The Boeing 747-400 plane took off for Manchester, England, but had to turn back due to an issue with the cargo fire detection system.

The plane landed back safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.

The post Virgin Atlantic Flight Makes Emergency Landing at JFK Airport first appeared on George Hatcher's Air Flight Disaster.

The Boeing 777-200 plane heading from Miami, Florida, to Charles de Gaulle Airport, France, was diverted after the crew received a cargo smoke indication.

The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.

The post American Airlines Flight Diverts to Shannon Airport due to Cargo Smoke Indication first appeared on George Hatcher's Air Flight Disaster.

The Airbus A321-200 plane flying from Recife, Brazil, was descending toward Brasilia when the crew declared an emergency due to a cargo smoke indication.

The plane landed uneventfully. All passengers and crew members remained safe.

The post LATAM Brasil Flight Makes Emergency Landing due to Cargo Smoke Indication first appeared on George Hatcher's Air Flight Disaster.

The Airbus A321-200 plane heading from Sao Paulo, Brazil, to Montevideo, Uruguay, was diverted due to a cargo smoke indication.

The plane landed safely. All 220 people aboard remained unharmed.

The post LATAM Airlines Flight Makes Emergency Landing due to Cargo Smoke Indication first appeared on George Hatcher's Air Flight Disaster.

The post Lithium Batteries behind Hawaiian Airlines Emergency Landing first appeared on George Hatcher's Air Flight Disaster.

Seventy minutes after a mayday when a cargo of vegetables (peppers and flowers) set off a smoke alarm, Air France flight AF-733 made an emergency landing at Shannon Airport today at 9.55am. The flight was en route from Santo Domingo to Paris with 142 passengers and 14 crew when they diverted.

Emergency services, Shannon based Irish Coast Guard helicopter, the fire department, the RNLI lifeboat at Kilrush, and HSE ambulances were on standby as passengers disembarked via stairs. Passengers are being accommodated in the terminal as they wait for an alternative flight.

No fire or heat spots were detected aboard.

After AF447–the deadliest in the history of Air France–it is always alarming to hear of an issue aboard an AF trans-Atlantic flight. That Air France Rio de Janeiro-Paris flight crashed on June 1, 2009 and led to an exhaustive but successful multi-phase ocean search. On April 3, 2011, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution located the debris field.

While today’s thermal food was both alarming and anti-climactic, it was also a successful demonstration of contemporary aviation accident prevention. We are well familiar with how investigations of safety issues contribute to making flight safer, but rarely do we give credit to crew resource management. How the crew responds to the crisis, (even when it is just a sensitive alert that goes off), how well coordinated and cool-headed the crew is can mean the difference between life and death.

We don’t need to think of AF447, or even Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, to appreciate the integrated clockwork of a well-trained crew; but it does make us wonder if those crews were as well-trained as the one on this jet today, if either of those tragedies might have been prevented.

The post Hot Landing at Shannon No AF447 or MH370, Kudos to Crew first appeared on George Hatcher's Air Flight Disaster.

The MD-11 aircraft was on its way from Ontario, California, to Memphis, Tennessee, when the crew reported fire in the cargo hold.

The plane, carrying 3 people, was then landed in emergency in Las Vegas at 7:13 a.m.

The crew members remained in the aircraft and deployed the fire suppression system.

Clark County Fire Department crews inspected the plane and gave the all-clear at 7:55 a.m.

The post FedEx Jet Makes Emergency Landing at McCarran International Airport first appeared on George Hatcher's Air Flight Disaster.

This did not happen April 1st, so we are presuming it is an actual event.

None of the 390 cattle were injured. The carrier may wish to remain nameless as the name of airline involved was not released, perhaps fearing a reduction in cattle bookings. (Yes, this is sarcasm. Cows can’t read and their choice of carrier is not likely to hinge on written emergency reports.)

After landing, maintenance crews checked the plane’s fire alarm system and found no smoke or fire, concluding that cows were the culprits causing excessive heat. We assume none of the cows were smoking.

The post Hot Cows Set off Alarms first appeared on George Hatcher's Air Flight Disaster.

The FAA alleges that on two separate FedEx cargo flights, Alfa Chemistry shipped undeclared hazardous material that DOT regulations prohibit from being transported on passenger and cargo aircraft. The company allegedly shipped approximately one pint of Acrolein on April 19, 2013 and three additional pints of it on May 23, 2013. Acrolein can become explosive when combined with air and is classified as a toxic/poisonous material and flammable liquid under DOT Hazardous Materials Regulations.

On May 24, 2013, FAA and FedEx personnel tried to inspect the second shipment of Acrolein at the FedEx sort facility in Peabody, Massachusetts, after it began emitting a strong, pungent odor. However, they were unable to examine it because they began to experience coughing fits and extreme eye, nose and throat irritation due to the severity of the odor and vapors coming from the shipment. A FedEx employee had to put on a protective suit to inspect the shipment.

The FAA determined that neither shipment had required shipping papers or emergency response information. The FAA also determined that the May 23, 2013 shipment was not marked, labeled, or packaged as required by the Hazardous Materials Regulations.

Additionally, the FAA determined Alfa Chemistry failed to properly train and test the employees who packaged the Acrolein.

Alfa Chemistry has 30 days from the receipt of the FAA’s enforcement letter to respond to the agency.

