A Royal Air Maroc Boeing 767-36NER, Flight 206 from Casablanca, Morocco, had touched down at 4:30 p.m.. While the plane was being loaded, the belt loader caught fire.
Two hundred fifty passengers evacuated by slide. Several were injured in the evacuation, and seven suffered smoke inhalation, five of whom were hospitalized. The plane is out of service.
The fire in the belt located by the jet’s cargo door was reported at Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport at 4:47 pm on Nov 4, 2013.
On Oct 23, an American Airlines Boeing 757-200 en route from Port of Spain (Trinidad and Tobago) to Miami reported a fire in the cockpit, a smoking engine and a loss of fuel. With smoke in the cockpit, and a hot engine, pilots made a safe landing when they diverted to Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands.
None of the 169 passengers and 6 crew reported injury.
Some sources reported “There was no fire anywhere” but other sources say there was an engine fire. American Airlines sent a replacement flight which made it to Miami Tuesday.
On 02-OCT-2013, a CSA Czech Airlines ATR-72-212 developed an engine fire after takeoff from Ferenc Liszt International Airport in Budapest Hungary. Witness report seeing a long trail of black smoke as the plane took off. Some report that smoke coming from the left side of the gearbox.
Crew reported smoke in the cabin and requested a return.
Thirty-three passengers were aboard and four crew.
The flight was en route to Prague but didn’t get far.
Pilots returned to Budapest and made a safe landing—or rather, as safe a landing as one can have with an engine on fire and a cabin with smoke in it.
The burning engine was shut down (it was a PW127).
The official response from Czech Airlines said that the flight crew turned off the affected engine, shut down the fire and returned to the Budapest airport. After the plane made its landing safely with no problems, passengers disembarked in the standard way by stairs. No emergency assistance was needed, and no one was injured.
Czech Airlines provided passengers a morning flight to Prague.
A privately owned Cessna 421C Golden Eagle en route from Lyon Bron Airport to Aix-Les-Milles/Aix En Provence Airport took off then crashed near Lyon, France. The four passengers, one of whom ejected) died in the crash.
The plane crashed in a field near the end of the runway. Fifty firefighters and sixteen vehicles, nvestigators from the RCMP Air Transport and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, responded to the scene. Four charred bodies were found in the plane, one without. Prefect Stéphane Rouvé and Lyon Prosecutor Marc Cinamonti visited the wreckage.
The names of the passengers have not been released.
An Ethiopian Airlines’ Queen of Sheba, a Boeing 787 #ET-AOP which had been sitting empty for eight hours caught fire and shut down Heathrow Airport for an hour Friday. The fire seems to have started in the upper fuselage, far from the 787’s lithium-ion batteries. A battery fire would have been “contained by the new casing and…smoke would have been vented outside of the airplane.” Nearly a dozen fire trucks responded to the scene. The plane was parked on the apron taxiway E at Stand 592 next to a fire station.
#ET-AOP had arrived from Addis Ababa as flight ET700 at 06:30a.m. Departure was scheduled as ET701 to Addis Ababa at 21:10.
In photos, damage appears on the outside top of the upper fuselage near the vertical stabilizer, on the left side of the top of the airplane just in front of the tail. The fire was not caused by lithium-ion batteries, which are in in the cargo-bay.
Potential causes of the fire:
a gadget such as the coffeemaker
a manufacturing or installation defect in his jet;
a different systemic defect in the 787 model
NTSB Sends Investigator to Participate in Investigation of London Boeing 787 Dreamliner Fire
The National Transportation Safety Board has sent an investigator to assist in the investigation of a fire that occurred yesterday aboard a parked Boeing 787 Dreamliner at Heathrow Airport, London, England.
NTSB Senior Air Safety Investigator Lorenda Ward has been appointed as the traveling U.S. accredited representative. Ms. Ward will be accompanied by NTSB airplane systems investigators and representatives from the Federal Aviation Administration and Boeing.
The investigation is being conducted by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) of the United Kingdom, which will release all information.
Remember that British Airways Airbus A319 event we talked about the other day? The one where (oops) the engine cover fell off of the engine on that Oslo flight?
