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Recent smoke in the cockpit events

Dramatic account of a blinding smoke in the cockpit event over Afghanistan in 2019

Source: www.avweb.com 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 View Original Article

Flight makes emergency landing due to fire in forward cargo hold

Source: www.aeroinside.com 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. View Original Article

Smell of smoke in the cockpit of Envoy Air flight

Source: www.aeroinside.com 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. View Original Article

Cargo smoke indication forces emergency landing of Rossiya Airlines flight

Source: www.tass.com 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. View Original Article

Crew of Sprint Air flight makes emergency landing due to smoke in the cockpit

Source: Simon Hradecky | www.avherald.com 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. View Original Article

Smoke in the lavatory forces emergency landing of GoJet flight

Source: Simon Hradecky | www.avherald.com 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. View Original Article

Smell of smoke in the cockpit forces Nordic Regional Airlines flight crew to reject takeoff

Source: Simon Hradecky | www.avherald.com 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. View Original Article

Smoke in the cockpit of Jazz flight forces crew to declare Mayday

Source: Simon Hradecky | www.avherald.com 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. View Original Article

Smoke in the cockpit of Air France flight forces emergency landing

Source: Simon Hradecky | www.avherald.com 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. View Original Article

Crew of Canada Air flight declares emergency due to smoke in the cockpit

Source: Bart Fraize | www.ntv.ca 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. View Original Article

Binter Canarias flight makes emergency landing due to thick, black smoke in cabin

Source: Simon Hradecky | www.avherald.com 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. View Original Article

Smoke in the cockpit of Nordic Regional Airlines plane forces emergency landing and evacuation

Source: Simon Hradecky | www.avherald.com 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. View Original Article

Karun Airlines flight makes emergency landing due to smoke in the cabin

Source: Simon Hradecky | www.avherald.com 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. View Original Article

LATAM Brasil flight makes emergency landing due to smoke in the cockpit and cabin

Source: Simon Hraecky | www.avherald.com 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. View Original Article

Smoke in the cabin forces emergency landing of MASwings flight

Source: www.dailyexpress.com 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. View Original Article

Smell of smoke in the cockpit of First Air Avions de Transport Regional flight upon final approach

Source: Simon Hradecky | www.avherald.com 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. View Original Article

Crew diverts Piedmont Airlines flight for emergency landing due to smoke in the cockpit

Source: Simon Hradecky | www.avherald.com 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. View Original Article

Crew of Jazz flight declares emergency due to smoke in the cabin

Source: Simon Hradecky | www.avherald.com 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. View Original Article

Smoke in the cockpit upon initial climb forces emergency landing of Atlas Air flight

Source: Simon Hradecky | www.avherald.com 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. View Original Article

Smoke in the cockpit of Canadian North plane forces emergency landing

Source: Simon Hradecky | www.avherald.com 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. View Original Article

Smoke in the cockpit of passenger jet forces emergency landing

Source: www.tass.com 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. View Original Article

Pilot of small plane declares emergency due to smoke in the cockpit

Source: Caitlan Butler | www.eldoradonews.com 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. View Original Article

Commercial jet makes emergency landing due to smoke in the cockpit

Source: Cody Blowers | www.cedarcityutah.com 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. View Original Article

Smoke in the cockpit forces emergency landing of Batik Air flight

Source: Simon Hradecky | www.avherald.com 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. View Original Article

Crew of Canadian North flight dons oxygen masks and declares emergency due to smoke in the cockpit

Source: Simon Hradecky | www.avherald.com 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. View Original Article

WestJet flight makes emergency landing shortly after takeoff due to cargo smoke indication

Source: Hillary Johnson | www.cfktv.com 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. View Original Article

Cargo smoke indication on Jetstar flight forces emergency landing

Source: Simon Hradecky | www.avherald.com 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). View Original Article

Fire indication on board Polar Air Cargo flight forces emergency landing

Source: Simon Hradecky | www.avherald.com 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. View Original Article

Sunstate Airlines flight makes emergency landing shortly after takeoff due to smoke in the cockpit

