AVHERALD: ODOR

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http://avherald.com/h?article=48560213
20150427112128:20150426000000
Incident: United B739 near Des Moines on Apr 26th 2015, unusual odour on board
A United Boeing 737-900, registration N77431 performing flight UA-112 from
Chicago O’Hare,IL to Denver,CO (USA) with 187 people on board, was enroute
at FL340 about 60nm east of Des Moines,IA when the crew reported an unusual
odour on board and decided to divert to Des Moines for a safe landing on
runway 05 about 15 minutes later.

The occurrence aircraft was able to depart again after about 6 hours on
the ground and reached Denver with a delay of 6 hours.
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http://avherald.com/h?article=484a7186
20150412144737:20150412000000
Incident: Lufthansa B735 near Zurich on Apr 12th 2015, odour in cockpit
A Lufthansa Boeing 737-500, registration D-ABJB performing ferry flight
LH-9921 from Geneva (Switzerland) to Frankfurt/Main (Germany) with 2 crew,
was climbing out of Geneva when the crew stopped the climb at FL240 reporting
an unusual odour in the cockpit and decided to divert to Zurich, where the
aircraft landed safely on runway 14 about 20 minutes later.

Lufthansa confirmed the crew decided to divert to Zurich due to an unknown
odour in the cockpit. The cause of the odour is being investigated.

On Apr 7th 2015 the aircraft had arrived in Geneva as flight LH-1216 maintaining
routine communication, the return flight LH-1217 was cancelled however.
The aircraft remained on the ground in Geneva until Apr 12th.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=483dd805
20150328190159:20150328000000
Incident: British Airways B772 over Atlantic on Mar 28th 2015, electrical odour on board
A British Airways Boeing 777-200, registration G-VIIU performing flight
BA-2156 (dep Mar 27th) from Antigua (Antigua) to London Gatwick,EN (UK)
with 239 people on board, was enroute at FL390 over the Atlantic Ocean when
the crew reported an electrical smell and decided to divert to Shannon (Ireland),
where the aircraft landed safely on runway 24.

The airline confirmed a minor technical fault.

A replacement Boeing 787-800 registration G-ZBJG was dispatched to Shannon
and is estimated to reach London with a delay of 10.5 hours.
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http://avherald.com/h?article=483d2857
20150327232730:20150327000000
Incident: Virgin America A320 near Milwaukee on Mar 27th 2015, unusual odour on board
A Virgin America Airbus A320-200, registration N854VA performing flight
VX-351 from Boston,MA to San Francisco,CA (USA), was enroute at FL360 about
130nm northeast of Milwaukee,WI (USA) when the crew reported an unusual
odour on board and diverted to Milwaukee for a safe landing on runway 01L
about 25 minutes later.

The aircraft remained on the ground for 2.5 hours, then departed again and
reached San Francisco with a delay of 2.5 hours.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=483c5227
20150327001143:20150326000000
Incident: Vueling A320 at Barcelona on Mar 26th 2015, burning smell
A Vueling Airlines Airbus A320-200, registration EC-KDT performing flight
VY-1812 from Barcelona,SP (Spain) to Munich (Germany), was climbing out
of Barcelona’s runway 25L when the crew stopped the climb at 4000 feet reporting
a burning smell on board. The aircraft returned to Barcelona for a safe
landing on runway 25R about 8 minutes after departure. Emergency services
did not need to intervene.

A replacement A320-200 registration EC-LLJ reached Munich with a delay of
2.5 hours.

A passenger reported there was noise of grinding followed by a burning odour.

The occurrence aircraft departed for a test flight about 9 hours after landing
but has not yet resumed service about 17 hours after landing.
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http://avherald.com/h?article=48347c8a
20150316232150:20150315000000
Incident: Tiger A320 near Adelaide on Mar 15th 2015, electrical odour in cabin
A Tiger Airways Airbus A320-200, registration VH-VNG performing flight TT-413
from Melbourne,VI to Perth,WA (Australia) with 171 people on board, was
enroute at FL340 about 80nm southeast of Adelaide,SA (Australia) when the
crew decided to divert to Adelaide due to an electrical odour in the cabin.
The aircraft landed safely in Adelaide about 25 minutes later.

The occurrence aircraft was able to position back to Melbourne as flight
TT-9020 about 4 hours after landing.

A replacement Airbus A320-200 registration VH-VNC positioned to Adelaide
and continued the flight the following evening as flight TT-9413, departing
Adelaide about 27 hours after landing, and reached Perth with a delay of
28:45 hours.

The airline reported the aircraft diverted as a precaution due to a strange
smell on board, the passengers were taken to hotels and taken to Perth the
following day.
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http://avherald.com/h?article=481d80b0
20150215230641:20150214000000
Incident: United B753 over Pacific on Feb 14th 2015, burning odour on board
A United Boeing 757-300, registration N74856 performing flight UA-1716 from
Honolulu,HI to Los Angeles,CA (USA) with 207 passengers and 7 crew, was
enroute at FL340 about 450nm northeast of Kahului,HI (USA) when the crew
decided to divert to Kahului due to a burning odour on board. The aircraft
turned around, descended to FL240 and later to 12,000 feet. About 60nm northeast
of Kahului the crew decided to divert to Honolulu due to weather conditions
at Kahului and landed safely back in Honolulu about 1:45 hours after the
decision to divert.

The flight was cancelled.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=4813f797
20150205134336:20150202000000
Incident: Germanwings A320 near Lyon on Feb 2nd 2015, unusual odour on board
A Germanwings Airbus A320-200, registration D-AIPU performing flight 4U-2520
from Stuttgart (Germany) to Barcelona,SP (Spain) with 74 passengers and
6 crew, was enroute at FL390 about 40nm southeast of Lyon (France) when
the crew reported an unusual odour on board and decided to divert to Lyon
for a safe landing on runway 36L about 17 minutes later. Emergency services
did not need to intervene.

The airline confirmed an unusual odour on board of the aircraft the source
of which is being investigated.

A replacement Airbus A319-100 registration D-AGWK delivered the passengers
to Barcelona as flight 4U-2521 with a delay of 6 hours, then performed the
return flight 4U-2521 reaching Stuttgart with a delay of 5:40 hours.

The occurrence aircraft positioned to Stuttgart departing Lyon as flight
4U-6905 about 23 hours after landing, but has not yet resumed service 27
hours after landing in Lyon.

On Feb 5th 2015 the airline reported that the cause of the unsual odour,
described as an electrical smell, has been determined, the Avionic Ventilation
Extract Fan in the avionics compartment below the cockpit had failed. The
aircraft resumed service on Feb 3rd after the fan had been replaced and
all needed tests had succeeded.
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http://avherald.com/h?article=4810cd92
20150130175441:20150129000000
Incident: United B753 near Ontario on Jan 29th 2015, burning smell
A United Boeing 757-300, registration N75851 performing flight UA-1181 from
Los Angeles,CA to Washington Dulles,DC (USA) with 199 passengers and 7 crew,
was climbing through FL280 out of Los Angeles when the crew aborted the
climb due to a burning odour on board, turned around and diverted to Ontario,CA
(USA) for a safe landing about 16 minutes later.

A replacement Boeing 737-900 registration N37464 reached Washington with
a delay of 6 hours.
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http://avherald.com/h?article=480df00e
20150127013918:20150125000000
Incident: Easyjet A320 near Amsterdam on Jan 25th 2015, smoke in cockpit
An Easyjet Airbus A320-200, registration G-EZWK performing flight U2-6238
from Berlin Schoenefeld (Germany) to Bristol,EN (UK), was enroute at FL380
about 40nm southwest of Amsterdam (Netherlands) when the crew reported smoke
in the cockpit and a strong odour in the passenger cabin and diverted to
Amsterdam for a safe landing on runway 18R about 20 minutes later. Emergency
services checked the exterior and followed the aircraft to the apron, where
the passengers disembarked normally and firefighters checked the interior
of the aircraft, no further intervention by fire brigades was needed.

A replacement Airbus A320-200 registration G-EZTY reached Bristol with a
delay of 4 hours.

The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Amsterdam about 27 hours
after landing.
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http://avherald.com/h?article=480b36ae
20150123184620:20150123000000
Incident: Eastern SB20 near Aberdeen on Jan 23rd 2015, odour in cockpit
An Eastern Airways Saab 2000, registration G-CDKB performing positioning
flight T3-502 from Scatsta,SC to Aberdeen,SC (UK) with 3 crew, was descending
towards Aberdeen when the crew reported an unusual odour in the cockpit.
The aircraft continued for a safe landing in Aberdeen.

The airline confirmed the crew reported an unusual odour during the repositioning
flight, the aircraft is being examined.
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http://avherald.com/h?article=4808efca
20150120212851:20150119000000
Incident: Jetblue E190 at Worcester on Jan 19th 2015, lavatory smoke indication
A Jetblue Embraer ERJ-190, registration N229JB performing flight B6-2019
from Worcester,MA to Fort Lauderdale,FL (USA) with 77 passengers and 4 crew,
was in the initial climb out Worcester’s runway 29 when the crew advised
they had an issue going and levelled off at 3000 feet, a minute later they
declared emergency reporting they had “a lav smoke”. On final The aircraft
returned to Worcester, on final approach to runway 29 the crew advised the
lav smoke announciation had gone out. The aircraft landed safely on runway
29 about 8 minutes after departure.

Passengers reported just after becoming airborne an alarm started to sound
in the cabin and an odour similiar to rubber burning occurred.

The occurrence aircraft was able to position to Boston about 12.5 hours
after landing back.

The flight is currently estimated to reach Fort Lauderdale with a delay
of 1340 minutes (22:20 hours).
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http://avherald.com/h?article=480d0cd6
20150125223358:20150116000000
Incident: Argentinas B737 near Buenos Aires on Jan 16th 2015, loss of cabin pressure
An Aerolineas Argentinas Boeing 737-700, registration LV-CBG performing
flight AR-1855 from Ushuaia,TF to Buenos Aires Aeroparque,BA (Argentina),
was enroute at FL390 about 210nm south of Buenos Aires when the crew needed
to initiate an emergency descent to FL100 due to the loss of cabin pressure,
the passenger oxygen masks were released. The aircraft continued to Buenos
Aires but diverted to Buenos Aires’ Ezeiza International Airport for a safe
landing about 40 minutes later.

Passengers reported a burning odour and haze in the cabin as result of the
chemical oxygen generators while the aircraft was descending towards FL100.
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http://avherald.com/h?article=48044ae0
20150114205349:20150114000000
Incident: Condor B763 near Toulouse on Jan 14th 2015, unidentifyable odour on board
A Condor Boeing 767-300, registration D-ABUF performing flight DE-3184 from
Frankfurt/Main (Germany) to Havana (Cuba) with 258 passengers and 9 crew,
was enroute at FL310 about 40nm west of Toulouse (France) when the crew
squawked emergency and initiated a descent to FL090 (average rate of descent
1700 fpm) and turned around to return to Frankfurt. Enroute back to Frankfurt
the aircraft climbed to FL240 and landed safely in Frankfurt about 2:15
hours after leaving FL310.

The airline reported the crew decided to return as a precaution due to an
unidentifyable odour on board. The odour was present in cockpit and cabin
while the cabin pressure remained entirely normal. The passengers were taken
to hotels and are estimated to depart again the following day.
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http://avherald.com/h?article=480395b8
20150113223755:20150112000000
Incident: Jetblue E190 near Norfolk on Jan 12th 2015, odour in cockpit
A Jetblue Embraer ERJ-190, registration N306JB performing flight B6-1534
from Tampa,FL to Hartford,CT (USA) with 93 people on board, was enroute
at FL370 about 210nm southeast of Norfolk,VA (USA) when the crew reported
an unknown odour in the cockpit and diverted to Norfolk for a safe landing
on runway 23 about 40 minutes later. Emergency services did not find any
traces of fire, heat or smoke.

The occurrence aircraft was able to continue the flight after about 6:15
hours on the ground and reached Hartford with a delay of 7:15 hours.
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http://avherald.com/h?article=481964f2
20150210155506:20150102000000
Incident: Lufthansa A321 at Hamburg on Jan 2nd 2015, odour in cockpit
A Lufthansa Airbus A321-100, registration D-AIRM performing flight LH-2
from Frankfurt/Main to Hamburg (Germany) with 84 people on board, encountered
an odour in the cockpit prompting the crew to don their oxygen masks at
some stage during the flight. The aircraft continued for a safe landing
in Hamburg.

The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground in Hamburg for about 53 hours,
then positioned and returned to service about 56 hours after landing.

The French BEA reported in their weekly bulletin that the occurrence was
rated a serious incident and is being investigated by Germany’s BFU.
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http://avherald.com/h?article=47fa5ab4
20150105222453:20150101000000
Incident: Air France B773 near Montreal on Jan 1st 2015, overheating passenger seat
An Air France Boeing 777-300, registration F-GSQL performing flight AF-54
from Paris Charles de Gaulle (France) to Washington Dulles,DC (USA) with
269 passengers and 17 crew, was enroute at FL380 about 50nm northwest of
Montreal,QC (Canada) when the crew declared emergency reporting an overheating
passenger seat in the business class and diverted to Montreal for a safe
landing on runway 24R about 30 minutes later. Emergency services attended
the aircraft, checked the seat and did not find any trace of fire or smoke.

Passengers reported they did not notice any unusual odour or did not see
smoke/haze.

The airline reported a minor technical problem.

The aircraft refueled and continued the journey to Washington arriving with
a delay of 3:45 hours.

On Jan 5th 2015 the Canadian TSB reported that a member of the cabin crew
reported a burning odour from the passenger cabin, a flight crew member
investigated and found a first class seat’s electronic module overheating.
Unable to stop the overheating the crew declared emergency and diverted
to Montreal. Maintenance electrically deactivated the seat, the aircraft
continued the journey without further incident.
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http://avherald.com/h?article=47fb0327
20150102202600:20141229000000
Incident: Air Canada B763 over Atlantic on Dec 29th 2014, odour in cockpit
An Air Canada Boeing 767-300, registration C-GLCA performing flight AC-850
(dep Dec 28th) from Calgary,AB (Canada) to London Heathrow,EN (UK) with
213 people on board, was enroute at FL310 about 380nm northnorthwest of
Nuuk (Greenland) when the crew received a “NO LAND 3” indication followed
by the loss of the first officer’s flight director and an acrid odour on
the flight deck. The crew worked the related checklists trying to locate
and isolate the source of the odour, however unsuccessful. The crew declared
PAN and decided to divert to Toronto,ON (Canada) where the aircraft landed
safely about 3:50 hours later.

The Canadian TSB reported maintenance replaced the right flight control
computer.
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http://avherald.com/h?article=47f49fa1
20141225171041:20141223000000
Incident: Envoy E135 near Lexington on Dec 23rd 2014, burning electrical odour on board
An Envoy Embraer ERJ-140 on behalf of American Airlines, registration N809AE
performing flight MQ-2914/AA-2914 from Lexington,KY to Chicago O’Hare,IL
(USA) with 17 passengers and 3 crew, was climbing out of Lexington when
the crew stopped the climb at FL220 due to a burning eletrical odour on
board. The aircraft returned to Lexington for a safe landing on runway 22
about 25 minutes after departure, vacated the runway and stopped on the
adjacent taxiway for an inspection by emergency services. Emergency Services
did not find any trace of fire, heat or smoke.

The flight was cancelled.
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http://avherald.com/h?article=47f282b5
20141222235514:20141222000000
Incident: Air France A319 near Amsterdam on Dec 22nd 2014, unusual odour in cockpit
An Air France Airbus A319-100, registration F-GRHV performing flight AF-1820
from Marseille (France) to Amsterdam (Netherlands) with 121 people on board,
was descending towards Amsterdam when the crew reported an unsual odour
in the cockpit. The aircraft continued for a safe landing on Amsterdam’s
runway 27, emergency services did not find any trace of fire, smoke or heat.
The aircraft was able to depart again for the return flight AF-1821 about
90 minutes later.

The airline confirmed the crew noticed the smell of smoke in the cockpit.
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http://avherald.com/h?article=47f881cd
20150312162602:20141218000000
Incident: British Airways A320 near London on Dec 18th 2014, fumes in cockpit and cabin
A British Airways Airbus A320-200, registration G-TTOB performing flight
BA-326 from London Heathrow,EN (UK) to Paris Charles de Gaulle (France),
was climbing out of Heathrow’s runway 27R when fumes were detected in cockpit
and cabin prompting both crew to don their oxygen masks, stop the climb
at FL170 and return to Heathrow Airport for a safe landing on runway 27L
about 30 minutes after departure.