The one where “the coverings broke off and punctured the right engine’s fuel pipe, damaging the aircraft’s systems?” The Air Accidents Investigation Branch the investigation said evealed that the fan cowl doors on both engines were left unlatched during maintenance.”
In George’s Point of View
Oops. FORGET does not work, not even once with an aircraft.
On May 26, 2013, a FAB Força Aérea Brasileira Boeing KC-137 (707-324C) developed problems during takeoff from the airport in Port au Prince, Haiti, bound for Manaus. The flight was making a takeoff run when its engine caught on fire.
The plane veered off the runway, with the landing gear broken off.
Twelve crew and 131 passengers were bound for a peacekeeping mission in Haiti. No one was injured.
The official statement came from Air Brigadier Kanitz Marcelo Damasceno, Head of the Center of Social Communication of Aeronautics
On May 21, 2013, a Lufthansa Bombardier CRJ took off at 6 a. m. from Katowice Poland and developed an engine problem. Pilots returned to Katowice and made a safe landing reportedly with an engine fire. The affected engine was shut down.
The plane landed at approximately 7 with about an hour spent in the air. All traffic throughout the airport was stopped at the time.
The fire brigade was ready and the medical responders were immediately on the scene but no injuries were reported. After the plane landed safely, the 63 passengers and four crew were evacuated.
On May 18, 2013, a UtAir Boeing 737-46M from from Stavropol and landing in Moscow caught fire on the runway as it was landing.
The burning landing gear were extinguished by emergency responders prompt action. About 129 passengers and seven crewmade an emergency exit via slide and wing on to the runway.
The Singapore Airlines Airbus A330-300 en route from Singapore Dhaka with 105 passengers and 12 crew aboard diverted to Bangkok when they got an internal flight warning. There were no injuries.
In spite of the cargo fire suppression system, there was a burning smell and a fire.
The plane made a safe landing in Bangkok. The plane taxied to the gate, and passengers disembarked and were provided hotel accommodations, meals and transferred to another airline.
When Thai authorities clear the Airbus, it will be flown back to Singapore.
In George’s Point of View
It has been well documented that Airbus and Boeing are taking different paths regarding their approach on batteries.
But still, it is one of my least favorite things to read (especially while I’m halfway to Singapore) that there has been yet another cargo fire at all, regardless of what kind of plane it is on.
At least I had time to jot down some thoughts.
I hope that the media shines as bright a light on this airbus cargo fire as it has recently on the Dreamliner battery situation. Sure, the Dreamliner is developing new technology and Boeing is responsible for going the distance to keep new developments safe. The Dreamliner battery issue is new. But the fact that Boeing is developing new technologies and new solutions does not provide Airbus and an established plane like a A330-300 a free ticket when it comes to combustion.
Hopefully Airbus is paying attention to all problems and not getting too cocky. It should remember and respect that a plane is still an air-filled bubble hundreds of feet in the air. Until people develop their own wings, random combustion situations like cargo fires on an Airbus A330 are just as potentially hazardous situation–if not more so–than any battery incident that actually occurred on the ground.
On April 4, 2013 about 12:30 am, a Leair Charter Service Limited Cessna 402C was landing in the process of a medical evacuation and collided with a parked truck being used to illuminate the runway.
The pilot and passenger in the plane survived.
The vehicle caught on fire, killing three occupants. The fatalities are named in the video.
Additionally, the video calls for the need for lights on the runway.
Official statement: Tragic aviation accident in Mayaguana
The Hon. Glenys Hanna-Martin
Minister of Transport and Aviation
In the early hours of this morning I was informed of an aviation accident in Mayaguana resulting in the tragic death of 3 people. I am advised that all 3 persons are residents of the island of Mayaguana. A preliminary report from the Department of Civil Aviation says that on 4th April, 2013 at approximately 12:30 a.m. a Cessna C402 owned by Leair Charter Service Limited with a crew of 2 on board was making a landing at night for an emergency evacuation flight with two vehicles strategically placed to outline the useable portion of the runway. It is reported that the aircraft made contact with one of the vehicles resulting in the deaths of the 3 passengers in that vehicle.
