130nm northeast of Toronto,ON (Canada) when the crew noticed white smoke in the cockpit, which dissipated after about 15 seconds, the odour however remained. The crew worked the related checklists and decided to turn around and divert to Toronto. On downwind to runway 05 the crew requested emergency services on stand by due to an overweight landing and a necessary brakes inspection. The aircraft landed safely on runway 05 about 35 minutes after turning around and taxied to the apron with emergency services in trail. The Canadian TSB reported that the crew used autobrakes 1, the brakes temperatures did not exceed 270 degrees C. Maintenance was subsequently advised that a ground unit used in Chicago, that supplied pneumatic pressure to the aircraft due to the non-availability of the APU, had broken down and possibly contaminated the pneumatic ducting. The pneumatic ducting was cleaned, the system was operated using engine power until the odour had disappeared, then the aircraft was returned to service. The remainder of the flight was cancelled, the passengers were rebooked onto other flights. The occurrence aircraft resumed service 22 hours after landing as flight OS-72 from Toronto to Vienna.
June 18, 2014
June 4, 2014
By KCCI.com
Read more: http://www.kcci.com/news/pilot-lands-small-plane-lands-in-cornfield/26322714#!Wxrrf
LA PORTE, Iowa —Authorities say a pilot wasn’t injured during the emergency landing he made in an eastern Iowa cornfield. Waterloo television station KWWL reports that the plane came down around 4:10 p.m. Tuesday in northern Benton County. The Benton County Sheriff’s Office says the pilot was alone in the small plane and wasn’t hurt. He landed because a mechanical problem filled the cockpit with smoke.
June 4, 2014
April 25, 2014
By George Hatcher
Read more: http://www.airflightdisaster.com/index.php/smoke-in-the-cockpit-forces-envoy-air-operated-aa-flight-to-make-emergency-landing/
The smell of smoke forced the American Airlines flight 3454 to make emergency landing at Tampa International Airport, Florida, on Thursday, April 24. The Embraer ERJ 145, belonging to Envoy Air and operated by American Airlines, was carrying 46 passengers and 3 crew members from Tallahassee to Miami. The passengers included Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart and the Superintendent of Miami-Dade County Public Schools, Alberto Carvalho. The flight took off at 8:30 pm, after a 1 hour 45 minutes delay from the original scheduled time. Some passengers reported that after about 30 minutes into the flight, they heard an explosion, following which the smoke could be smelled in the plane. However, according to Laura Masvidal, the spokesperson of American Airlines, there was no explosion and the decision for emergency landing was made due to smell of smoke in the cockpit.
April 25, 2014
April 15, 2014
A plane full of British holidaymakers endured a return flight from the Caribbean that suffered so many mechanical failures it took four days to get home. Monarch flight 368 had been due to leave Tobago on Wednesday April 2. But after a journey that included an emergency landing in Barbados after smoke and fumes began to fill the cabin, the traumatised travellers did not reach Gatwick until the early hours of April 6 – almost four days late
Maintenance teams are assessing a JetBlue plane that was forced to return to Jamaica after the flight crew smelled smoke. Alfred McDonald is a director at Jamaica’s Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston. He said evaluations of the carrier’s Embraer 190 plane were ongoing Tuesday. The Fort Lauderdale-bound JetBlue plane with 98 passengers returned to the Kingston airport some 15 minutes after takeoff Monday night. McDonald says “the pilot detected smoke in the cockpit and decided to….
By Simon O’Brien Afternoon editor, brisbanetimes.com.au
Emergency crews were on standby as a plane, filling with fumes, was forced to land at Brisbane Airport this afternoon. Firefighters rushed onboard the aircraft after it landed safely and two crew members and one passenger were treated for minor smoke inhalation, Nine News reported. The Qantaslink Dash 8 landed safely and all passengers disembarked, a Qantas spokeswoman said. “QantasLink flight QF 2128 from Sydney to Gladstone diverted to Brisbane due to reports of fumes in the cockpit,” she said. “The aircraft landed normally and will undergo an engineering inspection to determine the source of the fumes. Thirty three passengers on board will continue their journey this evening on another QantasLink flight.” Advertisement The incident happened about 5pm.