The flight was cancelled.

The French BEA reported in their weekly bulletin that the occurrence was
rated a serious incident and is being investigated by the AAIB. No injuries
are being reported.

On Mar 12th 2015 the British AAIB released their bulletin reporting that
hydraulic fluid leaking from a hydraulic actuator had been ingested by the
air conditioning system.

The aircraft was climbing through 5000 feet when the flight crew noticed
a “musty” smell in the cockpit, donned their oxygen masks and worked the
related checklists. In the meantime cabin crew reported that the odour was
noticed in the cabin as well and a couple of passengers reported being light
headed and feeling nausea. As the check lists did not permit to identify
the origin and the smell did not dissipate the crew decided to return to
London, where the aircraft landed without further incident. After vacating
the runway the smell had reduced sufficiently for the flight crew to remove
their oxygen masks while taxiing to the apron.

Maintenance identified that a yaw damper actuator had been leaking hydraulic
fluid which was ingested into the inlet of the auxiliary power unit (APU)
from where the hydraulic fluid “found its way into the air conditioning
system”. The actuator was replaced and the decontamination conducted before
the aircraft returned to service without further occurrences.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=47eda38f
20141216220103:20141216000000
Incident: Delta B763 near Billings on Dec 16th 2014, electrical odour on board
A Delta Airlines Boeing 767-300, registration N177DN performing flight DL-32
(dep Dec 15th) from Seattle,WA (USA) to Paris Charles de Gaulle (France)
with 203 passengers and 10 crew, was enroute at FL330 about 170nm northnortheast
of Billings,MT (USA) when the crew decided to divert to Billings due to
an electrical odour on board. The aircraft landed safely on Billings’ runway
10L about 35 minutes later, attending emergency services found no trace
of fire, smoke or heat.

After about 6 hours on the ground in Billings the aircraft continued the
flight to Detroit,MI (USA), were a crew and aircraft change was planned,
but needed to divert a second time due to electrical fumes, this time to
Minneapolis,MN (USA) for a safe landing on runway 30L, requested emergency
services to keep an eye on them while they were taxiing to the gate.

The remainder of the flight was cancelled, the passengers were rebooked
onto other flights.

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http://avherald.com/h?article=47ea7eba
20141212211113:20141211000000
Incident: Lufthansa A320 near Venice on Dec 11th 2014, electrical odour on board
A Lufthansa Airbus A320-200, registration D-AIZF performing flight LH-1843
from Rome Fiumicino (Italy) to Munich (Germany), was enroute at FL340 about
100nm southsouthwest of Venice (Italy) when the crew decided to divert to
Venice after an electrical odour raising suspicion of a possible cable fire
was noticed on board of the aircraft. The aircraft landed safely in Venice
about 20 minutes later.

The aircraft was able to continue the flight after about 140 minutes on
the ground in Venice and reached Munich with a delay of 3 hours.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=47e71438
20141208152523:20141208000000
Incident: Qantas B738 near Perth on Dec 8th 2014, odour in cabin
A Qantas Boeing 737-800, registration VH-VYD performing flight QF-904 from
Perth,WA to Karratha,WA (Australia) with 86 people on board, had just reached
cruise level 310 about 60nm north of Perth when the crew decided to return
to Perth due to an unusual odour in the forward cabin. The aircraft landed
safely back on Perth’s runway 21 about 35 minutes after departure and taxied
to the apron. There were no injuries.

A replacement Boeing 737-800 registration VH-VYI reached Karratha with a
delay of 5:45 hours.

The airline confirmed an unusual odour in the cabin as reason for the precautionary
return. The cause of the odour is under investigation.

The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Perth about 9 hours after
landing.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=47e5931d
20141206201743:20141206000000
Accident: US Airways A332 near Rome on Dec 6th 2014, fumes in cabin, 13 feel ill
A US Airways Airbus A330-200, registration N289AY performing flight US-797
(dep Dec 5th) from Tel Aviv (Israel) to Philadelphia,PA (USA) with 129 passengers
and 14 crew (4 flight crew), was enroute at FL360 about 160nm east of Rome
(Italy) when the crew decided to divert to Rome’s Fiumicino Airport declaring
a medical emergency after 11 crew and 2 passenger reported feeling ill and
showing red eyes, a number vomitted. The aircraft landed safely at Fiumicino
Airport about 30 minutes later, all crew and the two ill passengers were
taken to a hospital.

A malfunction of the aircraft’s airconditioning system is being suspected
based on initial examination.

The airline reported that the aircraft made an unscheduled landing after
an odour was reported in the cabin causing nausea and eye irritations. The
two passengers feeling ill and all crew were taken to a hospital for medical
examination, 3 flight attendants needed additional hospital care, the others
were discharged after examination. All passengers were re-accomodated on
other flights.
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http://avherald.com/h?article=47e4e871
20141205203857:20141204000000
Incident: Delta B753 near Toledo on Dec 4th 2014, smoke in cockpit
A Delta Airlines Boeing 757-300, registration N593NW performing flight DL-312
from Detroit,MI to Fort Lauderdale,FL (USA), was climbing through 17,000
feet out of Detroit when the crew donned their oxygen masks due to smoke
on the flight deck and decided to divert to Toledo,OH (USA). The crew suspected
the smoke was coming from oil off the left hand engine (PW2043). The aircraft
landed safely on Toledo’s runway 07 about 13 minutes after stopping the
climb. The aircraft turned off the runway and stopped on the adjacent taxiway
for an inspection by emergency services, then taxied to the apron.

A replacement Boeing 757-300 registration N581NW reached Fort Lauderdale
with a delay of 6 hours.

The airline reported the crew diverted to Toledo due to a smokey odour in
the cockpit, the cause of which is not yet known.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=47dda717
20141126211838:20141119000000
Incident: Jazz CRJ9 at Toronto on Nov 19th 2014, rejected takeoff due to nose wheel vibrations
A Jazz Aviation Canadair CRJ-705 operating as Air Canada Express, registration
C-GNJZ performing flight QK-8902/AC-8902 from Toronto,ON (Canada) to New
York JFK,NY (USA) with 64 people on board, was accelerating for takeoff
from Toronto’s runway 24R when the crew rejected takeoff at low speed (about
50 knots) due to nose wheel vibrations and the aircraft pulling to the right.
The aircraft stopped safely on the runway, the crew reported an odour and
smoke from the front of the aircraft. Emergency services responded and reported
there was no fire, however the nose gear appeared to be out of alignment.
The aircraft was towed off the runway to a gate where passengers disembarked.

A replacement CRJ-705 reached New York with a delay of 4.5 hours.

The Canadian TSB reported that the nose gear torque links had not been connected.
The upper and lower torque links as well as both nose wheel assemblies were
replaced and the torque links connected.

NAV Canada reported the runway was closed for about 45 minutes as result
of the occurrence.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=47d44f9e
20141114202000:20141113000000
Incident: Lufthansa A321 near Stuttgart on Nov 13th 2014, burning odour on board
A Lufthansa Airbus A321-200, registration D-AISV performing flight LH-2505
from Manchester,EN (UK) to Munich (Germany) with 82 passengers and 7 crew,
was enroute at FL390 overhead of Frankfurt/Main Airport (Germany) when the
crew decided to divert to Stuttgart (Germany) 90nm south of their position
due to a burning odour on board of the aircraft followed by haze in cockpit
and cabin. The captain donned the oxygen mask, the aircraft landed safely
on Stuttgart’s runway 25 about 19 minutes later. Emergency services did
not need to intervene.

Maintenance determined there had been a fire in the electronic compartment
at the brakes controls which extinguished by itself.

The airline confirmed the aircraft diverted to Stuttgart due to an unusual
odour on board, the passengers were bussed to Munich.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=47ccc097
20141104214546:20141103000000
Incident: Virgin Australia B773 over Pacific on Nov 3rd 2014, blocked sinks
A Virgin Australia Boeing 777-300, registration VH-VPH performing flight
VA-2 from Los Angeles,CA (USA) to Sydney,NS (Australia), was enroute at
FL300 over the Pacific Ocean about 1300nm southwest of Los Angeles and about
1000nm east of Hilo,HI (USA) when the crew decided to return to Los Angeles
due to two blocked sinks. The aircraft landed safely back in Los Angeles
about 6 hours after departure.

Passengers reported a toilet was overflowing and an incredible stench developed
on board. They were sitting in crap and used face masks due to the odour,
some passengers vomitted.

The airline said, two sinks were blocked causing a fresh water system overflow,
one of the sinks was blocked by a tooth paste cap. No human waste was leaked
in the occurrence.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=47cbfd77
20141103215253:20141103000000
Incident: Openskies B752 over Atlantic on Nov 3rd 2014, fumes on board
An Openskies Boeing 757-200 on behalf of British Airways, registration F-HAVI
performing flight EC-4/BA-8004 (dep Nov 2nd) from Newark,NJ (USA) to Paris
Orly (France), was enroute at FL350 about 150nm northeast of St. John’s,NL
(Canada) when the crew decided to turn around due to fumes on board. The
aircraft descended to FL320 and diverted to Boston,MA for a safe landing
about 160 minutes later.

British Airways confirmed a suspected technical problem as cause for the
diversion. The passengers were rebooked onto other flights.

Passengers reported an odour on board of the aircraft.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=47d45fc1
20141114222008:20141031000000
Incident: Air Canada E190 near Calgary and Vancouver on Oct 31st 2014, odour on board
An Air Canada Embraer ERJ-190, registration C-FHJT performing flight AC-207
from Calgary,AB to Vancouver,BC (Canada ) with 101 people on board, was
climbing out of Calgary when an odour was observed on board of the aircraft,
which dissipated quickly however. The flight was continued. During the descent
towards Vancouver the same odour occurred again prompting the crew to declare
PAN PAN PAN. The aircraft landed safely on Vancouver’s runway 26R about
6 minutes later.

The Canadian TSB reported maintenance could not identify any fault.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=47b478e5
20141004160620:20141003000000
Incident: Lufthansa A343 over Norwegian Sea on Oct 3rd 2014, strong odour on board
A Lufthansa Airbus A340-300, registration D-AIGI performing flight LH-490
from Frankfurt/Main (Germany) to Seattle,WA (USA), was enroute at FL340
over the Norwegian Sea north of the Faroe Islands when the crew decided
to return to Frankfurt due to a strong odour on board. The aircraft landed
safely back in Frankfurt about 2.5 hours later.

Passengers reported a strong odour on board, one passenger even mentioned
smoke on board.

The flight was cancelled.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=47b248bb
20141001191201:20140930000000
Incident: British Airways B772 near Sao Paulo on Sep 30th 2014, unusual odour
A British Airways Boeing 777-200, registration G-YMMB performing flight
BA-244 from Buenos Aires,BA (Argentina) to London Heathrow,EN (UK), was
enroute at FL310 about 230nm west of Sao Paulo,SP (Brazil) when the crew
decided to divert to Sao Paulo due to an unusual odour on board. The crew
turned the aircraft to the east and dumped fuel on the way to Sao Paulo,
where the aircraft landed safely on runway 27L about 35 minutes later.

The airline confirmed an odour in the cabin which is being investigated
by maintenance.

The aircraft is still on the ground in Sao Paulo about 23 hours after landing.

The remainder of the flight was cancelled, the passengers were rebooked
onto other flights.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=47ac289b
20140923210151:20140923000000
Incident: Germanwings A320 near Munich on Sep 23rd 2014, fan woes
A Germanwings Airbus A320-200, registration D-AIQH performing flight 4U-8891
from Rome Fiumicino (Italy) to Berlin Tegel (Germany), was enroute at FL360
about 85nm south of Munich at the border Italy/Austria when the crew reported
a fan overheat indication and associated odour in cockpit and cabin. The
aircraft diverted to Munich (Germany) for a safe landing on runway 26L about
20 minutes later. Emergency services did not detect any indication of fire,
heat or smoke and followed the aircraft to the apron.

The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Munich about 7 hours later.

A passenger reported the captain announced they had an overheat indication
for one of the air conditioning fans and according odour in cockpit and
cabin in the area of the aft galley.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=47abf28d
20140923144220:20140923000000
Incident: Southwest B735 at Austin on Sep 23rd 2014, odour in cabin
A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-500, registration N527SW performing flight
WN-481 from Austin,TX to Dallas Love,TX (USA) with 107 passengers and 5
crew, was climbing out of Austin’s runway 35R when the crew stopped the
climb at 12,000 feet reporting an unidentified strong odour in the cabin
and air vent system. The aircraft returned to Austin for a safe landing
on runway 35R about 20 minutes after departure, vacated the runway and stopped
on the adjacent taxiway. Attending emergency services identified a “hot
spot” in the wing area prompting the crew to initiate an evacuation via
slides. There were no injuries.

The runway was closed as result.

The airline reported an odour in the cabin prompted the crew to declare
emergency, a hot spot was identified in the wing area which prompted the
evacuation.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=47acf074
20140924212808:20140919000000
Accident: Air Canada A321 near Winnipeg on Sep 19th 2014, bleach odour
An Air Canada Airbus A321-200, registration C-GJWD performing flight AC-1167
from Toronto,ON to Vancouver,BC (Canada) with 146 people on board, was climbing
out of Toronto, when a bleach odour was noticed in the forward cabin. The
flight was continued and was enroute at FL340 about 140nm southwest of Winnipeg,MB
(Canada) in US Airspace, when the flight crew was informed two cabin did
not feel well and were unable to continue their duties. The aircraft diverted
to Winnipeg for a safe landing about 25 minutes later.

The Canadian TSB reported that maintenance had performed maintenance on
a clogged drain in the forward galley prior to departure from Toronto.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=479a10f0
20140831224340:20140831000000
Incident: KLM Cityhopper F70 near Amsterdam on Aug 31st 2014, odour on board
A KLM Cityhopper Fokker 70, registration PH-KZF performing flight WA-1539/KL-1539
from Amsterdam (Netherlands) to Durham Tees Valley,EN (UK), was enroute
at FL250 over the North Sea about 100nm northwest of Amsterdam when the
crew decided to return to Amsterdam due to a bad odour on board originating
from the air conditioning systems. The crew subsequently donned their oxygen
masks and declared PAN reporting the passengers were suffering from the
odour, too. The aircraft landed safely on Amsterdam’s runway 36C about 25
minutes later. After landing the crew indicated no further assistance was
needed, the aircraft taxied to the apron.

The flight was cancelled.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=4799fc34
20140908125330:20140831000000
Incident: TAP A332 near Sal on Aug 31st 2014, smoke indication
A TAP Air Portugal Airbus A330-200, registration CS-TOJ performing flight
TP-16 from Recife,PE (Brazil) to Lisbon (Portugal) with 262 people on board,
was enroute over the Atlantic Ocean near Sal (Cabo Verde) when the crew
received a smoke indication and decided to divert to Sal for a safe landing.
Attending emergency services found no trace of fire, heat or smoke.

The airline reported the passengers were taken to hotels, technicians have
been dispatched to Sal to examine the aircraft.

The occurrence aircraft was able to depart Sal after about 24 hours on the
ground and reached Lisbon with a delay of 24 hours.

On Sep 8th 2014 Portugal’s GPIAA reported that the crew received a smoke
indication for the lower deck mobile crew rest area. Cabin crew reported
observing a burning odour and smoke venting from the outlets of the lower
deck crew rest area and discharged fire extinguishers into the area. After
landing all electrical power was disconnected from the aircraft and an inspection
performed which was unable to find any evidence of fire. Maintenance engineers
subsequently released the aircraft to continue the flight to Portugal under
restrictions and requirements to conduct further corrective and preventive
maintenance in Portugal. The GPIAA have not dispatched investigators to
Sal but opened an investigation into the occurrence.

The occurrence aircraft resumed service after about 5 hours on the ground
in Lisbon on Sep 1st 2014.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=4797580b
20141211153416:20140828000000
Incident: Easyjet A320 near London on Aug 28th 2014, smoke in cockpit
An Easyjet Airbus A320-200, registration G-EZWM performing flight U2-7215
from Liverpool,EN (UK) to Naples (Italy) with 157 passengers and 6 crew,
was climbing through FL340 about 50nm northwest of London’s Gatwick Airport,EN
(UK) when the crew reported smoke in the cockpit and decided to divert to
Gatwick Airport for a safe landing on runway 26L about 17 minutes later.
Responding emergency services found no trace of fire, heat or smoke.