An investigative team comprising the Royal Bahamas Police Force and the Air Accident Investigation and Prevention Unit of the Department of Civil Aviation will fly into Mayaguana at 5 a.m. this morning.
I wish to assure that a full investigation will be carried out by the Department of Civil Aviation into the causes and circumstances surrounding this terrible event. I will report further as information permits. Out of respect for the families, the names of the persons killed will not be disclosed until an official release is made by the Royal Bahamas Police Force.
I extend my heartfelt condolences to the families of these beloved persons and to the wider community of Mayaguana who share in this loss.
On March 6, 2013, a Danish Air Survey, BioFlight A/S Partenavia P.68 Observer was on a bird counting mission when it made an emergency landing at Copenhagen-Roskilde Airport. Two people were aboard.
The hard landing and fire virtually broke the plane in two and sent a plume of thick black smoke up in the air.
The plane crashed on approach and caught fire. A large number of emergency vehicles responded to the scene, according to Ekstra Bladet
A “large number” of emergency vehicles, including fire and rescue services arrived on the scene.
An Alaskan Airlines de Havilland DH8 en route from San Jose to Boise Idaho developed a fire in the right engine and made an emergency landing when it returned to the San Jose airport.
Emergency services were on standby. None of the 47 passengers or six crew reported any injuries.
The odor of burned metal was in the cabin, but no fire was found. Passengers were provided alternatives. Video
On Feb 26, 2013, a Sky Cruise Egyptian Airship Balloon, an Ultra Magic N-425 hot air balloon, was on a tourist flight and crashed. The balloon caught fire while being tied down. Original reports said there were eighteen fatalities, and two injured tourists. One of the injured tourists died at the hospital on the operating table.
The pilot and one tourist survived.
Three British, two French, one Hungarian, nine Hong Kong, one Egyptian and four Japanese tourists died when the balloon caught fire and fell into a field.
Two people, including the pilot jumped out before impact. The pilot, who jumped at about 33-49ft is being treated for burns.
Luxor has banned all balloon flight.
Sky Cruise said a gas cylinder exploded on board. Crews were anchoring the balloon when the ropes entangled with the gas system powering balloon, severed the connection, and the gas caught fire.
The British foreign office made this statement: We can confirm the tragic deaths of 2 British Nationals and 1 British resident following a hot air balloon crash in Luxor, Egypt earlier today. The next of kin have been informed and our thoughts are with them and their families at this difficult time. We are providing them with consular assistance. We can also confirm that one other British National was involved and is in a stable condition.
We have had consular officials in Luxor since early this morning who have been focussed on providing consular assistance and supporting the Egyptian authorities. Our Ambassador to Egypt has met the injured British National and has offered our assistance”.
IG Utraleichtfliegen Bürstedt (which is an air carrier) was flying a Comco Ikarus C42 (which is a German micro-light aircraft) which took off from Lorsch en route to Rheingau but crashed in woods near Rüdesheim.
The plane crashed near the Rüdesheim-Aulhausen air field, with two unidentified men aboard. The plane caught fire on impact and help arrived too late.
The two people aboard were reported as fatalities, one who was thrown from the plane, and one who was burned beyond recognition.
It is not known if the pilot lost control after impacting trees, if it was a pilot error or a technical defect.
It’s no secret how planes are tested before they are released, to the very extreme so how did this electrical problem issue by the testing? Is my favorite plane manufacturer taking short cuts in quality control?
The Japan Boeing 787 Dreamliner was delivered on Dec. 20 and had only flown 169 flight hours and 22 flights when one of its two lithium ion batteries caught fire.
Is the investigation going to turn from the battery to the problem referenced by the whistleblower?
Battery found not at fault by Safety Investigators in JAPAN
But is GS Yuasa really off the hook?
Battery questions:
If the battery was too hot, why didn’t it burn up on hours 1-169?
If the battery failed, what caused it to catch fire on the 22nd flight? Why that flight?
If the battery (which is a backup system replacing post flight hydraulics) only operates on the ground and is only engaged on the ground, why are flights grounded? If the battery is only at use on the ground, is it an actual flight risk or a post-flight risk?