Professional pilot Chris Goodfellow speculated via his Google+ account that “there was most likely a fire or electrical fire” on board the Boeing 777, which produced “horrific incapacitating smoke” that caused the pilots to pass out. “What I think happened is that [the pilots] were overcome by smoke and the plane just continued on … autopilot until either fuel exhaustion or fire destroyed the control surfaces and it crashed,” Goodfellow wrote. He speculated that a cockpit fire could explain why the plane seemingly turned, in order to make “a direct route” to a landing strip at the Malaysian island of Palau Langkawi. Goodfellow added that, in the event of an electrical fire, the plane’s transponders and communications systems may have been shut off to pinpoint the source of the fault. While MH370 pilots Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah and First Officer Fariq Abdul Hamid have been cast as suspects in the plane’s disappearance, Goodfellow’s theory would seemingly vindicate them. “This pilot did all the right things” but “just didn’t have the time” to save the plane, Goodfellow wrote. Goodfellow posted the theory on Saturday, before Malaysia’s prime minister Najib Razak said radar data suggested the plane had been deliberately redirected from its flight path. The Atlantic writer and pilot James Fallows said Goodfellow’s “explanation makes better sense than anything else I’ve heard so far” — but others have pointed out its flaws. MH370 continued to make sharp turns after it overflew Langkawi, and “such vigorous navigating would have been impossible for unconscious men,” writes Slate’s Jeff Wise. Wise added that electronic “pings” sent from the plane would also put it at a location not possible to be reached without human intervention. Retired pilot Michael G. Fortune told Business Insider that, if MH370’s pilots had changed their destination, they would have “communicated their emergency and intentions” to air traffic controllers. Even Goodfellow himself later admitted that information revealed since he put forward his theory casts doubt on it. “There really is no point in speculating further until more evidence surfaces,” he concluded. “But in the meantime it serves no purpose to malign the pilots who well may have been in an heroic struggle to save this aircraft from a fire or other serious mechanical issue and were overcome.”
March 19, 2014
February 17, 2014
By http://www.wsaz.com/
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) — A United Airways flight had to return to Yeager Airport in Charleston after a warning light activated. Yeager Airport Police tell WSAZ.com, the flight took off from Yeager Airport early Monday afternoon and was headed to Dulles International Airportin Washington, DC. A warning light indicating smoke in the cargo area activated. Crews searched the cargo area and didn’t find anything, but decided to turn around and head back to Yeager as a precaution. All of the passengers were able to get off the plane safely. The flight has been put on hold. Passengers will be put on other flights or will make other arrangements.
February 17, 2014
February 1, 2014
By http://www.csnphilly.com/article/smoke-found-plane-philly-international
Over 150 people were evacuated after smoke was discovered in a plane at Philadelphia International Airport on Saturday. Officials say Delta Flight 987 was scheduled to depart for Salt Lake City Saturday morning when smoke was found inside the cockpit shortly before takeoff. “Flight 987, a Boeing 737-800 departing from Philadelphia to Salt Lake City with 150 passengers on board, returned to the gate shortly after pushback when the Captain experienced a smoky odor in the vicinity of the cockpit,” said Delta Air Lines spokesman Paul Skrbec. “Out of an abundance of caution, the Captain elected return to the gate and advised emergency ground personnel.” The plane returned to the gate and the 159 passengers and crew were evacuated and evaluated. No injuries were reported. Officials say the smoke dissipated but they have not yet revealed the cause. “All passengers onboard deplaned without incident and will be accommodated on the next available flight scheduled in the day today,” Skrbec said. “The aircraft is currently in maintenance. We apologize to the passengers for the inconvenience.”
February 1, 2014
February 1, 2014
By Eunice Lee/The Star-Ledger
An United Airlines flight en route from Washington, D.C., to Frankfurt made an emergency landing in Newark because of reported smoke smelled in the cockpit, officials confirmed. United flight 932 departed Washington at 9:55 p.m. Friday bound for Germany but landed at Newark Liberty International Airport at 11:30 p.m. due to the report of smoke smelled, United spokesman Rahsaan Johnson said via email. No one was injured, but a spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, Anthony Hayes, said three to five people went to an area hospital as a precaution. It is not immediately clear what caused the reported smell of smoke and authorities are investigating the incident, he said.