The airline reported the crew received a smoke indication which was identified
false.

A replacement Airbus A320-200 registration G-EZUC reached Naples with a
delay of 3 hours.

The occurrence aircraft resumed service about 6.5 hours after landing.

On Sep 10th 2014 the French BEA reported in their monthly bulletin quoting
preliminary information provided by the AAIB, that an Airbus A320 with 326
people on board (!!) diverted to London Gatwick because of smoke in the
cockpit, identifying the occurrence location and time at London Gatwick
at 06:45L (05:45Z) but stating a Portuguese aircraft, without providing
a tail number (all details matching G-EZWM except for the Portuguese aircraft).
There were no injuries. The British AAIB rated the occurrence an accident
(!) and opened an investigation.

Editorial note to BEA report (Sep 10th 2014): Given the reported 326 people
on board and the reported Portuguese A320 aircraft (no tail number provided),
though all other data match G-EZWM, The Aviation Herald discards the classification
as accident as well assuming there has been a mixup of occurrences (there
was no second inflight diversion to Gatwick in progress at that time). At
this time there is no detail reported that would suggest a classification
as accident. At the same time, the fact that the AAIB informed the BEA about
this occurrence and the occurrence is being investigated by the AAIB suggests,
that the airline’s statement was “premature”, and the AAIB considers the
occurrence at least as incident, possibly serious incident. The AAIB has
not yet released any information on the occurrence to the public.

On Dec 11th 2014 the British AAIB released their bulletin rating the occurrence
a serious incident, reporting 157 passengers and 6 crew and reporting the
crew received a “AVIONICS SMOKE” warning and could see smoke emanating from
the right side of the center console inside the first officer’s footwell.
The smoke ceased during the descent back to London’s Gatwick Airport. A
component in a static inverter powering electrical outlet sockets in the
cockpit was found overheated.

The AAIB reported that the aircraft was climbing through FL320 when the
first officer noticed an odd odour, the captain could not smell anything
and used the surveillance camera to check the galley whether cabin crew
was cooking anything. When he pressed the interphone call button to talk
to the lead flight attendant, he noticed smoke coming from the right of
the center console near the first officer’s knee. The captain told the lead
flight attendant he would call back, both pilots donned their oxygen masks.
An “AVIONICS SMOKE” indication on the ECAM together with an amber “SMOKE”
light on the “GEN 1 LINE” pushbutton and “FAULT” captions on the “BLOWER”
and “EXTRACT” buttons appeared. The captions and lights extinguished after
about a minute, the smoke however continued. The crew declared PAN, commenced
a descent and worked the “AVIONICS SMOKE” checklist. The commander handed
control of the aircraft as well as communication duties over to the first
officer while he worked the related checklists, informed cabin crew and
passengers and reprogrammed the FMGS for the return to Gatwick.

During the descent the smoke stopped, the aircraft landed without further
event on Gatwick’s runway 26L. Emergency services attended to the aircraft
and escorted the aircraft to a remote stand, where passengers disembarked
normally. After engine shut down the crew removed their oxygen masks. Emergency
services did not find any hot spots.

Engineers subsequently found a static inverter showed significant burn marks
and replaced the inverter. The inverter was sent to the manufacturer for
further examinations, the manufacturer identified a capacitor had been destroyed
by overheating, the destruction preventing to determine the exact reason
for its failure. The AAIB stated summarizing the statement of the manufacturer:
“They consider this failure was an isolated incident but advise that they
will monitor the reliability of the static invertors.”

The static inverter causing the “false” smoke indication (Photo: AAIB):

———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=4790c79e
20140819204425:20140818000000
Accident: US Airways A332 near Charlotte on Aug 18th 2014, odour on board
A US Airways Airbus A330-200, registration N290AY performing flight US-706
from Charlotte,NC (USA) to Frankfurt/Main (Germany), was enroute at FL370
about 320nm northeast of Charlotte when the crew decided to return to Charlotte
due to an unbearable odour on board. The aircraft landed safely back in
Charlotte about 100 minutes after departure. Emergency services searched
the aircraft but were unable to identify a source of the odour. 11 passengers
were treated at the airport, 4 needed to be taken to a hospital with injuries.

A replacement Airbus A330-200 registration N281AY reached Frankfurt with
a delay of 5.5 hours.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=4790c9e7
20140819210130:20140817000000
Incident: Southwest B737 near Milwaukee on Aug 17th 2014, electrical odour in cabin
A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-700, flight WN-663 from Orlando,FL to Milwaukee,WI
(USA) with 127 passengers and 5 crew, was descending towards Milwaukee when
the crew declared emergency reporting an electrical odour in the cabin.
The aircraft continued for a safe landing in Milwaukee. Attending emergency
services found no trace of fire, heat or smoke.

A replacement Boeing 737-700 performed the onward legs to Los Angeles,CA
and Oakland,CA.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=4786d9df
20140812185100:20140805000000
Incident: United B772 near Halifax on Aug 5th 2014, burning odour in aft cabin
A United Boeing 777-200, registration N780UA performing flight UA-999 from
Newark,NJ (USA) to Brussels (Belgium) with 233 people on board, was enroute
FL370 about 80nm westnorthwest of Halifax,NS (Canada) when the crew decided
to divert to Halifax due to a burning odour observed in the aft cabin. The
aircraft landed safely on Halifax’s runway 23 about 18 minutes later. Fire
fighters entered the aircraft and inspected the aft galley, the passengers
subsequently disembarked normally.

Passengers reported there was odour of burning plastics near the aft galley,
presumably originating from a galley oven possibly as result of a short
circuit. Two cabin crew arrived with fire extinguishers, shut the galley
down and examined the galley. A short time later the captain announced that
a fire in the aft galley had been put out and they were diverting to Halifax.

A replacement Boeing 777-200 registration N783UA was dispatched to Halifax
and reached Brussels with a delay of 7.5 hours.

Neither Transport Canada (Transport Ministry), NAV Canada (Air Traffic Service
Provider) nor the Canadian TSB (Accident Investigation) have yet reported
the occurrence in Canada’s reporting system, even though the occurrence
made global media headlines reported as an open/raging fire in the cabin
(without these media reports The Aviation Herald would not even have mentioned
the occurrence until the Canadian TSB reported the circumstances of the
occurrence).

On Aug 12th 2014 the Canadian TSB reported that the internal fan of the
oven showed signs of overheating, after the inspection the aircraft ferried
back to Washington. The crew had reported a fire in the aft galley oven,
fire extinguishers were discharged, the aircraft diverted to Halifax for
a safe overweight landing.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=478247f4
20140805210717:20140731000000
Accident: Lufthansa A320 near Budapest on Jul 31st 2014, acrid smell on board
A Lufthansa Airbus A320-200, registration D-AIPK performing flight LH-1788
from Munich (Germany) to Bodrum (Turkey), was enroute at FL350 about 130nm
south of Budapest (Hungary) in Serbian Airspace when the crew reported an
unusual odour and decided to divert to Budapest. On approach to Budapest
the crew advised they expected a normal landing but declined the offer to
land on runway 13L into the wind indicating they could accept 7 knots of
tailwind on ILS approach to runway 31R (opposite to the active runway).
The aircraft landed safely on runway 31R about 17 (!) minutes after turning
towards Budapest and leaving FL350. Two cabin crew became incapacitated
as result of the occurrence. All crew went to see the doctor after landing.

The airline confirmed an unusual odour on board caused the precautionary
diversion to Budapest.

Passengers reported an acrid smell on board of the aircraft causing all
sort of irritations despite attempts to filter the air with cloth before
mouth and nose. Cabin crew were wearing protective masks.

A replacement A320-200 registration D-AIPA, that had arrived in Budapest
as regular flight LH-1678 from Munich to Budapest, resumed the flight LH-1788
and reached Bodrum with a delay of 5:45 hours.

On Aug 5th 2014 the French BEA reported in their weekly bulletin that after
takeoff cabin crew observed smell in the aft galley, both galley ovens were
switched off, but the smell continued and filled half of the cabin in the
back of the aircraft. The crew decided to divert to Budapest, two cabin
crew became incapacitated as result of the smell. All crew members were
taken to hospitals. Hungary’s KBSZ opened an investigation.

The airline reported to a German mass media (who as the only newspaper across
Germany took over that statement), that a passenger had dropped a phial
with nail cleaning fluid causing the acid smell, but did not mention, that
the very same aircraft had suffered two more similiar fume events on flights
LH-2502 from Munich (Germany) to Manchester,EN (UK) on Jul 14th 2013 and
LH-2229 from Paris Charles de Gaulle (France) to Munich on Jul 23rd 2014
(the details of these two occurrences still under investigation by The Aviation
Herald, but the actual occurrences are already fully confirmed by evidence
on hand).

Scenes on board (Photo: whatiplay):

———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=4782b795
20140801111412:20140729000000
Incident: Lufthansa A321 at Frankfurt on Jul 29th 2014, fumes in cockpit
A Lufthansa Airbus A321-200, registration D-AIRE performing flight LH-1133
(scheduled dep Jul 28th, actual dep Jul 29th) from Barcelona,SP (Spain)
to Frankfurt/Main (Germany), was decending towards Frankfurt when at about
FL100 an odour of old socks was noticed in cabin and cockpit. The crew continued
for a safe landing on Frankfurt’s runway 07R about 13 minutes later. All
crew went to see the doctor after landing.

The aircraft remained on the ground for about 3 hours then resumed service.

The aircraft had been involved in a fumes event the day before on flight
LH-1132 to Barcelona, see Incident: Lufthansa A321 at Barcelona on Jul 28th
2014, fumes in cockpit, underwent maintenance over night, then departed
Barcelona with the same crew, that flew LH-1132, for the return flight.

Germany’s BFU confirmed they are aware of both occurrences on LH-1132 and
LH-1133.

According to information The Aviation Herald received Germany’s Pilot Association
“Vereinigung Cockpit” may have a particular interest to identify the circumstances
of the occurrences because of the captain of both occurrence flights.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=477f087f
20140727172645:20140726000000
Incident: Delta MD88 near Milwaukee on Jul 26th 2014, smell of smoke on board
A Delta Airlines McDonnell Douglas MD-88, registration N922DL performing
flight DL-1496 from Minneapolis,MN to New York La Guardia,NY (USA) with
145 people on board, was enroute at FL330 about 50nm northwest of Milwaukee,WI
when the crew reported a smokey odour on board and decided to divert to
Milwaukee. On approach the crew reported that whatever caused the odour
appears to have gone out by itself and continued for a safe landing on Milwaukee’s
runway 25L about 20 minutes later.

A replacement MD-88 reached New York with a delay of 5 hours.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=477e3765
20140726171955:20140725000000
Incident: United B772 near Salt Lake City on Jul 25th 2014, electrical odour on board
A United Boeing 777-200, registration N206UA performing flight UA-328 from
Denver,CO to Honolulu,HI (USA) with 269 passengers and 10 crew, was enroute
at FL380 about 200nm east of Salt Lake City,UT (USA) when the crew reported
an electrical odour on board and decided to divert to Salt Lake City where
the aircraft landed safely about 30 minutes later.

The remainder of the flight was cancelled.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=4778101f
20140806194140:20140714000000
Accident: US Airways A332 near Philadelphia and Gander on Jul 14th 2014, fumes on board
A US Airways Airbus A330-200, registration N287AY performing flight US-796
from Philadelphia,PA (USA) to Tel Aviv (Israel), was climbing out of Philadelphia
when the flight crew reported an odour of burning plastic but decided to
continue the flight. The aircraft was enroute at FL370 about 90nm northwest
of Gander,NL (Canada) when the crew declared emergency reporting several
flight attendants were reporting sick. The aircraft diverted to Gander for
a safe overweight landing about 30 minutes later.

The FAA reported that during departure from Philadelphia the flight crew
reported a smell of burning plastic but decided to continue the flight.
About 1.5 hours into the flight numerous flight attendants reported feeling
dizzy due to fumes. The aircraft diverted to Gander where medical services
met the aircraft.

NAV Canada reported the crew declared emergency reporting fumes in the back
of the aircraft and flight attendants were ill due to the fumes. The aircraft
diverted to Gander but could not dump fuel and had to land overweight.

On Aug 6th 2014 the Canadian TSB reported that cabin crew reported fumes
in the aft cabin while enroute about 100nm northwest of Gander, the flight
crew declared emergency and diverted to Gander for a safe overweight landing.
One flight attendant was transported to a medical faciility and released
soon after. The other flight attendants and one passenger were examined
by medical staff at the airport and released. Maintenance inspected the
aircraft and was unable to reproduce the fumes. The aircraft was ferried
back to Philadelphia without incident, was released to service and has not
encountered another fumes event so far.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=4776f91e
20140717124611:20140711000000
Incident: Condor B753 at Antalya and Munich on Jul 11th 2014, odour on board
A Condor Boeing 757-300, registration D-ABOK performing flight DE-5747 from
Antalya (Turkey) to Munich (Germany), completed the flight with a safe landing
on Munich’s runway 26L. As there had been a number of fume events during
the flight the entire crew decided to go to a hospital for a medical checkup.

Germany’s BFU reported that they received notification on Jul 14th (after
the weekend) about the occurrence of Jul 11th, the BFU is currently collecting
evidence and has not yet made an assessment whether to rate the occurrence
an accident, serious incident or incident.

The airline reported that cabin crew noticed an odour similiar to chlorine/cleaning
agents prior to departure. The odour re-occurred shortly before and during
landing causing minor eye irritation to cabin crew. The flight crew did
not notice any odour. There were no reactions from the passengers. Procedures
established by the airline require all crew to undergo a medical checkup
in such cases of odour. The occurrence was reported to the BFU, the aircraft
underwent tests in Munich that did not identify any anomaly and returned
to service the following day. The cause of the odour was subsequently identified
in the fact, that a number of toilets had been removed from the aircraft,
received deep cleaning and were re-assembled prior to departure for the
previous flight from Stuttgart to Antalya. The cleaning agent used contains
chlorine and develops an acid smell.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=476d24bd
20140704201614:20140703000000
Incident: American MD83 near Pensacola on Jul 3rd 2014, strong odour in cabin
An American Airlines McDonnell Douglas MD-83, registration N9627R performing
flight AA-386 from Jacksonville,FL to Dallas Ft. Worth,TX (USA) with 115
passengers and 5 crew, was enroute at FL300 about 50nm north of Pensacola,FL
(USA) when the crew decided to divert to Pensacola reporting a strong odour
in the cabin. The aircraft landed safely in Pensacola about 12 minutes later.

A replacement MD-82 registration N466AA reached Dallas with a delay of 3.5
hours.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=4766f146
20140626201305:20140618000000
Incident: Austrian B763 near Toronto on Jun 18th 2014, white smoke in cockpit
An Austrian Airlines Boeing 767-300, registration OE-LAZ performing flight
OS-66 from Chicago O’Hare,IL (USA) to Vienna (Austria) with 195 people on
board, was enroute at FL330 about 130nm northeast of Toronto,ON (Canada)
when the crew noticed white smoke in the cockpit, which dissipated after
about 15 seconds, the odour however remained. The crew worked the related
checklists and decided to turn around and divert to Toronto. On downwind
to runway 05 the crew requested emergency services on stand by due to an
overweight landing and a necessary brakes inspection. The aircraft landed
safely on runway 05 about 35 minutes after turning around and taxied to
the apron with emergency services in trail.

The Canadian TSB reported that the crew used autobrakes 1, the brakes temperatures
did not exceed 270 degrees C. Maintenance was subsequently advised that
a ground unit used in Chicago, that supplied pneumatic pressure to the aircraft
due to the non-availability of the APU, had broken down and possibly contaminated
the pneumatic ducting. The pneumatic ducting was cleaned, the system was
operated using engine power until the odour had disappeared, then the aircraft
was returned to service.

The remainder of the flight was cancelled, the passengers were rebooked
onto other flights.