Is the solution going to be simply going to the other type of lithium ion battery (nickel metal-hydride technology), or will components or the whole system be replaced?
Was this simply a GS Yuasa quality control failure, a batch of bad batteries manufactured by GS Yuasa of Japan in September 2012?
The entire 787 fleet is grounded. Replacing the battery system might be a “quick” fix but certification could last a year.
A large format battery can generate heat faster than it dissipates.
Is venting the battery and monitoring the vents a viable temporary solution that could keep the planes in the air until a system alternative has been certified within the year?
The current batteries are “prone to spontaneous combustion due to ‘organic electrolyte which makes it volatile and flammable.'”
On January 25, 2013, a Turkish Airlines Airbus A321-231 with 114 aboard en route from Istanbul-Atatürk was on approach to Izmir Turkey when the plane is reported to have suffered an engine fire in the right engine.
A report is circulating that the plane was struck by lightning.
Many of the passengers were reported to be in a panic, saying the plane was vibrating the whole flight, describe the loud noise of the strike, and also the smell of burning
The pilot made a safe landing on one engine.
Video below
Not sure what to think of the music added to the video below, which makes it most un-news-like. There’s no actual video of the plane landing, just a light making a line in the sky.
US Airways Embraer 135 twin-engine regional jet with 49 aboard en route from Windsor Locks Connecticut to Pittsburgh was en route when a fire occurred in the jet’s auxiliary power unit.
The pilots returned to Windsor locks and made a safe landing.
Passengers disembarked and were provided alternative flights.
On January 12, 2012, a privately owned Kestrel Hawk took off from Pattaya Airpark with only the pilot aboard and developed an engine fire while aloft.
At 6:30 pm, the pilot crashed in the area of Huay Yai near the Pattaya Dolphin World and Resort.
The ultralight was beyond repair.
The pilot, Mr. Nawaporn ”Neil” Sawaetwong, sustained critical injuries— severe trauma to his legs and arms and a head injury— and was rushed to the Bangkok Pattaya Hospital.
He was President of the Pattaya Pilot Club Association, Owner of the Pattaya Airpark & Pilot Village and C.E.O. of the Fun Flying Thai Air Service Company.
The Thai Civil Aviation Authority is investigating.
On January 10, 2013, a Windlass Aquila Trike en route from Wintervogel Airfield with an instructor and student pilot took off on a training flight. Bystanders reported that the pilot turned back toward the airputt but crashed and caught fire.
Wintervogel is a private airfield near Klipheuwel in the Western Cape. The pilot was reported to be German, and the passenger from Tableview.
Paramedics and an emergency team responded to the scene but there were two fatalities.
On January 7, 2013, a Japan Airlines Boeing 787 Dreamliner Japan-Boston had already landed in Boston, and all 184 passengers had safely disembarked when smoke filled the cabin.
A fire was found in a battery aboard the plane. Boston Firefighters arrived at 10:40 a.m. and put out the fire.
Passengers were provided alternative transportation and overnight accommodations.
Electrical issues in the avionics bay where the battery is located are a known issue in this type of plane, which uses electrical motors instead of hydraulics in certain areas. The auxiliary battery in the compartment kicks in after the engine kicks off. That’s what happened on test flights, and from what I have heard, that is what happened here.
In George’s Point of View
Let’s slow down with this great plane. Let’s get the kinks out of it before we put humans on too many of these Dreamliners. Let them stay Dreamliner and not become Nightmareliners. United is starting service but are these planes really ready? There have been engine problems and some spooky events. We don’t read too much about them, but I know they have occurred. I love this plane, I want to fly all over the world in it, and if I live long enough, I will, but, is it ready?
According to the NTSB report below, the NTSB seems to agree with me that incidents like this warrant investigation.
Press Release
WASHINGTON– Investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board are gathering information regarding reports of smoke aboard a Boeing 787 at Boston’s Logan Airport today.
The Japan Airlines 787 was on the ground and empty of passengers at the time of the incident.
The NTSB has dispatched an investigator to Boston. Based on a review of the factual information gathered, the NTSB will determine the extent of its investigation. Video Below