February 1, 2014
January 29, 2014
By Ben Mutzabaugh, USA TODAY
A United Airlines Express flight en route from Washington Dulles to Boston diverted to Delaware’s New Castle Airport near Wilmington after the plane’s pilots reported smoke in the cockpit, Federal Aviation Administration officials tell The Associated Press. United Flight 3759 had 61 passengers and four crew on board when the Canadair CRJ700 regional jet diverted and landed safely at the Delaware airport around 9:45 a.m. ET, according to The News Journal of Wilmington. No one was hurt, according to reports from the scene. LOCAL REPORT: United Express jet makes emergency landing at New Castle Airport (The News Journal) The flight was operated by United Express affiliate Mesa Airlines. Flight 3759 passenger Sarah Barney tells AP via e-mail that she first noticed something unusual when the plane began to descend only about 20 minutes into flight. The AP has more of Barney’s account, writing: “Soon after, the plane’s air masks came down. Barney, a frequent flier, said the captain came on to say they would be returning to Dulles. She said she smelled a gas-like scent and people closer to the front of the plane noticed smoke. She said the ride was ‘extremely rocky’ and passengers were asked to keep their seatbelts on and be ready for an emergency exit on landing.” “The last four minutes of the flight were terrifying and I think all of us were quite unsure of how it was going the end,” Barney says in her email to AP. The News Journal says firefighters met the jet after on arrival and that the Delaware Air National Guard base provided buses to take the passengers and crew to the terminal.
January 29, 2014
January 16, 2014
By Jorge Milian Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
A Southwest Airlines flight carrying 148 people landed safely at Palm Beach International Airport this afternoon following a report of smoke in the cockpit, according to Palm Beach County Fire Rescue spokesman Capt. Albert Borroto. Fire rescue crews responded to the airport around 12:50 p.m. The jet was carrying 16,000 pounds of fuel, Borroto said. No injuries were reported.
January 16, 2014
January 14, 2014
Reporting by Tim Kelly and Kentaro Sugiyama in Tokyo, Alwyn Scott in Seattle and Nivedita Bhattacharjee in Chicago; Editing by Steve Orlofsky, Jeffrey Benkoe and Bernard Orr)
TOKYO/SEATTLE (Reuters) – Japan Airlines Co Ltd said it temporarily grounded one of its Boeing 787 Dreamliners at Tokyo’s Narita International Airport on Tuesday after white smoke was spotted outside the plane and a battery cell appeared to be leaking. The incident raised fresh concerns about the 787’s safety and reliability almost exactly one year after the global Dreamliner fleet was grounded by regulators following the overheating of two batteries, although Boeing said design changes made as a result had worked as planned. Boeing Co said it was “aware of the 787 issue that occurred Tuesday afternoon at Narita, which appears to have involved the venting of a single battery cell.” Venting is the process of fumes and heat being channeled outside the aircraft when the battery overheats. “The issue occurred during scheduled maintenance activities with no passengers on board,” said Boeing. “The improvements made to the 787 battery system last year appear to have worked as designed.” Boeing shares fell 0.6 percent to $139.87 on the New York Stock Exchange. The incident, which was disclosed by Japan Airlines early on Wednesday local time, came nearly a year to the day after Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways grounded their 787 fleets after two 787 batteries overheated on two different planes in less than two weeks. Global regulators grounded the worldwide fleet on January 16, 2013. The 787s remained grounded for more than three months while Boeing redesigned the battery, charger and containment system to ensure battery fires would not put the airplane at risk. The cause of the battery problems has not been determined. United Airlines, the only U.S. carrier that uses the 787, said: “Our 787s are operating normally and we have not experienced any issues with our batteries.” Japan Airlines said maintenance engineers who were in the cockpit saw white smoke outside the plane. When they went outside the aircraft the smoke had dispersed. On returning to the cockpit, the engineers found warning lights indicating possible faults with the main battery and charger. When they checked the battery they found one of eight cells was leaking a liquid. The plane, due to depart from Narita for Bangkok, was taken out of service, and the 158 passengers due to board the plane were put on a separate 787, JAL said. PLAGUED WITH PROBLEMS The 787 Dreamliner is Boeing’s state-of-the-art