The occurrence aircraft resumed service 22 hours after landing as flight
OS-72 from Toronto to Vienna.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=4761a430
20140620171215:20140618000000
Incident: Jetblue A320 near Minot on Jun 18th 2014, electrical odour in cockpit
A Jetblue Airbus A320-200, registration N564JB performing flight B6-597
from Boston,MA to Seattle,WA (USA) with 132 people on board, was enroute
at FL340 about 90nm northeast of Minot,ND (USA) when the crew noticed an
electrical odour on the flight deck and decided to divert to Minot for a
safe landing about 23 minutes later. The crew cancelled the emergency after
landing advising the smell had dissipated.

The incident aircraft was able to continue the flight after 4:15 hours on
the ground and reached Seattle with a delay of 4.5 hours.

On Jun 20th 2014 the Canadian TSB reported that the aircraft was approximately
75nm southwest of Winnipeg,MB (Canada) when the crew detected heavy electrical
odour in the cockpit and spotted the cabin air recirculation fan circuit
breaker had tripped. The crew worked the related checklists turning off
the inflight entertainment system, declared emergency and diverted to Minot.
Maintenance identified the left cabin air recirculation fan was faulty,
disconnected the fan and the inflight entertainment system and released
the aircraft to continue the flight under minimum equipment list requirements.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=480e7b0b
20150127175116:20140609000000
Report: Virgin Australia A332 at Perth on Jun 9th 2014, fumes in cabin
A Virgin Australia Airbus A330-200, registration VH-XFB performing flight
VA-558 from Perth,WA to Sydney,NS (Australia) with an unknown number of
passengers and 15 crew, was accelerating for takeoff from Perth when cabin
crew in the rear of the cabin noticed a burning odour starting when the
engines accelerated for takeoff. Cabin crew initially dismissed the odour
as relatively common. The purser assisted in locating the source of the
odour, the fridges were turned off believing they might cause the odour,
the odour however persisted. The purser eventually identified a vent at
the aft cabin bulkhead. A number of cabin crew were negatively affected
and were unable to continue their inflight duties, the captain considered
to divert to Adelaide,SA (Australia) but decided to continue to Sydney reasoning
that the affected cabin crew were administered oxygen and recovered. The
aircraft landed in Sydney without further incident.

The captain made a log entry reporting acrid fumes at the rear aft galley
after takeoff.

The ATSB released their brief final report releasing following safety message:

Fumes can originate from a wide range of sources. While some fumes may appear
subtle and innocuous, they may be the first indication of a more serious
problem. Furthermore, the effect of fumes on the human body is dependent
on many variables, including the nature and intensity of the fumes, and
the duration of exposure. This incident serves to highlight the importance
of treating all fumes with suspicion, and implementing a cautious and conservative
response, consistent with published guidance.

The ATSB reported that maintenance subsequently found a portion of insulation
blankets attached to the rear pressure bulkhead had collapsed and came into
contact with the APU bleed air duct where the duct passes through the aft
pressure bulkhead. The investigation determined that the blankets had been
improperly installed by the previous operator of the aircraft.

The ATSB wrote: “The insulation blanket is constructed of glass wool encased
in a wrapping material. The wrapping was damaged and heat affected where
the insulation blanket was in contact with the APU bleed air duct. Damage
to the wrapping exposed the inner glass wool material, which also showed
evidence of having been affected by heat where the material was in contact
with the bleed air duct. Engineering staff determined that the insulation
blanket in contact with the bleed air duct was the likely source of the
fumes.”

Damage to blanket at the lower side of the APU bleed air duct (Photo: ATSB/Virgin
Australia):

———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=4751587d
20140529180156:20140529000000
Incident: ANA B788 near Tokyo on May 29th 2014, burning odour in galley
An ANA All Nippon Airways Boeing 787-800, registration JA820A performing
flight NH-905 from Tokyo Narita (Japan) to Beijing (China) with 105 people
on board, had just reached cruise level FL340 about 20 minutes into the
flight when the crew decided to return to Tokyo’s Narita Airport due to
a burning odour in the aft galley of the aircraft, the galley was powered
down and the smell dissipated. The aircraft landed safely back on Narita’s
runway 16R about one hour after departure.

The airline reported a faulty galley oven was identified as source of the
burning odour.

The flight was cancelled, the passengers were rebooked onto another flight.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=47517c65
20140529223242:20140527000000
Incident: Air Canada E190 near Montreal on May 27th 2014, emissions of unknown nature in cabin
An Air Canada Embraer ERJ-190, registration C-FNAX performing flight AC-1177
from Montreal,QC to Calgary,AB (Canada) with 95 people on board, was enroute
at FL300 about 120nm northwest of Montreal when the crew declared emergency
reporting emissions of unknown nature in the cabin. The aircraft returned
to Montreal for a safe landing about 40 minutes later. The aircraft stopped
on the runway and was towed to the apron.

The Canadian TSB reported the maintenance team performed an inspection using
ultraviolet beams, replaced the filters, cleaned the left hand air conditioning
system and performed full power ground runs to purge any odour.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=473fc331
20140506221056:20140503000000
Incident: Lufthansa B744 near Halifax on May 3rd 2014, electrical odour
A Lufthansa Boeing 747-400, registration D-ABVO performing flight LH-423
from Boston,MA (USA) to Frankfurt/Main (Germany), was enroute at FL370 about
280nm eastsoutheast of Halifax,NS (Canada) when the crew requested to return
to Boston due to an electrical odour on board. The aircraft descended to
FL360 and landed safely back in Boston about 105 minutes after turning around.

The airline reported a strong electrical odour in a galley prompted the
return to Boston. A defective coffeemaker was identified as cause of the
odour.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=47313257
20140417213128:20140413000000
Incident: El Al B738 at Zurich on Apr 13th 2014, burning rubber smell in cabin
An El Al Boeing 737-800, registration 4X-EKJ performing flight LY-347 from
Tel Aviv (Israel) to Zurich (Switzerland), had been sent into a holding
pattern at FL150 while on approach to Zurich, when inbound to the hold the
crew declared PAN reporting a smell of burning rubber in the cabin. The
aircraft was cleared for an immediate approach to runway 14, the crew reported
the smell was decreasing. The crew advised they would vacate the first taxiway
to the left and then stop for emergency services to check the aircraft.
The aircraft landed safely on runway 14 about 12 minutes after declaring
PAN, vacated the runway to the right and stopped on taxiway H1. Emergency
checked the aircraft, the crew reported that the odour had subsided and
everything was normal in the cabin, they would now continue taxi to the
gate but requested emergency services to follow the aircraft to the stand.

The incident aircraft was able to depart for the return flight and reached
Tel Aviv with a delay of 75 minutes.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=477635ad
20150316172453:20140411000000
Incident: China Airlines B738 near Bangkok on Apr 11th 2014, burning smell, smoke and arcing in cabin
A China Airlines Boeing 737-800, registration B-18601 performing flight
CI-7916 from Yangon (Myanmar) to Taipei (Taiwan) with 155 passengers and
8 crew, was enroute at FL370 about 250nm northwest of Bangkok when the crew
noticed a burning odour near the main cabin door 1L, then observed smoke
and arcing. While cabin crew discharged fire extinguishers the flight crew
diverted the aircraft to Bangkok. The aircraft entered a hold at 6000 feet,
climbed to FL100, descended to 7000 feet again to enter another hold and
landed safely at Bangkok about 2 hours after leaving FL370.

Taiwan’s Aviation Safety Council (ASC) reported the occurrence on Jul 16th
2014 stating that an investigation into the Fire/Smoke occurrence has been
opened.

On Mar 16th 2015 Taiwan’s ASC released their final report in Chinese concluding
the probable causes of the occurrence were:

– There were existing compression situation of forward galley 2 electric
wire and the ceiling panel, the normal operation vibration caused the wire
rubbing against the ceiling panel. The exposed conducting wire inside the
electric wire and graphite fibers inside the ceiling panel rubbing against
each other caused short circuit happened between the left side panel and
the metal beam. The electric circuit from conducting wire to the right hand
side then to the left hand side metal beam panel, the electric circuit formed
a short circuit to ground and caused the cabin electric arcing.

– There are 2 probable causes regarding to the situation of the compression
between the forward galley 2 electric wire and the ceiling panel.

+ When the aircraft was shop out 16 years ago, the forward galley 2 wire
had compressed to the ceiling panel, however, the occurrence did not occur
due to the wire wrap was the close type; 8 years ago, the wire wrap was
changed to open type when the mechanic re-installed the clamp and wire in
accordance with Engineering Order (EO) instruction, at the time the wire
had compressed to the ceiling panel directly. The vibration of normal operation
caused the electric wire to rubbing against the ceiling panel. The conducting
wire inside the electric wire and graphite fibers inside the ceiling panel
was exposed and compressed each other.

+ China Airlines did not train the mechanic regarding the positioning marking
before remove and reinstall the components when the aircraft was shop out;
consequently, the mechanic did not perform positioning marking when the
EO was performed 8 years ago. The EO content also did not include the positioning
marking step which caused the clamp was installed onto the fore side of
the fastener mistakenly lead the wire compressed to the ceiling panel.

The ASC reported that the aircraft was enroute when the cabin crew at position
1R heard a “bang” sound and noticed a burning smell, a passenger pointed
to smoke coming from the cabin ceiling. Cabin crew 1R found a dark spot
near the door 1L and dripping material. The purser was informed, checked
the spot, felt an electrical shock when touching the panel and suspected
a hidden fire. While the flight crew initiated a diversion to Bangkok, cabin
crew disconnected all power to forward galley #2. Being unable to get behind
the panel for identifying the source of the fire, the purser requested the
axe from the captain, that is kept in the cockpit, the captain handed the
axe to the purser, the purser used the axe to create a hole in the panel,
during that process an electrical arc shot about 30cm in length came off
the ceiling. The arc ceased after a fire extinguisher was discharged into
the hole.

The dark spot at the cabin ceiling (Photo: ASC):
The chafed wires (Photo: ASC):

———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=472bcd16
20140410220746:20140410000000
Incident: Lufthansa Cityline E195 at Dresden on Apr 10th 2014, electrical odour on board
A Lufthansa Cityline Embraer ERJ-195, registration D-AEBE performing flight
LH-2125 from Dresden to Munich (Germany), was climbing out of Dresden’s
runway 04 when the crew stopped the climb at 4000 feet due to an electrical
odour on board and returned to Dresden’s runway 04 for a safe landing about
13 minutes after departure.

The flight was cancelled, the passengers were rebooked onto other flights.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=4726e593
20140404171723:20140404000000
Incident: Austrian F100 near Linz on Apr 4th 2014, smelly galley
An Austrian Fokker 100, registration OE-LVI performing flight OS-183 from
Vienna (Austria) to Stuttgart (Germany) with 98 passengers and 4 crew, was
climbing through FL240 out of Vienna when the crew decided to divert to
Linz (Austria) due to an unusual odour in the galley. The aircraft landed
safely on Linz’ runway 08 about 10 minutes later. The passengers disembarked
normally.

The airline reported an unusual smell in the galley prompted the crew to
divert to Linz, there was no danger to the occupants of the aircraft. The
smell is probably the result of a technical defect.

The remainder of the flight was cancelled, the passengers were rebooked
onto other flights or bus services to Stuttgart or are being offered to
return to Vienna by air, train or road.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=471f28a3
20140325215903:20140321000000
Incident: Westjet B737 near Winnipeg on Mar 21st 2014, smoke in cabin
A Westjet Boeing 737-700, registration C-GRWS performing flight WS-655 from
Toronto,ON to Calgary,AB (Canada) with 109 passengers and 5 crew, was enroute
at FL380 near Winnipeg,MB (Canada) when the crew reported a burning odour
and smoke in the cabin. The crew shut down the cabin utility power after
which smoke and odour subsided. The crew continued the flight to Calgary
for a safe landing.

The Canadian TSB reported a recirculation fan was reported failed.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=470dff86
20140304135747:20140228000000
Incident: Lufthansa Cityline E195 near Vienna on Feb 28th 2014, electrical odour on board
A Lufthansa Cityline Embraer ERJ-195, registration D-AEMB performing flight
LH-1682 from Munich (Germany) to Budapest (Hungary) with 111 passengers
and 5 crew, was enroute at FL350 about 40nm westnorthwest of Vienna (Austria)
when the crew decided to divert to Vienna due to an electrical odour on
board. The aircraft landed safely on Vienna’s runway 16 about 25 minutes
later.

The airline confirmed an unusual electrical odour prompted a precautionary
diversion to Vienna.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=47072f03
20140223230156:20140223000000
Incident: Mount Cook AT72 near Palmerston on Feb 23rd 2014, burning odour on board
A Mount Cook Airlines Avions de Transport Regional ATR-72-500 on behalf
of Air New Zealand, flight NZ-5031 from Hamilton to Wellington (New Zealand),
was enroute near Palmerston (New Zealand) when a faint burning odour on
board prompted the crew to divert to Palmerston North Airport. While descending
towards the aerodrome the odour became stronger and stronger. The aircraft
landed safely about 10 minutes after the decision to divert.

Passengers reported the crew announced a technical problem.

The remainder of the flight was cancelled, the passengers made it to Wellington
by road transport.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=47071bc7
20140224152513:20140222000000
Incident: TAM B773 near Las Palmas on Feb 22nd 2014, odour on board
A TAM Linhas Aereas Boeing 777-300, registration PT-MUD performing flight
JJ-9374 from Frankfurt/Main (Germany) to Sao Paulo Guarulhos,SP (Brazil)
with 234 passengers and 17 crew, was enroute at FL320 about 300nm south
of Las Palmas,CI (Spain) when the aircraft entered turbulence. Subsequently
a unidentifyable odour was noticed in the cabin and dark smoke from the
lower deck raising concerns something in the cargo bay might emit the fumes,
the crew reported hazardeous goods on board. The aircraft turned around
and diverted to Las Palmas for a safe landing at Gran Canaria Airport about
one hour after turning around. Attending emergency services found no trace
of fire, heat or smoke.

The airline reported fractured equipment within a lavatory was identified
as source of the bad odour that passengers had complained about. Chemical
materials transported in the cargo hold were not affected.

The aircraft reached Sao Paulo on Feb 24th 2014 around 02:00L (05:00Z) with
a delay of 30 hours.

The airline detailed that a recirculation fan within a lavatory had seized.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=4703db82
20140220171254:20140217000000
Incident: Etihad B773 over Indian Ocean on Feb 17th 2014, repeated arson in lavatories
An Etihad Boeing 777-300, registration A6-ETM performing flight EY-461 from
Melbourne,VI (Australia) to Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates), was enroute
over the Indian Ocean west of Australia when the fire detectors in a lavatory
in economy class triggered alarm. Smoke and flames were visible from a bin
in the lavatory, cabin crew quickly extinguished and contained the small
fire. About 2 hours later the fire detector of another lavatory in the economy
class triggered alarm, again cabin crew needed to extinguish a small fire
in the bin of that lavatory. The captain decided to divert the aircraft
to Jakarta (Indonesia) where the aircraft landed safely, all passengers
disembarked and were questioned by Indonesian police.

The aircraft continued the flight after about 4 hours on the ground with
all passengers aboard and reached Abu Dhabi with a delay of 4:15 hours,
however, not without three more fire incidents after which the captain ordered
cabin crew to stop all cabin service and guard the lavatories instead until
landing in Abu Dhabi.

The airline confirmed multiple disruptions on the flight prompting the diversion
to Jakarta. No arrests have been made, about a dozen passengers were detained
by UAE police after arrival in Abu Dhabi however for further interviews.

Passengers reported there were sirens and flashing red lights going on and
odour of smoke was noticed throughout the aircraft, with smoke visibly coming
from first one then another lavatory. Breakfast service was stopped while
the aircraft diverted to Jakarta. Passengers were upset about the flight
being continued without the arsonist being identified and removed from the
flight. Gossip amongst passengers indicated a female had set the lavatories
alight.

On Feb 20th 2014 the airline reported that the 12 detained passengers were
all released again, as there was no conclusive evidence. There had been
two fire incidents after takeoff resulting in the diversion to Jakarta,
three more fire incidents occurred while enroute from Jakarta to Abu Dhabi.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=46fc629d
20140209193656:20140207000000
Incident: British Airways B744 near Dallas on Feb 7th 2014, smoke in aft cabin
A British Airways Boeing 747-400, registration G-BNLW performing flight
BA-288 (dep Feb 6th) from Phoenix,AZ to London Heathrow,EN (UK), was enroute
at FL350 about 240nm north of Dallas Ft. Worth,TX (USA) when an electrical
odour and smoke emanated from the aft cabin. While cabin crew isolated the
fault, the flight crew diverted the aircraft to Dallas Ft. Worth for a safe
landing on runway 35C about 40 minutes later.