Source: www.aviation-safety.net

Bombardier DHC-8-402Q Dash 8 Sunstate Airlines opf QANTAS VH-QOE 4125 Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 0 None AYPY/POM Port Moresby, Jacksons Field – Papua New Guinea Initial climb International Scheduled Passenger Port Moresby-Jacksons International Airport (POM/AYPY) Cairns Airport, QLD (CNS/YBCS)

The aircraft returned to land at Port Moresby after takeoff due to smoke in the cockpit. View Original Article

Small plane makes emergency landing with smoke in cockpit and oil on windshield

Source: Robert Bastille | www.hyannisnews.com 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. View Original Article

Smoke on board Jazz flight forces crew to declare Mayday and make emergency landing

Source: Simon Hradecky | www.avherald.com 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. View Original Article

Crew of EasyJet Europe flight reports smoke in the cockpit during descent

Source: Simon Hradecky | www.avherald.com 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. View Original Article

Spirit Airlines flight makes emergency landing due to cargo smoke indication

Source: Simon Hradecky | www.avherald.com 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.” View Original Article

E-cigarette reportedly catches fire on board Sunwing flight

Source: Simon Hradecky | www.avherald.com 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. View Original Article

Smoke in the cockpit forces emergency landing of Cathay Pacific flight

Source: Simon Hradecky | www.avherald.com 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.” View Original Article

Cabin crew forced to extinguish fire after passenger’s battery charger suffers thermal runaway

Source: Simon Hradecky | www.avherald.com 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. View Original Article

Smoke fills cockpit of single-engine cessna

Source: Todd Coyne | www.vancouverisland.ctvnews.ca 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. View Original Article

Smoke develops in cabin of EasyJet flight just before descent into Amsterdam

Source: Simon Hradecky | www.avherald.com 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. View Original Article

British Airways flight stops climb due to smoke in the cockpit

Source: Simon Hradecky | www.avherald.com 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. View Original Article

Smoking smartphone prompts emergency landing of British Airways flight

Source: www.aviation-safety.net 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. View Original Article

Smoke in the cockpit forces emergency landing of commercial airliner

Source: Eliot Kleinberg | www.palmbeachpost.com 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. View Original Article

Cargo plane makes emergency landing due to smoke in the cockpit

Source: Chris Libonati | www.syracuse.com A cargo plane that landed at Hancock International Airport on Thursday night had smoke in its cockpit, according to Onondaga County 911 dispatchers. After the plane landed, the pilots’ chutes were deployed, according to scanner reports. The fire alarm was reportedly going off in the plane as it landed, according to scanner reports. Syracuse police, firefighters and one NAVAC ambulance responded to the airport. This is breaking news and will be updated with more information. View Original Article

Smoke in the cockpit of Safair plane forces emergency landing

Source: Simon Hradecky | www.avherald.com 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. View Original Article

Power bank begins smoking on board Tway Airlines flight

Source: Simon Hradecky | www.avherald.com 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. View Original Article

Crew of British Airways flight declares PAN reporting fumes in cockpit

Source: Simon Hradecky | www.avherald.com 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. The accident aircraft had gone through a similiar event about 3.5 months earlier, see Accident: British Airways A320 at Paphos on Oct 19th 2019, fumes in cockpit, both pilots partially incapacitated. View Original Article

Vueling Flight makes emergency landing due to smoke in the cockpit

Source: Simon Hradecky | www.avherald.com 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. View Original Article

Smoke in the cabin of American Airlines flight forces emergency landing

Source: Simon Hradecky | www.avherald.com 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.” View Original Article

Smoke in the cabin forces emergency landing of Mesa Airlines flight

Source: www.aeroinside.com 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. View Original Article

Smoking heating device in cargo hold of Lufthansa flight forces emergency landing

Source: Simon Hradecky | www.avherald.com 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. View Original Article

Flight crew of Ryanair plane make emergency landing after smoke fills cabin

Source: www.simpleflying.com 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. View Original Article

Burning odor forces emergency landing of BA Cityflyer flight

Source: Simon Hradecky | www.avherald.com 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. View Original Article