plane, built with carbon-fiber composite materials and a powerful electrical system to reduce weight and improve the jet’s fuel efficiency. But the 250-seat jetliner, which costs about $212 million at list prices, has been plagued with problems. It was more than three years late in entering service, due to issues with parts fabrication by suppliers around the world. Since entering service, it has had issues with brakes, fuel lines, electrical panels and hydraulics, and other systems. The overheating of the jet’s lithium-ion batteries raised serious concerns last year, prompting world-wide grounding of the fleet after a fire on a Japan Airlines plane in Boston and a second battery that overheated on an All Nippon Airways flight in Japan less than two weeks later. In July, after the 787 was cleared to return to service, an Ethiopian Airlines jet caught fire at London’s Heathrow Airport, scorching the fuselage. The cause of the fire was never firmly established, but UK investigators traced the probable cause to faulty wiring of a lithium battery in an emergency beacon located in the ceiling near the tail of the plane. EXPERTS WEIGH IN Aerospace experts said the latest Japan Airlines incident was troubling, but were cautious about drawing broader conclusions. Richard Aboulafia, an aerospace analyst at Teal Group in Fairfax, Virginia, said the incident raised two questions: whether the new system that contains the problem had worked, and whether the root cause of the battery problems will ultimately be discovered. “The real issue with containing the problem, rather than getting to the root cause of the problem, concerns economics,” Aboulafia said. “Incidents can be successfully contained, but if you continue to see incidents like these, you’ve got a mounting bill from taking jets offline, and repairing their battery systems. You’ve got an image problem, too.” Hans Weber, a former FAA adviser and president of TECOP International, an aerospace technology consulting firm, said the incident might provide more clues about the cause of the problem, such as overcharging. He said it appeared the containment system worked. “It limited the problem to one faulty cell. It contained the problem and vented the fumes outside the airplane, as designed,” he said, basing his comments on Japan Airlines’ initial statements about the incident. The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board said it is aware of the incident and is gathering information. Separately, the NTSB is still investigating the battery fire that occurred on the Japan Airlines 787 in Boston a year ago, and said last week it is due to complete that investigation in March. The agency did not say whether the latest battery incident would affect the timing of the Boston investigation. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said it was working with Boeing and the Civil Aviation Bureau of Japan to investigate the battery malfunction. The agency certified Boeing’s revamped 787 battery system as safe last year after the Dreamliner fleet was grounded for more than three months. The agency also launched a review of the design, manufacture and assembly of the 787 in January last year and said its report would be released last summer, but it has so far not released the report and has not responded to questions about when that review would be finished. (Reporting by Tim Kelly and Kentaro Sugiyama in Tokyo, Alwyn Scott in Seattle and Nivedita Bhattacharjee in Chicago; Editing by Steve Orlofsky, Jeffrey Benkoe and Bernard Orr)
A flight from Winnipeg to Minneapolis had to make an emergency landing at the Winnipeg airport because of smoke that started filling the cockpit shortly after takeoff. Skywest flight 4476, operating as a Delta connection, left Winnipeg with 45 passengers on board at 1:01 p.m. It landed again at 1:21 p.m. No injuries have been reported and the plane landed safely, said Hazel Sainsbury, a spokesperson for the Winnipeg Airport Authority. Read more: http://winnipeg.ctvnews.ca/plane-makes-emergency-landing-after-cockpit-fills-with-smoke-1.1617020#ixzz2pbJzBcRJ Mechanics determined the smoke was caused by de-iceing fluid that had gotten into the aft equipment bay, Sainsbury said. Passengers were taken to the US passenger lounge. Skywest flight 4476 was cancelled and all passengers were accommodated on other flights, Sainsbury said. Joyce Douglas was on the flight. She said the incident gave her quite a fright. “Everyone was very calm and then we flew back and it was about 25 minutes, and as we landed, that’s when we saw all the fire trucks, and that’s when we relzaed something kinda scary was happening,” she told CTV via phone from the passneger lounge. Douglas missed her connecting flights as a result of the incident.