The aircraft was able to continue the flight after about 3 hours on the
ground and reached London with a delay of 3:10 hours.

A passenger reported there was smoke from one of the rear of the cabin,
then the cabin lights extinguished while cabin crew attempted to isolate
the fault.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=46fbc42f
20140208234527:20140207000000
Incident: United B744 over Pacific on Feb 7th 2014, fumes on board
A United Boeing 747-400, registration N179UA performing flight UA-840 from
Sydney,NS (Australia) to Los Angeles,CA (USA), was enroute at FL350 about
one hour southwest of Honolulu,HI (USA), when the crew reported an electrical
smell on board and decided to divert to Honolulu. On initial approach to
Honolulu the crew mistakenly made their lengthy announcement to passengers
on the radio reporting the aircraft was fine, they had some sort of an electrical
smell about half an hour ago, and they were not going to Los Angeles but
diverting to Honolulu as a precaution. Queried by ATC the crew confirmed
they did have an electrical smell on board of the aircraft and apologized
for the mistransmission. On tower frequency the crew told tower to treat
the landing a precautionary rather than an emergency landing advising the
odour had not gone any stronger. The aircraft landed safely on Honolulu’s
runway 08L about one hour after first reporting an electrical smell on board
and taxied to the gate without stop. The crew terminated emergency status
after vacating the runway.

The remainder of the flight was cancelled, the passengers were rebooked
onto other flights.

The incident aircraft resumed service after 12 hours on the ground.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=46dd3f95
20131231205826:20131227000000
Incident: AirAsia A320 at Phuket on Dec 27th 2013, bird strike
An Air Asia Airbus A320-200, registration HS-ABB performing flight FD-3167
from Phuket to Chiang Mai (Thailand) with 181 people on board, was climbing
out of Phuket when an engine (CFM56) ingested a number of small birds and
an odour of roast feathers developed on board. The crew announced they suspected
a bird strike and decided to return to Phuket for a safe landing about 30
minutes after departure.

Maintenance inspected and cleaned the engine, the aircraft was able to depart
again with about 110 minutes delay and reached Chiang Mai without further
odour but with a delay of about 105 minutes.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=46da3e5a
20140408130315:20131210000000
Incident: Germanwings A319 at Cologne on Dec 10th 2013, fumes prompt flight crew to don oxygen masks
A Germanwings Airbus A319-100, registration D-AGWK performing flight 4U-825
from Milan Malpensa (Italy) to Cologne/Bonn (Germany), was on approach to
Cologne’s runway 14L when fumes on board prompted the flight crew to don
their oxygen masks until after landing. The aircraft continued for a safe
landing on runway 14L. The entire crew subsequently went to the hospital
for tests.

Germany’s BFU confirmed the incident stating the occurrence was rated a
serious incident. An investigation has been opened.

The airline stated the occurrence flight 4U-825 was reported to the relevant
authorities in time and promptly after the pilots donned their oxygen masks
on approach to Cologne due to fumes in the cockpit.

The aircraft remained on the ground for about 48 hours and resumed service
on Dec 12th 2013.

On Apr 8th 2014 the BFU reported in their monthly bulletin (released two
months past schedule) that the aircraft was on approach descending through
5500 feet when an odour of burning oil was noticed in cockpit causing irritation
of respiratory tracts of all 3 pilots in the cockpit. All three donned their
oxygen masks, queried the cabin where a similiar odour was reported. The
captain assumed control and continued for a safe landing. All three pilots
and one flight attendant went for a medical examination, which was without
findings according to feedback by the crew members receiving their test
results.

D-AGWK has been involved in two similiar occurrences in the past: Accident:
Germanwings A319 at Dublin on May 27th 2008, pressurization problems and
Accident: Germanwings A319 near Cologne on Dec 19th 2010, smoke in cockpit,
both pilots nearly incapacitated. The investigations by the Irish AAIU and
German BFU following the events in Dublin 2008 and the event in Cologne
2010 could not determine the causes of the events on board of D-AGWK.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=46c89814
20131205224830:20131128000000
Incident: Regional 1 DH8A near Fort Mackay on Nov 28th 2013, burning odour and bleed air "disco"
A Regional 1 Airlines de Havilland Dash 8-100, registration C-FRIB performing
flight TSH-441 from Fort Mackay Albian,AB to Edmonton,AB (Canada) with 38
people on board, was climbing through 15,000 feet out of Fort Mackay’s Albion
Airport when the crew noticed a vague burning odour on board, which was
shortly followed by the #2 bleed air hot indication cycling on and off.
The crew worked the associated checklist, turned bleed air system #2 off
and requested FL200 instead of FL240. After the aircraft levelled off at
FL200 the #1 bleed air hot started to illuminate and extinguish repeatedly.
Again the associated checklist was performed resulting in the shutdown of
the #1 bleed air system. The crew declared emergency reporting smoke in
the cockpit and initiated a descent to 8000 feet due to the loss of pressurization.
The aircraft landed safely on Edmonton’s runway 20 about 75 minutes after
departure.

The Canadian TSB reported that the crew initiated a “moderate descent” to
8000 feet due to the loss of pressurization. It was suspected that de-icing
fluid in the engine intakes was the source of the odour. The bleed systems
are being investigated by maintenance.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=46c05c11
20131125221948:20131125000000
Incident: THY B773 at Istanbul on Nov 25th 2013, bird strike
A THY Turkish Airlines Boeing 777-300, registration VT-JEM performing flight
TK-1979 from Istanbul (Turkey) to London Heathrow,EN (UK), was climbing
out of Istanbul’s runway 17R when the crew radioed ATC they would stop the
climb at FL110 due to a technical problem. The aircraft entered a hold for
about 5 minutes, then the crew advised they had problems with one of the
engines (GE90) and a strong burning smell on board and would need to return
to Istanbul. The aircraft landed safely on runway 17L about 30 minutes after
departure.

The passengers reported they smelled strong odour of burning meat immediately
after departure, they were told after landing that the smell originated
from one of the engines, that developed problems and vibrations.

The airline reported the engine trouble was the result of a bird strike.

The aircraft has been wet leased from Indish Operator Jet Airways.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=46b6f7ce
20131113221855:20131113000000
Incident: Endeavor CRJ9 at New York on Nov 13th 2013, burning odour in cabin
An Endeavor Air Canadair CRJ-900 on behalf of Delta Airlines, registration
N917XJ performing flight 9E-2921/DL-2921 from New York JFK,NY to Minneapolis,MN
(USA) with 69 people on board, was on a Canarsie climb through 10,000 feet
out of JFK when the crew reported a burning odour on board, donned their
oxygen masks and advised they needed to return. The aircraft descended to
4000 feet and positioned for an approach to runway 31R. The aircraft landed
safely on runway 31R, vacated the runway and stopped. Passengers disembarked
normally and were bussed to the terminal.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=46b46c33
20131110183625:20131109000000
Incident: SAS B738 near Brussels on Nov 9th 2013, electrical smell from aft galley
A SAS Scandinavian Airlines Boeing 737-800, registration LN-RRF performing
flight SK-7320 from Las Palmas,CI (Spain) to Trondheim (Norway) with 164
passengers, was enroute at FL380 about 50nm west of Brussels (Belgium) when
the crew reported an electrical odour from the aft galley and decided to
divert to Brussels. The aircraft landed safely on runway 25R about 21 minutes
after leaving FL380.

A replacement Boeing 737-800 registration LN-RPM departed Brussels the following
morning and reached Trondheim with a delay of 14 hours.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=46b36b7c
20150112134911:20131108000000
Incident: Ryanair B738 near Seville on Nov 8th 2013, white smoke on board
A Ryanair Boeing 737-800, registration EI-DPF performing flight FR-2355
from Tangier (Morocco) to Dusseldorf Niederrhein (Germany) with 175 passengers
and 6 crew, was climbing out of Tangier when the crew stopped the climb
at FL110 and decided to divert to Seville,SP (Spain) after a passenger reported
fumes on board. The aircraft landed safely on Seville’s runway 27 about
17 minutes later.

Maintenance determined an air conditioning fault causing a pipe to blow
dust and/or debris into the cabin.

The airline reported a passenger reported fumes in the cabin, the crew alerted
the fire services in Seville, who were on standby for the arrival of the
aircraft, that landed normally. The passengers were taken to a replacement
aircraft which continued towards Dusseldorf’s Niederrhein (Weeze) Airport.
Engineers inspected the aircraft and found a fault in the air conditioning
system, the relevant safety agencies in Spain and Ireland have been advised.

A number of Spanish media reported a cabin fire and smoke in the cabin,
the aircraft diverted to Seville, vacated the runway and taxied to the terminal,
others reported the crew reported smoke in the cabin.

On Nov 14th 2013 Spain’s CIAIAC reported that cabin crew reported dense
white smoke with no odour while climbing through 8000 feet out of Tangier.
The flight crew stopped the climb and diverted to Seville, the aircraft
vacated the runway and stopped on the taxiways, doors were opened and passengers
disembarked normally. An investigation has been opened.

On Jan 12th 2015 Spain’s CIAIAC reported in an interim statement, that the
examination of the aircraft revealed three air conditioning ducts in the
area where the smoke originated out of position. The investigation focusses
on why the ducts were in that condition and on analyzing the crew’s handling
of the emergency. The draft reported is being written.

A replacement Boeing 737-800 registration EI-DYI departed Seville about
4.5 hours after landing of EI-DPF and reached Cologne/Bonn at about 03:45L
about 4 hours behind scheduled landing at Weeze Airport.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=46b2d714
20131108203937:20131108000000
Incident: Lufthansa A321 near Berlin on Nov 8th 2013, burning odour in cockpit
A Lufthansa Airbus A321-200, registration D-AISJ performing flight LH-195
from Berlin Tegel to Frankfurt/Main (Germany) with 196 passengers and 6
crew, was climbing through FL160 out of Berlin when the crew declared emergency
reporting a burning odour in the cockpit and returned to Tegel for a safe
landing on runway 08L about 14 minutes later. Attending emergency services
found no trace of fire, heat or smoke.

Lufthansa reported a safety landing because of an unidentified odour, there
was no fire or smoke involved. The passengers were rebooked onto other flights.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=46a8fb9e
20131027210026:20131026000000
Incident: Germanwings A319 near Bologna on Oct 26th 2013, odour on board
A Germanwings Airbus A319-100, registration D-AKNF performing flight 4U-816
from Cologne (Germany) to Catania (Italy) with 125 passengers and 5 crew,
was enroute at FL390 about 60nm north of Bologna (Italy) when the crew declared
emergency reporting an undefined odour on board. The aircraft landed safely
on Bologna’s runway 12 about 14 minutes after leaving FL390.

The airport was closed for about 40 minutes until emergency services declared
the aircraft safe, the occupants disembarked normally via stairs, and the
aircraft was towed off the runway.

A replacement Airbus A319-100 registration D-AKNN reached Catania with a
delay of 6.5 hours.

The incident aircraft returned to Cologne (Germany) as positioning flight
4U-6905 after about 4.5 hours on the ground.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=46a76096
20131025210045:20131024000000
Incident: Spirit A319 at New Orleans on Oct 24th 2013, smell of smoke in cabin
A Spirit Airlines Airbus A319-100, registration N512NK performing flight
NK-365 from New Orleans,LA to Dallas Ft. Worth,TX (USA) with 129 people
on board, was climbing out of New Orleans when the crew stopped the climb
at 14,000 feet and returned to New Orleans reporting a smokey odour on board.
The aircraft landed safely on New Orleans’ runway 20 about 18 minutes after
departure.

The incident aircraft was able to depart again after about 3:15 hours on
the ground and reached Dallas with a delay of 3 hours.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=46a69edb
20131024233941:20131022000000
Incident: American B752 near El Paso on Oct 22nd 2013, electrical odour on board
An American Airlines Boeing 757-200, registration N688AA performing flight
AA-2420 from Los Angeles,CA to Dallas Ft. Worth,TX (USA) with 162 passengers
and 6 crew, was enroute at FL370 about 50nm northwest of El Paso,TX when
the crew declared emergency reporting an electrical smell on board and diverted
to El Paso for a safe landing on runway 22 about 18 minutes later. Emergency
services found no trace of fire, heat or smoke.

The remainder of the flight was cancelled, the passengers were rebooked
onto other flights.

The incident aircraft resumed service about 27 hours later.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=46a5c3a3
20131023230252:20131021000000
Incident: Delta MD88 near Syracuse on Oct 21st 2013, coffee pot smoking
An Delta Airlines McDonnell Douglas MD-88, registration N920DL performing
flight DL-1841 from Syracuse,NY to Atlanta,GA (USA) with 116 people on board,
was climbing through about 15,000 feet out of Syracuse when the crew declared
emergency reporting they had a fire extinguisher discharged, a coffee pot
at the right forward galley was smoking. The aircraft returned to Syracuse
for a safe landing on runway 10 about 12 minutes later, vacated the runway
and stopped for a brief examination by emergency services, then continued
to the apron.

The airline confirmed a smokey odour in the galley.

The airport reported there had been a small electrical fire at the coffee
pot, which had been quickly extinguished.

A replacement MD-88 reached Atlanta with a delay of 5.5 hours.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=469d410e
20131012165724:20131009000000
Incident: Frontier A320 near Indianapolis on Oct 9th 2013, hydraulic problems and foul odour on board
A Frontier Airbus A320-200, registration N213FR performing flight F9-419
from Washington National,DC to Denver,CO (USA) with 171 people on board,
was enroute at FL340 about 160nm east of Indianapolis,IN (USA) when passengers
noticed a foul odour on board, shortly followed by the crew reporting hydraulic
problems to ATC. The aircraft diverted to Indianapolis for a safe landing
on runway 05L about 45 minutes later.

A replacement Airbus A319-100 registration N939FR reached Denver with the
majority of passengers with a delay of 5.5 hours, the other passengers spent
the night in Indianapolis and were rebooked onto other flights.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=46972b4f
20131004213636:20131004000000
Incident: Germania B737 near Varna on Oct 4th 2013, electrical smell
A Germania Boeing 737-700, registration D-AGEL performing flight ST-8167
from Adana (Turkey) to Berlin Tegel (Germany) with 152 passengers, was enroute
at FL380 about 60nm northeast of Varna (Bulgaria) in Romanian Airspace when
the crew reported an electrical odour like burnt wires and decided to divert
to Varna, where the aircraft landed safely about 20 minutes later.

After an examination the aircraft was released to flight, departed Varna
after 90 minutes on the ground. According to flight plan the aircraft reached
Berlin with a delay of 12 hours after a departure from Adana about 11 hours
behind schedule.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=46860223
20130913211021:20130913000000
Incident: Delta B764 near Dublin on Sep 13th 2013, odour on board
A Delta Airlines Boeing 767-400, registration N832MH performing flight DL-143
from Frankfurt/Main (Germany) to Detroit,MI (USA) with 246 people on board,
was enroute at FL320 about 200nm northnorthwest of Dublin (Ireland) when
the crew decided to divert to Dublin reporting an odour on board. The aircraft
landed safely on Dublin’s runway 28 about 30 minutes later.

The airline confirmed the aircraft diverted to Dublin as a precaution to
check out the source of an odour on board.

A replacement Boeing 767-400 registration N838MH is estimated to reach Detroit
with a delay of 9 hours.

The incident aircraft is still on the ground about 11 hours after landing.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=4684624b
20130911200324:20130910000000
Accident: Air Berlin A321 near Nuremberg on Sep 10th 2013, unusual odour near lavatory, 2 cabin crew treated for smoke inhalation
An Air Berlin Airbus A321-200, registration D-ABCF performing flight AB-9152
from Berlin Tegel (Germany) to Palma Mallorca,SP (Spain) with 140 passengers,
was enroute at FL350 about 50nm north of Nuremberg (Germany) when the crew
decided to divert to Nuremberg due to an unusual, unidentifyable smell near
the lavatory. The aircraft landed safely, however two cabin crew members
were taken to a hospital, where they were diagnosed with smoke inhalation.