The post $325,000 Civil Penalty Against Alfa Chemistry first appeared on George Hatcher's Air Flight Disaster.

What: Asiana Boeing 747-400 Cargo plane en route from South Korea’s Incheon International Airport and to Pudong China
Where: southern resort island of Jeju, South Korea
When: July 27, 2011 3:05am local time
Who: two people
Why: At 7600 feet, the crew reported control problems, and the aircraft’s transponder transmitted the emergency code. Sixty-seven minutes after takeoff, the crew reported fire in the cargo hold and lost contact with ATC. They were planning to divert to Jeju, but instead the plane crashed off of Jeju island. There were strong winds at the time of the plane’s disappearance. The captain was 51 and the first officer was 44; and pilot, Choi Sang-ki, and co-pilot, Lee Jung-woong are still missing.

One wing of the plane has been recovered, then the rest of the wreckage was found by a coast guard patrol boat 67 miles west of Jeju city. The 58 tons of cargo included amino acid solution, synthetic resin, lithium batteries, paint and other potentially dangerous material. A search for the black boxes is ongoing.

The post Asiana Cargo Jet Lost at Sea first appeared on George Hatcher's Air Flight Disaster.

What: Egypt Air Boeing 737-800 en route from Cairo Egypt to Mumbai
Where: Mumbai
When: Dec 29th 2010
Who: 124 passengers, 7 crew
Why: On approach to Mumbai, the flight crew noted a cargo fire alert. The flight landed safely and when emergency services found no fire, taxied to the gate where passengers disembarked. All cargo was removed and no fire was found.

The post Egypt Air Emergency Landing in Mumbai first appeared on George Hatcher's Air Flight Disaster.

What: British Airways Boeing 777-200 en route from London to Tel Aviv
Where: Brussels
When: Nov 18th 2010
Why: While en route, the crew received a fire alert. The flight diverted to Brussels a quarter of an hour after the alert occurred. A package was removed from the plane, and later returned to London where the cargo was transferred onto an alternative flight.

The post British Airways Cargo Fire first appeared on George Hatcher's Air Flight Disaster.

The post Fed Ex Flight Diverts to Mumbai first appeared on George Hatcher's Air Flight Disaster.

General Civil Aviation Authority released a report that the black boxes indicated smoke or fire on the main deck and “lower aft cargo compartment” towards the back of the doomed aircraft. The GCAA says investigators are still uncertain of the causes of the crash. Capt Doug Lampe and First Officer Matthew Bell, reported smoke in the cockpit 28 minutes after taking off. UPS Flight 6 was unable to change radio frequency and could not communicate with ATC. During their descent, pilots had difficulty seeing the flight instruments because of thick smoke.

The memorial service for captain Doug Lampe will be held at two o’clock on Monday at Southeast Christian Church, Louisville.

Funeral service for Matthew Carl Bell at 3 p.m. on Sunday, September 26, 2010, at Immanuel Lutheran Church, 3214 Golf Road, Eau Claire, WI.

What: United Parcel Service Boeing 747-400 cargo plane en route from Dubai to Cologne
Where: Dubai inside an Emirati air base between Dubai’s Emirates Highway and nearby Al-Ain Road 10 miles southeast of Dubai’s international airport
When: September 3 2010, noon New York time
Who: Two pilots
Why: Read More

The post Dubai Investigation Continuing. Cargo Under Scrutiny first appeared on George Hatcher's Air Flight Disaster.

The post Trans States Cargo Fire first appeared on George Hatcher's Air Flight Disaster.

What: Lufthansa Cargo MD-11 freighter
Where: King Khaled International Airport, Riyadh
When: July 27 2010
Who: piloted by 2 German crewmembers
Why: Observers report seeing smoke coming from the plane as it approached the runway. On landing, the plane burst into flames in the mid-section where the hull broke. The plane split in two and collapsed.

The pilot and copilot have been hospitalized. No deaths are reported, but the plane is a total loss. It was carrying 80 tons of freight.

The Lufthansa press release on the crash is titled “Lufthansa Cargo plane crash in Riyadh, 27 Jul 2010.”

“According to the latest reports, a Lufthansa Cargo MD-11 freighter crashed this morning at 11.38 a.m. (local time) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The aircraft, coded Flight LH 8460, was on a flight to Riyadh from Frankfurt, Germany. The plane was piloted by a two-man crew, according to initial reports. Both pilots are being treated in hospital. On board Flight LH 8460 were 80 tonnes of freight. It is not yet known exactly what type of freight it was or which customers are affected. The cause of the accident is still being investigated. At the moment, we have no further details. We will communicate any further information immediately. Updates are also available at www.lufthansa-cargo.com.

The next press release will be published at 2 p.m. CET.”

The post Lufthansa Freighter Splits and Burns first appeared on George Hatcher's Air Flight Disaster.

What: Saudi Arabian Airlines Boeing 777-20O en route from Jeddah Saudi Arabia to New York
Where: Goose Bay Canada
When: Jul 15th 2010
Why: When the flight indicated a cargo fire, the plane diverted to Goose Bay where it made a safe landing. Luggage was off-loaded and no fire was found.

The post Saudi Arabian Airlines Boeing Fire Alert first appeared on George Hatcher's Air Flight Disaster.