LEE COUNTY, Fla. – A Silver Airways plane carrying 35 people made an emergency landing at Southwest Florida International Airport after reports of smoke filling the cockpit. The plane was on its way from Key West to Tampa, but was rerouted to RSW when it experienced an electronic problem. The plane landed safely at RSW at 8:53 a.m. Thursday. American Airlines oversees Silver, and will be making accommodations for the passengers.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A fast-moving fire that began in cargo containing lithium batteries turned the inside of a United Parcel Service plane into a “catastrophic” chain reaction of flames and smoke before a crash three years ago in the desert outside Dubai, according to a report released Wednesday. The 322-page investigation into the crash, which killed both pilots, backed up preliminary probes pointing to the lithium batteries as the possible cause of the blaze and drew further attention to the potential risks of the batteries in aviation. Lithium batteries have been the subject of fire-related probes on the Boeing 787 “Dreamliner.” The entire 787 fleet was grounded for about three months earlier this year after a fire in a battery on a Japan Airlines 787 parked at Boston’s Logan International Airport, and a smoking battery that led to an emergency landing by an All Nippon Airways 787 in Japan. The United Arab Emirates’ report said investigators for General Civil Aviation Authority found “with reasonable certainty” that the fire aboard the UPS Boeing 747-400 crash began in cargo containing thousands of lithium batteries of various designs. The chain-reaction fire quickly filled the cockpit with smoke before the plane went down on Sept. 3, 2010, about an hour into the flight to Cologne, Germany. The report noted that investigators could not cannot pinpoint the factors that started the fire, but noted a phenomenon called “thermal runaway.” This is an uncontrolled chemical reaction that leads to progressively hotter temperatures. Lithium batteries are sensitive to temperature. If the batteries are exposed to excessive heat, they can short circuit and experience thermal runaway. If one battery experiences thermal runaway or catches fire, it can cause other nearby batteries short-circuit and ignite. At a meeting in Washington last week, the director of the Air Line Pilots Association’s dangerous goods program, Mark Rogers, said the UPS plane was carrying between 80,000 to 90,000 lithium ion and lithium metal batteries as cargo and in equipment. The report described the fire as a “chain reaction which spread to the available combustible material” and apparently was not spotted by smoke detectors in its early moments. “The fire escalated rapidly into a catastrophic, uncontained” blaze, the report said. The report included more than 35 recommendations, including better early-warning systems in cargo holds to detect fires, and adding equipment that could aid pilot visibility in smoky conditions. It added that shippers of some of the lithium battery cargo loaded onto the plane in Hong Kong “did not properly declare these shipments” and did not provide battery test reports recommended under U.N. aviation guidelines. Before publication of the report, UPS had begun implementing new systems to improve pilot vision and protocols to quickly use full-face oxygen masks when needed, said a statement from the Independent Pilots Association in Louisville, Kentucky. Atlanta-based UPS has ordered 1,821 fiber-reinforced plastic shipping containers designed to withstand intense fires for four hours or longer, giving “pilots more time to safely land their planes in an emergency,” said a company spokesman, Malcolm Berkley. In November, the National Transportation Safety Board in Washington urged that fire-suppression systems be installed in all cargo containers or compartments of planes to prevent in-flight blazes that have killed four cargo pilots since 2006, including the two who perished in Dubai. “Nearly three years following this tragic accident, UPS pilots welcome the release of this final report,” said the Independent Pilots Association president, Robert Travis, who added that the group has worked with UPS on a system that could suppress and contain a fire for up to four hours. This month the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration urged that Boeing inspect all emergency locator transmitters on all 787s following a fire aboard one of the airliners that was parked at London’s Heathrow Airport. As part of the inspection, the transmitter’s lithium battery compartment would be checked for heat or moisture. The 787 is the first airliner to make extensive use of rechargeable lithium ion batteries.
July 24, 2013
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