A replacement Boeing 737-800 registration D-ABMG reached Palma Mallorca
with a delay of 4 hours.

The airline reported that the aircraft diverted to Nuremberg due to a smell
near a lavatory that could not be identified. A male and a female cabin
crew member were taken to a hospital.

The hospital reported the two cabin crew were diagnosed with smoke inhalation
and remained in intense hospital care for 24 hours.

The accident aircraft resumed service the following day.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=4680579a
20130907172403:20130905000000
Incident: Sun Country B737 near Spokane on Sep 5th 2013, smell of smoke as result of passenger laser burning holes
A Sun Country Airlines Boeing 737-700, registration N716SY performing flight
SY-283 from Minneapolis,MN to Seattle,WA (USA) with 105 passengers and 5
crew, was enroute at FL400 about 60nm east of Spokane,WA (USA) when the
crew reported the smell of smoke on board and diverted to Spokane for a
safe landing on runway 03 about 15 minutes later. Attending emergency services
found no trace of fire, heat or smoke.

On Sep 7th Authorities reported the FBI arrested a passenger who had brought
along home built laser devices and had operated those devices in flight
burning a number of holes into aircraft seats around his seat resulting
in the odour that prompted the diversion to Spokane.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=467fa2cd
20130905200135:20130904000000
Incident: American B738 near Dallas on Sep 4th 2013, air conditioning system failure and odour
An American Airlines Boeing 737-800, registration N935NN performing flight
AA-1511 from Dallas Ft. Worth,TX to Fort Lauderdale,FL (USA), climbed through
FL200 out of Dallas when the left hand air conditioning system failed and
an overheating odour appeared in the cabin. The crew stopped the climb at
FL230 and return to Dallas for a safe landing about 30 minutes later.

A replacement Boeing 737-800 registration N890NN reached Fort Lauderdale
with a delay of 3 hours.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=467ab70a
20130830213825:20130830000000
Incident: Lufthansa A320 near Copenhagen on Aug 30th 2013, smelly carpet
A Lufthansa Airbus A320-200, registration D-AIZE performing flight LH-809
from Stockholm (Sweden) to Frankfurt/Main (Germany) with 129 passengers,
was enroute at FL360 about 85nm northeast of Copenhagen (Denmark) when the
crew decided to divert to Copenhagen due to a strong odour on board. The
aircraft landed safely on runway 22L about 15 minutes later.

The passengers were rebooked onto other flights.

Maintenance determined that the odour originated from a newly installed
carpet.

The incident aircraft departed Copenhagen after about 2.5 hours on the ground
just with the flight crew on board and positioned to Frankfurt reaching
Frankfurt with a delay of 2:45 hours.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=467737ff
20130826153727:20130825000000
Incident: Delta B752 near Montgomery on Aug 25th 2013, smokey odour on board
A Delta Airlines Boeing 757-200, registration N6700 performing flight DL-534
from Cancun (Mexico) to Atlanta,GA (USA) with 184 passengers and 6 crew,
was enroute at FL370 about 95nm southwest of Montgomery,AL (USA) when the
crew detected a smokey odour on board and decided to divert to Montgomery
for a safe landing about 16 minutes later. Emergency services found no trace
of fire, heat or smoke.

The airline reported a malfunctioning fluorescent light was identified as
source of the odour.

A replacement Boeing 757-200 reached Atlanta with a delay of 4 hours.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=46700b2f
20130819163155:20130816000000
Incident: Ryanair B738 at Bremen on Aug 16th 2013, rejected takeoff
A Ryanair Boeing 737-800, registration EI-EGD performing flight FR-7602
from Bremen (Germany) to Vilnius (Lithuania) with 164 passengers, rejected
takeoff from Bremen’s runway 09 at low speed after the crew noticed a strong
odour in the cockpit. The aircraft slowed safely and returned to the apron.

Germany’s BFU confirmed the aircraft returned to the gate due to fumes in
the cockpit, however no investigation has been initiated.

A replacement Boeing 737-800 registration EI-DWJ reached Vilnius with a
delay of 3.5 hours.

The incident aircraft resumed service after about 5.5 hours on the ground.

On Aug 19th 2013 Ryanair told The Aviation Herald: “A Ryanair flight from
Bremen to Vilnius (16 Aug) returned to stand prior to take-off as a precaution
after the crew reported the smell of fumes in the cabin. Passengers were
disembarked and switched to a replacement aircraft, which was sent from
Stansted and which departed for Vilnius with an approximate 3 hour delay.
Ryanair apologised sincerely to all 164 passengers affected by this delay.
The aircraft was inspected by Ryanair engineers and cleared to return to
service.”
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=478cc4e0
20140814151520:20130802000000
Report: Jet2 B733 at Leeds on Aug 2nd 2013, electrical failure and burning smell
A Jet2.Com Boeing 737-300, registration G-CELF performing flight LS-201
from Leeds,EN (UK) to Amsterdam (Netherlands) with 119 passengers and 5
crew, was climbing out of Leeds’ runway 14 with the first officer flying
the aircraft and the captain (56, ATPL, 8,130 hours total, 3,300 hours on
type) being pilot monitoring, when the captain heard a click sound and noticed
the autothrottle had disconnected. Subsequently the Master Caution and FLT
CONT indication activated indicating the Mach trim had failed. At the same
time the commanders electronic ADI, HSI, Altimeter, VSI, Mach and radio
altimeter failed, the #1 rectifier transformer unit circuit breaker tripped,
the flight management computer locked up with both CDUs becoming unresponsive.
The right hand instruments remained all functional except for the flight
track (from the FMS) no longer being displayed on the navigation display
and crosschecked with the stand by instruments. The crew continued to retract
gear and flaps and at safe height levelled off at 4000 feet. The captain
checked the condition of the electrical systems, detected that yaw damper,
left forward window overheat, a fuel pump and normal exhaust fan were also
inoperative. The circuit breakers for battery charger, electric hydraulic
pump B and normal exhaust fan had tripped in addition. The commander started
the APU, called the purser to the flight deck for a briefing. When the purser
returned to the cabin she noticed a distinct smell of burning but no visible
smoke or haze, her collegues at the aft galley confirmed they were smelling
the odour as well. Cabin crew alerted the commander to the smell and shut
down the galleys. The commander declared PAN, the aircraft returned to Leeds.
While on final approach to runway 14 the left hand generator tripped offline,
the captain selected the APU as source for generator bus 1, and all instruments
including the FMS were reinstated. The aircraft landed safely on runway
14 and vacated the runway, then stopped. The passengers disembarked onto
the taxiway, the aircraft was towed to the apron.

The AAIB released their bulletin stating that maintenance found the “the
red phase ëAí ground cable from the No 1 generator had separated from the
T191 stud on the side of the No 1 engine. This cable had separated due to
a failure of its terminal lug. Further examination of the generator harness
revealed a cracked terminal lug on the blue phase ëCí ground cable at the
T191 stud and a further cracked terminal lug at the firewall end of the
grey ground cable. The crack on the blue phase ëCí lug was only visible
after the heatshrink insulation was removed.”

The left hand generator harness had not undergone maintenace since last
overhaul in 2008. During that overhaul the harness, taken from another engine,
had been moved onto G-CELF.

The lug of the fractured cable had suffered from fatigue causing cracks
to develop.

The AAIB analysed: “The initial loss of the AT was recognised by the commander
who was aware that it was not a ëno goí item in the Minimum Equipment List
(MEL) and expected to continue the flight. As his instruments and other
services failed, he realised that there had been a significant electrical
failure although he did not recognise the situation as one which was covered
in the abnormal checklist. The PF continued to fly the aircraft, using his
instruments, and ATC were notified of the situation. The crew agreed that
there was no abnormal procedure for their circumstances and that they should
return to Leeds Bradford Airport. At that stage, there was no urgency to
return and the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) regarding briefing the
cabin crew were carried out as normal. When the SSC made the commander aware
of the burning smell, the flight crew decided to expedite their return and
transmitted a PAN call. From his training background, the commander knew
that 140 kt was a safe approach speed and would not be runway limiting.
When the No 1 generator tripped offline, the commander carried out the abnormal
procedure and the FMC became available, enabling the appropriate approach
speed to be obtained.”

With respect to the failure of the lugs the AAIB analysed: “The red phase
ëAí ground cable terminal lug failed due to corrosion fatigue under the
influence of loads consistent with high frequency vibrations. The blue phase
ëCí terminal lug and the grey ground terminal lug had started to crack in
the same manner and would probably have failed eventually as well. This
engine had been subject to higher than normal vibration in the month preceding
the failures, which was probably a contributory factor.”

The damaged cables (Photo: AAIB):

———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=46691d37
20130808155450:20130728000000
Accident: Air France B773 at Paris on Jul 28th 2013, evacuation while boarding due to fumes
An Air France Boeing 777-300, registration F-GSQA performing flight AF-116
from Paris Charles de Gaulle (France) to Shanghai (China) with 315 people
on board, was boarding at the gate when the crew noticed a strong burning
odour on board and saw smoke in the cabin. The captain ordered the evacuation
of the aircraft, the first officer declared Mayday and requested emergency
vehicles. The overwing exits were opened for the evacuation, a number of
passengers evacuated that way. One passenger received a serious injury during
the evacuation and was taken to a hospital.

France’s BEA reported in their weekly bulletin released Aug 8th that the
crew noticed a strong burning odour on board and noticed visible smoke in
the cabin, the captain ordered the evacuation which in part was performed
through the overwing exits. One passenger evacuating that route received
an elbow fracture.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=465fe5a7
20130727211442:20130725000000
Incident: Delta B752 near Detroit on Jul 25th 2013, smokey odour on board
A Delta Airlines Boeing 757-200, registration N521US performing flight DL-903
from Detroit,MI to Fort Lauderdale,FL (USA), had just reached cruise level
350 when the crew reported a smokey odour on board and decided to return
to Detroit, subsequently changing the decision to divert to Cincinnati’s
Northern Kentucky Airport,KY for a safe landing on runway 18C about 35 minutes
later.

The airline reported the crew diverted out of abundance of caution after
a smokey odour was detected on board.

A replacement Boeing 757-200 reached Fort Lauderdale with a delay of 6:15
hours.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=4656fea9
20130716173819:20130712000000
Accident: Alaska B738 near Chicago on Jul 12th 2013, odour in cabin
An Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-800, registration N538AS performing flight
AS-769 from Boston,MA to San Diego,CA (USA), was enroute at FL340 about
120nm east of Chicago,IL (USA) when the crew decided to divert to Chicago’s
O’Hare Airport reporting an odour in the cabin. The aircraft landed safely
on O’Hare’s runway 10 about 25 minutes later.

The FAA reported three flight attendants received injuries.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=46485b19
20130628160625:20130627000000
Incident: Lufthansa A346 near Portland on Jun 27th 2013, electrical odour on board
A Lufthansa Airbus A340-600, registration D-AIHV performing flight LH-459
from San Francisco,CA (USA) to Munich (Germany) with 323 passengers and
16 crew, was enroute at FL340 about 240nm eastsoutheast of Portland,OR (USA)
when the crew reported an electrical odour on board and decided to divert
to Portland later changing their diversion destination to Seattle,WA (USA).
The aircraft landed safely on Seattle’s runway 34R about one hour after
reporting the odour on board. Two flight attendants and a passenger were
treated by paramedics at the airport for breathing irritation.

The passengers were taken to hotels.

Lufthansa’s website currently estimates the flight will arrive in Munich
with a delay of 19 hours.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=46463070
20130625220856:20130625000000
Incident: Lufthansa A333 near Amsterdam on Jun 25th 2013, electrical odour on board
A Lufthansa Airbus A330-300, registration D-AIKO performing flight LH-442
from Frankfurt/Main (Germany) to Detroit,MI (USA) with 207 people on board,
was enroute at FL350 over the North Sea about 30nm northwest of Amsterdam
when the crew reported an electrical odour on board and decided to divert
to Amsterdam. The aircraft landed safely on Amsterdam’s runway 27 about
30 minutes later.

The aircraft was able to continue the flight after 2:45 hours on the ground
and is currently estimated to reach Detroit with a delay of 4 hours after
a coffee maker, identified as source of the smell, was removed from service.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=46445a3e
20130623145633:20130621000000
Incident: American B738 at Washington on Jun 21st 2013, electrical odour in cockpit
An American Airlines Boeing 737-800, registration N855NN performing flight
AA-1227 from Washington National,DC to Miami,FL (USA), was climbing out
of Ronald Reagan National Airport’s runway 19 when the crew stopped the
climb reporting an electrical odour on board and decided to divert to Washington’s
International Airport. The crew, audibly on oxygen masks at that time, requested
emergency services on stand by while reporting on International Airport’s
tower frequency, emergency services were already on stand by, and continued
for a safe landing on runway 19L about 15 minutes after departure. The aircraft
vacated the runway, flight crew still audibly on oxygen masks, emergency
services requested the engines be shut down for inspection of the aircraft.

The airline reported the aircraft diverted to Washington’s International
Airport as a precaution due to an odour on board of the aircraft, the airport
was chosen due to the longer runways available.

The incident aircraft was able to continue the flight after about 4.5 hours
on the ground and reached Miami with a delay of 4.5 hours.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=4642f2b1
20130621201158:20130616000000
Incident: Air Canada B772 over Pacific on Jun 16th 2013, acrid odour in lavatory
An Air Canada Boeing 777-200, registration C-FIUF performing flight AC-34
from Sydney,NS (Australia) to Vancouver,BC (Canada) with 288 people on board,
was enroute over the Pacific Ocean when an acrid odour developed in the
R2 lavatory. The crew declared PAN and diverted to Nadi (Fiji) for a safe
landing.

The Canadian TSB reported that maintenance replaced a light ballast according
to aircraft maintenance manual.

The aircraft reached Vancouver with a delay of 30 hours.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=4625ed5c
20130516202052:20130514000000
Incident: Inuit DH8C near Baie-Comeau on May 14th 2013, smoke in cockpit
An Air Inuit de Havilland Dash 8-300, registration C-GRAI performing flight
3H-833 from Schefferville,QC to Quebec,QC (Canada) with 18 passengers and
3 crew, was enroute at FL220 about 50nm southwest of Baie-Comeau,QC when
the crew noticed light smoke in the cockpit and a burning odour, declared
emergency and diverted to Baie-Comeau for a safe landing.

The Canadian TSB reported maintenance is examining the aircraft to determine
the source of the smoke.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=4621be5e
20130511134258:20130510000000
Incident: KLM Cityhopper F70 near Amsterdam on May 10th 2013, burning odour in cockpit
A KLM Cityhopper Fokker 70, registration PH-KZC performing flight WA-1515/KL-1515
from Amsterdam (Netherlands) to Norwich,EN (UK), was climbing out of Amsterdam’s
runway 24 when the crew stopped the climb at FL080 reporting a burning rubber
odour in the cockpit and returned to Amsterdam for a safe landing on runway
18R about 17 minutes after departure and taxied to the apron.

A replacement Fokker 70 registration PH-KZP reached Norwich with a delay
of one hour.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=46205c17
20130509193350:20130508000000
Incident: American MD83 near Denver on May 8th 2013, burning odour on board
An American Airlines McDonnell Douglas MD-83, registration N980TW performing
flight AA-880 from Denver,CO to Dallas Ft. Worth,TX (USA) with 107 people
on board, was climbing out of Denver when the crew stopped the climb at
FL280 reporting a burning electrical odour on board and decided to divert
to Pueblo,CO (USA) for a safe landing 15 minutes later. Emergency services
did not find any trace of fire, heat or smoke.

The passengers were bussed to Colorado Springs,CO, boarded another aircraft
and reached Dallas with a delay of 8 hours.

The incident aircraft was able to position to Dallas the following day (AA-9606)
and resumed service.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=461f631b
20130508134532:20130507000000
Incident: American Eagle E145 near Jacksonville on May 7th 2013, odour of nail polish remover
An American Eagle Embraer ERJ-145, registration N902BC performing flight
MQ-3505 from Miami,FL to Cincinnati,KY (USA), was enroute at FL370 about
35nm northwest of Jacksonville,FL (USA) when the crew reported an odour
in the cockpit and decided to divert to Jacksonville for a safe landing
about 20 minutes later.

The airline reported passengers had smelled an odour similiar to a nail
polish remover prompting the crew to divert to Jacksonville as a precaution.