Smoke fills cabin of Air Italy flight forcing emergency landing

Source: Simon Hradecky | www.avherald.com 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. View Original Article

Smoke and sparks in the cabin of Delta Airlines flight forces emergency landing

Source: Simon Hradecky | www.avherald.com 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. View Original Article

Smell of smoke in the cockpit forces emergency landing of Air Canada flight

Source: Simon Hradecky | www.avherald.com 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. View Original Article

Crew dons oxygen masks due to burning odor in cockpit of Spirit Airlines flight

Source: Simon Hradecky | www.avherald.com 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. View Original Article

Smoke in the cockpit forces pilot to make emergency landing at Atlantic Airport

Source: www.swiowanewssource.com 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. View Original Article

Crew and passengers on Spirit Airlines flight become unwell due to fumes on board

Source: www.aeroinside.com 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. View Original Article

El Al Israel Airlines flight makes emergency landing due to smoke in the cockpit

Source: Mark Hodgins | www.halifaxtoday.ca 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. View Original Article

First officer becomes unresponsive due to fumes in the cockpit of British Airways flight

Source: Simon Hradecky | www.avherald.com 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. View Original Article

AirAsia flight evacuated after emergency landing due to smoke in the cabin

Source: Simon Hradecky | www.avherald.com 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. View Original Article

Fumes on board Lufthansa flight injure four crew members

Source: Simon Hradecky | www.avherald.com 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. View Original Article

Smoke in cabin forces emergency landing of Azul Linhas Aereas flight

Source: Simon Hradecky | www.avherald.com 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. View Original Article

AirAsia flight forced to make emergency landing after phone battery burns passenger

Source: Simon Hradecky | www.avherald.com 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. View Original Article

Crew of Jazz flight declares PAN PAN due to smoke in aft lavatory

Source: Simon Hradecky | www.avherald.com 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. View Original Article

Smell of smoke in the cockpit of Austrian Airlines flight prompts emergency landing

Source: Simon Hradecky | www.avherald.com 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. View Original Article

Takeoff aborted due to smoke in the cockpit of Civil Aviation Authority’s plane

Source: Bobby Jordan | www.timeslive.co.za 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. View Original Article

Fumes in the cockpit force emergency landing of British Airways flight

Source: Simon Hradecky | www.avherald.com 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. View Original Article

Smoke in cabin of Delta Airlines flight forces emergency landing

Source: Simon Hradecky | www.avherald.com 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. View Original Article

Smoke in the cabin of ANA flight forces emergency landing

Source: Simon Hradecky | www.avherald.com 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. View Original Article

Passengers evacuate via emergency slides after Qantas plane fills with smoke

Source: www.news.com.au 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.” View Original Article

Tigerair Australia flight diverts for emergency landing due to fumes on board

Source: Simon Hradecky | www.avherald.com 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. View Original Article

Smoke fills the cockpit of a single-engine Cessna as it nosedives onto a California highway

Source: Mario Sevilla | www.kxxv.com 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. View Original Article

Air New Zealand flight makes emergency landing due to smoke indicator light

Source: www.stuff.co.nz 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. View Original Article

Smell of oil on board GoAir flight forces emergency landing

Source: www.aeroinside.com 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. View Original Article

Crew of American Eagle flight declares emergency due to smoke in the cockpit

Source: www.whsv.com 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. View Original Article

Emergency crews respond to Canada Air flight with smoke in the cockpit and cracked windshield

Source: Hector Ramirez II | www.wtnh.com An Air Canada flight form Montreal to Windsor Locks at Bradley Airport had a scary situation occur on Monday. Officials say there was smoke in the cockpit and the plane had a cracked windshield. Emergency crews were called to Bradley as a precaution. The plane did land safely. There was no impact on airport operations. Maintenance is now investigating what exactly happened. View Original Article

Fumes on board PSA Airlines flight forces crew to don oxygen masks and declare emergency

Source: Simon Hradecky | www.avherald.com 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.

Passenger’s laptop begins smoking on Air Canada flight

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 so