The aircraft was able to continue the flight after about 3.5 hours on the
ground and reached Cincinnati with a delay of 3:45 hours.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=461ee35d
20130719143140:20130507000000
Incident: British Airways B763 near Amsterdam on May 7th 2013, burning odour and smoke in cockpit
A British Airways Boeing 767-300, registration G-BNWI performing flight
BA-234 from Moscow Domodedovo (Russia) to London Heathrow,EN (UK) with 63
passengers and 9 crew, was enroute at FL400 about 115nm east of Amsterdam
(Netherlands) when the crew reported a burning odour in the cockpit and
decided to divert to Amsterdam subsequently advising there was visible smoke.
Further into the approach the crew reported that the smoke was no longer
visible, they suspected an electrical problem. The aircraft continued for
a safe landing on Amsterdam’s runway 36R about 32 minutes after leaving
FL400. The aircraft taxied to the gate after a quick check by emergency
services, that did not find any trace of fire or heat.

All 63 passengers were rebooked onto flight BA-433 flown by an Airbus A319-100
and reached London with a delay of 1.5 hours.

A maintenance team is being flown in from London to further examine the
aircraft.

The Dutch Onderzoeksraad (DSB) opened an investigation reporting there was
odour and smoke in the cockpit, the aircraft also encountered problems with
autothrottle.

The DSB reported in their quarterly bulletin of July 2013 that the aircraft
was enroute from Moscow to London when the autothrottle disconnected unexpectedly.
The crew worked the relevant checklists and consulted with dispatch, then
reengaged autothrottle. Seconds later a burning smell developed in the cockpit,
dissipated and reappeared. Suspecting a causal link between the autothrottle
disconnect and the burning smell the crew disengaged autothrottle, the burning
smell dissipated again. Some time later the burning smell appeared again
however, one of the cabin crew was called to the cockpit and reported feeling
unwell prompting the flight crew to don their oxygen masks and divert to
Amsterdam. The cockpit smoke and fire checklists were executed, the aircraft
landed in Amsterdam without further incident, the cabin crew member did
not require medical treatment. A preliminary investigation did not identify
any problem with autothrottle, however, a recirculation fan of the air conditioning
system was found seized due to a defective bearing causing the burning smell.
The occurrence was rated a serious incident, the investigation continues.

———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=461f7f57
20130508170857:20130506000000
Incident: Aeroflot A320 at Minsk on May 6th 2013, odour in cabin, smoke after landing
An Aeroflot Airbus A320-200, registration VQ-BHL performing flight SU-1830
from Moscow Sheremetyevo (Russia) to Minsk (Belarus) with 70 people on board,
was about to turn onto final approach when a burning odour was noticed in
the business class cabin. The aircraft continued for a safe landing.

Rosaviatsia reported that after landing smoke became visible in the cabin,
but did not report further details.

The incident aircraft remained on the ground for about 14 hours, then resumed
service and performed the return flight SU-1831.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=46179673
20130428190231:20130427000000
Incident: Luxair B737 near Luxembourg on Apr 27th 2013, returned twice because of burning odour in cabin
A Luxair Boeing 737-700, registration LX-LGS performing flight LG-263 from
Luxembourg (Luxembourg) to Bastia (France) with 141 passengers, was climbing
out of Luxembourg when a burning odour developed in the cabin prompting
the crew to stop the climb at FL270 and return to Luxembourg for a safe
landing on runway 06 about 40 minutes after departure.

Following checks the aircraft departed again after about 4 hours on the
ground, however a burning odour developed again in the cabin so that the
crew stopped the climb at 6000 feet and returned to Luxembourg again for
a safe landing on runway 06 about 10 minutes after second departure.

The flight was subsequently cancelled.

Two de Havilland Dash 8-400 registrations LX-LGN and LX-LGG took the passengers
to Bastia as flights LG-265 and LG-267 and reached Bastia with a delay of
about 8 hours.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=461acbe3
20130502194413:20130426000000
Incident: Air Canada E190 at Calgary on Apr 26th 2013, rejected takeoff
An Air Canada Embraer ERJ-190, registration C-FMYV performing flight AC-225
from Calgary,AB to Vancouver,BC (Canada) with 102 people on board, rejected
takeoff from Calgary’s runway 28 when a strong odour and white smoke appeared
in the cockpit. The aircraft slowed safely and vacated the runway, emergency
services responded, the smoke dissipated after the engine thrust had been
reduced to idle.

The Canadian TSB reported maintenance identified the left hand air cycle
machine as source of the odour and smoke and replaced the machine, the recirculation
fans and filters. Following engine grounds runs went without residual odour.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=46179054
20130501195459:20130425000000
Incident: Lufthansa A346 near Black Tickle on Apr 25th 2013, electrical smell in galley
A Lufthansa Airbus A340-600, registration D-AIHC performing flight LH-423
from Boston,MA (USA) to Frankfurt/Main (Germany), was enroute at FL370 about
20nm southwest of Black Tickle,NL (Canada) when the crew reported an electrical
smell in the lower galley and requested to return to Boston. The aircraft
descended to FL320. While descending towards Boston the crew reported that
the electrical smell still persisted but hadn’t gotten any worse, maybe
a bit better, and advised they did not need emergency services on stand
by. The aircraft landed safely on Boston’s runway 04R about 2.5 hours after
turning around.

The aircraft was able to resume the flight after about 20 hours on the ground
and reached Frankfurt with a delay of 26:15 hours.

On May 1st 2013 the Canadian TSB reported that the odour was traced to the
inflight entertainment system, the system was shut down and the odour dissipated.
The entertainment unit was removed from the aircraft after landing in Boston
and the aircraft was released to service.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=46138a01
20130423181618:20130421000000
Incident: Lufthansa A320 near Stockholm on Apr 21st 2013, burning odour on board
A Lufthansa Airbus A320-200, registration D-AIPL performing flight LH-2419
from Stockholm (Sweden) to Munich (Germany) with 137 passengers, was climbing
out of Stockholm when the crew stopped the climb at FL230 reporting a burning
odour on board and decided to return to Stockholm’s Arlanda Airport for
a safe landing on runway 26 about 30 minutes after departure. Emergency
services found no trace of fire, heat or smoke.

Following checks the aircraft was able to depart again after about 3:00
hours on the ground and reached Munich with a delay of 3:20 hours.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=460d6f21
20130416124501:20130415000000
Incident: US Airways A321 near Phoenix on Apr 15th 2013, unusual odour on board
A US Airways Airbus A321-200, registration N191UW performing flight US-797
from Philadelphia,PA to Los Angeles,CA (USA), was enroute at FL340 about
80nm north of Phoenix,AZ (USA) when the crew reported an unusual odour on
board of the aircraft and decided to divert to Phoenix for a safe landing
about 20 minutes later.

The remainder of the flight was cancelled, the passengers were rebooked
onto other flights.

The cause of the odour is being investigated.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=4608ce3d
20130410184748:20130410000000
Incident: China Eastern A320 near Hangzhou on Apr 10th 2013, smoke in cabin
A China Eastern Airbus A320-200, flight MU-5211 from Hangzhou to Guangzhou
(China) with 146 passengers and 8 crew, was climbing out of Hangzhou about
10 minutes into the flight when a strong burning smell became noticeable
in the aft cabin shortly followed by visible smoke. The crew stopped the
climb and returned to Hangzhou for a safe landing about 25 minutes after
departure. Emergency services found no trace of fire or heat.

A replacement Airbus A320-200 reached Guangzhou with a delay of 5.5 hours.

Passengers reported on Weibo the tail of the aircraft was on fire.

The airline said, there was no fire. A malfunction of the air conditioning
system is suspected as cause of the odour and smoke, the examination of
the aircraft is ongoing.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=46057711
20130406160907:20130405000000
Incident: Copa E190 over Caribbean Sea on Apr 5th 2013, odour on board
A Copa Airlines Embraer ERJ-190, flight CM-103 from Port-au-Prince (Haiti)
to Panama City (Panama) with 93 passengers and 5 crew, was enroute over
the Caribbean Sea when an odour of ammonium developed in the cabin causing
breathing problems, suffocation and eye irritation to passengers. The crew
diverted the aircraft to the nearest airport in Barranquilla (Colombia)
for a safe landing, 7 passengers needed medical treatment.

Authorities quickly identified a passenger, described as a shaman and voodoo
healer, had carried various bottles with liquids claimed to be medicine,
one of those bottles was leaking releasing the smell of ammonium. None of
the substances was prohibited however.

All passengers including the shaman continued the journey on the aircraft,
that departed Barranquilla about 75 minutes after landing and reached Panama
City with a delay of 3 hours.

Media in Panama and Colombia widely report the flight was CM-102 from Panama
City to Port au Prince landing in Barranquilla at 19:35L (00:35Z Apr 6th),
that flight however departed Panama City at 11:51L (16:51Z) and landed in
Port au Prince at 15:23L (19:23Z). CM-103 left Port au Prince at 18:56L
(22:56Z) and was estimated to reach Panama City at 20:20L (01:20Z) (the
airline’s website actually states in flight status provided by an external
service that the aircraft landed in Panama City at that time).
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=46024767
20130402180843:20130401000000
Incident: Swiss A333 near Zurich on Apr 1st 2013, odour in cabin
A Swiss Airbus A330-300, registration HB-JHJ performing flight LX-154 from
Zurich (Switzerland) to Mumbai (India), was climbing out of Zurich’s runway
16 when the crew stopped the climb at FL120 due an electrical odour developing
in the cabin. The aircraft returned to Zurich for a safe landing on runway
14 about 50 minutes after departure.

A replacement Airbus A330-300 registration HB-JHE reached Mumbai with a
delay of 3.5 hours.

The airline reported one of four ventilators of the air conditioning systems
had failed.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=4600b3b4
20130331185737:20130330000000
Accident: Aer Lingus A320 enroute on Mar 30th 2013, smell sickens 4 passengers
An Aer Lingus Airbus A320-200, registration EI-DEC performing flight EI-765
from Tenerife Sur Reina Sofia, CI (Spain) to Dublin (Ireland) with 179 passengers
and 6 crew, was in flight when an odour developed in the cabin causing four
passengers to feel unwell. The aircraft continued to Dublin for a safe landing,
four passengers reported ill with one requiring medical attention.

The airline confirmed 4 passengers reported feeling ill as result of some
smell, one of them needed medical attention. The causes of the illnesses
are unknown.

A listener on frequency reported the crew requested medical services to
meet the aircraft upon arrival and requested ground staff be available to
carry out a deep cleaning of the aft toilets before dispatching the aircraft
again.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=45ff0005
20130329170852:20130328000000
Accident: Condor B753 enroute on Mar 28th 2013, poor ventilation of cabin
A Condor Boeing 757-300, registration D-ABOL performing flight DE-5439 from
Hurghada (Egypt) to Stuttgart (Germany) with 245 passengers and 9 crew,
was enroute when a number of passengers began to complain about headache
and nausea. The flight was continued to Stuttgart for a safe landing on
runway 25.

Germany’s BFU opened an investigation into the occurrence and dispatched
investigators to Stuttgart.

The airline reported that cabin crew noticed poor ventilation of the cabin
about two hours prior to landing in Stuttgart, a few passengers began to
complain about headache and nausea, the flight crew was not affected. No
odour was noticed at any time of the flight. Following safe landing the
aircraft is being examined, first results suggest a malfunction of parts
of the air conditioning systems.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=45fa1f5b
20140318140718:20130322000000
Accident: Condor B753 near Las Palmas on Mar 22nd 2013, odour on board causes 2 flight attendants to pass out
A Condor Boeing 757-300, registration D-ABOC performing flight DE-5944 from
Hamburg (Germany) to Las Palmas,CI (Spain) with 242 passengers and 8 crew,
was descending towards Las Palmas when an odour on board caused three flights
attendants to feel unwell, the first officer donned his oxygen masks. The
aircraft continued for a safe landing.

The airline confirmed the odour on board and reported that three flight
attendants felt unwell, the first officer donned his oxygen masks on approach
to Las Palmas’ Gran Canaria Airport. The other crew members and passengers
did not report feeling unwell. After landing the crew activated the APU
to determine the cause of the odour, following the activation the odour
re-intensified causing two flight attendants to become temporarily unconscious.
The flight attendants and first officer were taken to a hospital in Las
Palmas, released, and are on the way home. The aircraft had undergone a
C-Check in March 2013. Spanish and German Authorities are investigating.

The German BFU confirmed they were informed about the event as described,
Spain’s CIAIAC is investigating the occurrence with the assistance of the
BFU.

Passengers described a strong odour of oil fumes throughout the flight,
they felt unwell with head aches and dizziness.

The return flight DE-5945 was postponed to the next day, a replacement Boeing
767-300 registration D-ABUC was dispatched to Las Palmas and reached Hamburg
with a delay of 19 hours.

The occurrence aircraft resumed service on Mar 26th 2013.

On Apr 17th 2013 the Spanish CIAIAC reported that the aircraft had undergone
de-icing before departure from Hamburg. Departure and cruise had been uneventful,
during the approach at about 6000 feet the flight crew noticed a strong
smell in the cockpit that seemed to originate from the air conditioning
outlets. Immediately after the purser called the cockpit reporting that
the strong smell was perceived in the cabin, too. About 2 minutes later
the first officer indicated he felt unwell with dizziness, the captain recommended
to use the oxygen mask, the first officer donned his oxygen mask and felt
immediate improvement. The landing was continued without further incident,
the first officer removed the oxygen mask during taxi. After the passengers
had disembarked, preparations for the return flight began, company dispatch
instructed to have the engines checked for bird ingestion and verify hydraulic
and oil quantity levels, check the waste water lines and the air conditioning
particle filters, no anomalies were identified in these tests. An engine
run near the threshold of runway 03L was coordinates with tower, the aircraft
was towed to the runway, only the APU was running at that time, on board
was flight and cabin crew as well as a maintenance technician and a company
operator. Near the threshold the crew connected the APU bleed with the left
hand air conditioning system, which right away resulted in a strong smell,
two cabin crew suffered from physical problems. The air conditioning system
and APU bleed air was disconnected, all aircraft doors opened to ventilate
the aircraft, oxygen was provided to the two flight attendants and paramedics
called in who took the flight attendants to the hospital, where they stayed
over night. 2 CIAIAC inspectors were dispatched to Las Palmas who together
with company technicians examined the aircraft however without finding any
anomaly. An aerotracer device found traces of glycol and Pattex (adhesive)
in the cabin air. Another repeat of the tests performed by the crew near
the runway threshold did not produce any smells, all tests remained negative.
The only finding remained about 5 liters of glycol spilled in the APU compartment,
remnants of the de-icing in Hamburg, which were removed before the aircraft
returned to service.

On Mar 18th 2014 the CIAIAC released an interim statement stating: “In April
2013 the health of one of the flight attendants who had been onboard during
the flight of 22 March 2013 worsened, requiring hospitalization. The symptoms
presented were overall muscle fatigue, in particular proximal of the lower
limbs, difficulty walking, sensory disorder, trouble concentrating and general
fatigue. She was released from the hospital and continued treatment on an
out-patient basis. The symptoms persisted and her health did not show improvement,
even worsening at times to the point where she had to be hospitalized. As
of the date of this interim report, she still has not been able to return
to work. Although the tests performed on her have not been able to identify
the cause of the symptoms afflicting her, the medical report from the hospital
indicated poisoning caused by some type of neurotoxin.”

The CIAIAC reported that airline technicians in the presence of two CIAIAC
inspectors exhaustively examined the aircraft at Las Palmas but did not
find any anomaly. The tests were repeated with crew on board again with
no findings, the crew did not smell anything and suffered no physical alteration,
the aerotracers used during that test did not register anything abnormal.
Another test with all combinations of possible configurations of air conditioning
systems also did not detect any anomaly. The engines, air conditioning ducts,
hydraulic lines, APU etc. were checked, the only noticeable finding was
about 5 liters of glycol spilled into the APU compartment. The glycol was
removed.

On Mar 26th 2013 the aircraft was ferried to Frankfurt, all test equipment
and the technicians were on board that flight, the aerotracer was operational
throughout the flight.

About 100 minutes into the flight the aircraft encountered light turbulence
during which intense smell filled the cabin prompting the flight crew to
don their oxygen masks. Nonetheless, the first officer as well as the purser
felt their tongues going numb and their throat being irritated. The turbulence
stopped after about 10 minutes and the smell dissipated. The crew removed
the oxygen masks, the irritations and numbness ceased.

While descending towards Frankfurt the odour returned, the pilots again
donned their oxygen masks. The purser felt her fingers going numb. The smell
and symptoms ceased when the aircraft descended through 6000 feet.

The operator requested assistance by the aircraft manufacturer who deployed
a specialist team to Frankfurt. Samples were taken during flights and analysed
in laboratory without finding any anomaly.

The CIAIAC concluded the interim factual report: “A blood sample taken from
the flight attendant was sent to a laboratory in the United States that
specializes in neurotoxin poisoning, specifically in devising methods to
identify the presence of damage to the nervous system that is usually caused
by these substances. The analysis of the sample concluded that it exhibited
characteristics consistent with damage to the nervous system.”

The CIAIAC stated the next steps of the investigation will be:

– Continue monitoring the physical condition of the two FAs who have not
been able to return to work so as to determine the cause of their ailments.

– Investigation into the analytical methods used to identify toxins.

– Investigation to determine the source of the odor.

– Joint identification and review of similar cases with the German accident
investigation authority (BFU).
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=45f7b263
20130320170221:20130319000000
Incident: Fedex A306 at Fort Lauderdale on Mar 19th 2013, smoke in cockpit
A Fedex Federal Express Airbus A300-600, registration N676FE performing
freight flight FX-1677 from Fort Lauderdale,FL to Indianapolis,IN (USA)
with 2 crew and hazardeous goods on board (Lithium batteries), was climbing
out of Lauderdale’s runway 09L when the crew reported smoke in the cockpit,
stopped the climb at FL250 and returned to Fort Lauderdale. On approach
the crew reported they had received a fire indication for the avionics bay
and had observed a light odour in the cockpit, the indication had extinguished
in the meantime, they were carrying lithium batteries in the cargo. The
aircraft landed safely on runway 09L about 24 minutes after departure and
stopped on the runway. Emergency services reported seeing no smoke around
the aircraft, they also did not detect any hot spots. The aircraft subsequently
taxied to the cargo apron with the emergency services in trail.

Due to the emergency arriving traffic was sent into holds around Fort Lauderdale
for up to 30 minutes.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=45f6c7ec
20130319143922:20130319000000
Incident: KLM A332 near Amsterdam on Mar 19th 2013, odour on board
A KLM Airbus A330-200, registration PH-AOL performing flight KL-437 from
Amsterdam (Netherlands) to Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates), had just reached
cruise level 350 about 150nm eastsoutheast of Amsterdam when the crew decided
to return to Amsterdam due to a strong odour on board. The aircraft landed
safely on Amsterdam’s runway 18R about one hour after departure, vacated
the runway and stopped on taxiway P7 near the runway where passengers disembarked
via stairs. Measurements by emergency services did not find anything abnormal.

A replacement Airbus A330-200 registration PH-AOI is estimated to reach
Abu Dhabi with a delay of 4:15 hours.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=45f64b4e
20130318233007:20130317000000
Incident: Skywest E120 near Monterey on Mar 17th 2013, haze and odour in cabin
A Skywest Embraer EMB-120 on behalf of United, registration N308SW performing
flight OO-5303/UA-5303 from Bakersfield,CA to San Francisco,CA (USA) with
27 passengers and 3 crew, was enroute at FL220 about 35nm south of Monterey,CA
(USA) when the crew reported light haze and an odour in the cabin and decided
to divert to Monterey for a safe landing about 15 minutes later.

The airline reported the air conditioning system was identified as cause
of the odour. The passengers were taken to San Francisco by road.

Emergency services reported a smoke detector in a lavatory activated.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=45f399a9
20130315141805:20130314000000
Incident: Lufthansa A321 near Prague on Mar 14th 2013, odour in cabin
A Lufthansa Airbus A321-100, registration D-AIRH performing flight LH-2466
from Munich (Germany) to Helsinki (Finland) with 160 passengers and 6 crew,
was enroute at FL350 about 20nm northeast of Prague (Czech Republic) when
the crew decided to return to Munich due to a strange odour in the cabin.
The aircraft landed safely back on Munich’s runway 26R about 35 minutes
later.

A replacement Airbus A321-200 registration D-AIDU reached Helsinki with
a delay of 4 hours.

The airline confirmed a strange smell on board prompted the return to Munich,
the cause of the smell has not yet been determined.

A number of passengers described the smell as electric/electronic, others
characterised the smell similiar to oil fumes. The smell was light but clearly
detectable.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=45f6ce1e
20130330162559:20130302000000
Incident: Lufthansa B735 at Frankfurt and Graz on Mar 2nd 2013, odour in cockpit
A Lufthansa Boeing 737-500, registration D-ABIL performing flight LH-1260
from Frankfurt/Main (Germany) to Graz (Austria) with 58 passengers and 5
crew, was climbing out of Frankfurt’s runway 18 when the crew observed a
strong smell of “old socks” in the cockpit, which dissipated a short time
later. The flight was continued to Graz. On approach to Graz the smell re-appeared
prompting the crew to don their oxygen masks. The aircraft landed safely
on runway 35C and taxied to the gate.

Medical services reported that the captain suspecting intoxication wanted
blood and urine sampling of all crew members while on the ground in Graz,
however, this would have required the crew to go to the university clinics
downtown. The captain thus decided to perform the return flight on schedule
without sampling.

The aircraft departed for flight LH-1261 on schedule and reached Frankfurt
on time.

The aircraft remained on the ground in Frankfurt for 6 hours before resuming
service.

Austria’s VERSA (Civil Aviation Safety Investigation Authority) have opened
an investigation into the incident.

On Mar 25th 2013 Lufthansa confirmed to Austrianwings, that the left hand
engine (CFM56) was replaced after landing in Frankfurt. It was determined
that anti-ice fluid had caused the odour.

On Mar 30th 2013 the NTSB reported that the odour of old socks was present
immediately after takeoff for about 3 minutes and again about 5 minutes
prior to landing again for 3 minutes. Both flight crew donned their oxygen
masks while the smell was present in the cockpit and front galley. Austria’s
VERSA is investigating the occurrence, the NTSB have appointed an accredited
representative to the investigation.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=45e71874
20130228122055:20130226000000
Incident: Virgin Australia B738 at Melbourne on Feb 26th 2013, odour in cabin
A Virgin Australia Boeing 737-800, registration VH-VUZ performing flight
DJ-823 from Melbourne,VI to Sydney,NS (Australia) with 129 passengers, was
climbing out of Melbourne’s runway 34 when the crew stopped the climb at
5000 feet reporting an unusual odour in the cabin and decided to return
to Melbourne for a safe landing on runway 34 about 10 minutes after departure.

The flight was cancelled, the passengers were rebooked onto other flights.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=45e4c708
20130225172155:20130223000000
Incident: Delta A320 at Salt Lake City on Feb 23rd 2013, haze in cabin
A Delta Airlines Airbus A320-200, registration N356NW performing flight
DL-1158 from Salt Lake City,UT to Orlando,FL (USA) with 151 people on board,
was climbing out of Salt Lake City’s runway 34R with low visibility procedures
in effect when an acrid odour as well as haze developed in the cabin prompting
the crew to don their oxygen masks and stop the climb at 11,000 feet indicating
they wanted to return to Salt Lake City without mentioning the problem however.
About 4 minutes later the crew reported they had smoke in the cockpit, which
had started to dissipate at that point. The aircraft returned to Salt Lake
City for a safe landing on runway 34L (3500 feet RVR) about 20 minutes after
departure.

A replacement Airbus A320-200 registration N375NC reached Orlando with a
delay of 4.5 hours.

Passenger photo in the cabin (Photo: Blake Scarbrough):

———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=45e84591
20130301212712:20130222000000
Incident: Westjet B737 near Toronto on Feb 22nd 2013, electrical odour in cockpit
A Westjet Boeing 737-700, registration C-GWJE performing flight WS-2600
from Toronto,ON (Canada) to Kingston (Jamaica) with 131 people on board,
was climbing out of Toronto when the crew stopped the climb at 16,000 feet
reporting an electrical burning smell in the cockpit that became noticeable
in the cabin as well. The aircraft returned to Toronto for a safe landing
on Toronto’s runway 06L about 25 minutes after departure. Attending emergency
services found no trace of fire or heat.

The Canadian TSB reported that maintenance replaced the coalescer bags on
both air conditioning systems, ground run the engines with no smell detectable
after 10 minutes and returned the aircraft to service. The airline filed
a service difficulty report and is monitoring the aircraft on further flights.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=45e32b82
20130223184503:20130222000000
Incident: Lufthansa A388 near Bermuda on Feb 22nd 2013, electrical odour in cabin and cockpit
A Lufthansa Airbus A380-800, registration D-AIMJ performing flight LH-463
from Miami,FL (USA) to Frankfurt/Main (Germany), was enroute at FL380 about
220nm northwest of Bermuda (Bermuda) about 90 minutes into the flight when
the crew decided to return to Miami due to an electrical odour in cockpit
and cabin. The aircraft landed safely on Miami’s runway 09 about 65 minutes
later and taxied to the apron.

The flight was postponed to the next day and is currently estimated to depart
Miami with a delay of 20 hours.

A passenger reported the odour was similiar to an overheated hair dryer.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=45d658a2
20130706155532:20130206000000
Incident: LAN A343 near Madrid on Feb 6th 2013, odour of tear gas and smoke in cockpit
A LAN Airlines Airbus A340-300, registration CC-CQE performing flight LA-705
from Madrid,SP (Spain) to Santiago (Chile), was climbing through FL250 out
of Madrid when the crew donned their oxygen masks and decided to return
to Madrid due to smoke in the cockpit. The aircraft landed safely back on
Madrid’s runway 32R about 60 minutes after departure.

Passengers tweeted that they didn’t know why the aircraft returned, gossip
running amongst the passengers was smoke in the cabin.

The airline reported the crew received a maintenance alarm prompting the
return to Madrid. The passengers were taken to hotels over night and are
estimated to depart the following day.

On Mar 4th 2013 the French BEA reported in their weekly bulletin that during
climb the crew noticed smoke in the cockpit, donned their oxygen masks,
declared emergency and returned to Madrid. There was no damage to the aircraft,
Spanish Authorities are investigating the serious incident.

On Jul 5th 2013 the CIAIAC reported, that the aircraft had departed runway
36L and was climbing through FL270 when the crew noticed an odour similiar
to tear gas entering the cockpit followed by smoke. The crew donned their
oxygen masks, declared emergency and requested an immediate return to Madrid’s
Barajas Airport. Flight attendants confirmed the presence of smoke in the
cabin, too. With the engines at idle during the descent the crew received
a “PACK 1 REGULATOR AIR FAULT. PACK 1 IN BYPASS MODE.” ECAM message and
the smoke began to dissipate. The crew notified ATC that the situation has
been brought under control and advised they were going to make an overweight
landing. The aircraft landed safely on runway 32R, emergency services checked
the landing gear, the aircraft taxied to the gate with emergency services
in trail, the passengers disembarked normally. The emergency was cancelled
56 minutes after the crew called Mayday.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=45dc02a3
20130214223050:20130204000000
Incident: Westjet B737 near Vancouver on Feb 4th 2013, chicken or tyre?
A Westjet Boeing 737-700, registration C-GWBN performing flight WS-434 from
Vancouver,BC to Edmonton,AB (Canada), was climbing out of Vancouver when
the crew observed an odour in the cabin and suspected a tyre had blown on
departure. The flight was continued to Edmonton, about 180nm before Edmonton
the crew advised ATC of the suspected blown tyre and requested emergency
services on stand by. The aircraft landed safely about 30 minutes after
advising ATC, emergency services found no anomaly with the tyres.

The Canadian TSB reported a maintenance inspection revealed the left hand
engine had ingested a bird, which became source of the odour.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=45d154de
20130201164701:20130131000000
Accident: Transavia B738 near Amsterdam on Jan 31st 2013, pungent odour
A Transavia Boeing 737-800, registration PH-HSG performing flight HV-6146
from Alicante,SP (Spain) to Amsterdam (Netherland), was on approach to Amsterdam
when a pungent odour occurred on board of the aircraft. The crew maintained
routine communication and continued for a safe landing on Amsterdam’s runway
27. 6 people were taken to a hospital.

Dutch Military Police reported that after landing 4 passengers and 2 cabin
crew reported feeling unwell and were taken to a hospital, where all could
be released after receiving medical treatment.

The airline confirmed a pungent odour on board, the cause of which is still
unknown and under investigation.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=45cc536c
20130128175136:20130126000000
Incident: Lufthansa B744 near Munich on Jan 26th 2013, wild west oven
A Lufthansa Boeing 747-400, registration D-ABVS performing flight LH-756
from Frankfurt/Main (Germany) to Mumbai (India), was enroute at FL350 about
35nm southeast of Linz (Austria) when the crew decided to divert to Munich
(Germany) due to a galley oven emitting smoke. The aircraft descended towards
Munich when the crew stopped the descent at FL140 and climbed again to return
to Frankfurt, climbing through FL210 the crew declared emergency reporting
smell of smoke in the cockpit and diverted to Munich for a safe landing
on runway 08R about 10 minutes after stopping the climb at FL220 and about
45 minutes after the first decision to divert. Emergency services needed
to cool the left main gear brakes.

The smoke signalling oven was replaced and the aircraft departed again after
about 130 minutes on the ground. The aircraft is currently estimated to
reach Mumbai with a delay of 4 hours.

The airline reported a blocked fan in the convection oven was identified
as source of an electrical odour.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=45c919e0
20130122213336:20130121000000
Incident: Jazz DH8A near Toronto on Jan 21st 2013, smoke indication and odour
A Jazz de Havilland Dash 8-100, registration C-GTBP performing flight QK-7791
from Toronto,ON to Sault Ste. Marie,ON (Canada) with 34 people on board,
was climbing out of Toronto when the crew received a smoke indication followed
by an odour in cockpit and cabin. The crew stopped the climb at 14,000 feet,
actioned the relevant checklists closing the bleed air valves and shutting
the recirculation fans down and returned to Toronto. During the descent
the smoke indication ceased. The aircraft landed safely on Toronto’s runway
15L about 15 minutes later.

The Canadian TSB reported maintenance is still investigating to identify
the source of the odour.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=45c377c5
20140925220555:20130116000000
Accident: ANA B788 near Takamatsu on Jan 16th 2013, battery problem and burning smell on board (including JAL Boston, Ethiopian London and JAL Tokyo events)
An ANA All Nippon Airways Boeing 787-800, registration JA804A performing
flight NH-692 from Ube to Tokyo Haneda (Japan) with 129 passengers and 8
crew, was climbing through FL330 out of Ube about 35nm west of Takamatsu
(Japan) when the crew received indications of battery problems, at the same
time a burning smell developed on board. The crew decided to divert to Takamatsu
where the aircraft landed about 14 minutes later. The aircraft vacated the
runway, stopped past the hold short line and was evacuated via slides. One
passenger received a serious, two passengers minor injuries during the evacuation.

All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines have grounded their Dreamliners as
result of the recent inflight incidents, see Incident: United B788 near
New Orleans on Dec 4th 2012, electrical problems causing concerns of electrical
heat on board, Incident: Qatar B788 near Doha on Dec 8th 2012, generator
failure as well as an APU battery fire that occurred on board of Boeing
787-800 at Boston,MA (USA) on Jan 7th 2013.

The airline reported the crew received a fault indication within the battery
system followed by a smoke detector indication inside one of the electrical
compartments, there was no smoke visible in cockpit or cabin. The battery,
same type as the one involved in the ground incident in Boston on Jan 7th
2013, was found discoloured and leaking, the battery obviously had developed
high temperatures.

Japan’s Tranportation Safety Board JTSB opened an investigation and dispatched
three investigators on site. The NTSB dispatched an accredited representative
to Japan to join the investigation.

The JTSB reported on Jan 17th 2013, that the crew received indication of
a battery malfunction while climbing through FL300, in addition an odour
occurred on board. The crew diverted to Takamatsu as a result, the aircraft
was evacuated via slides after landing. The occurrence was rated a serious
incident.

On Jan 23rd 2013 the JTSB released a preliminary report in Japanese reporting
that a passenger received a sprained wrist and two other passengers minor
injuries in the evacuation. The aircraft had been climbing through FL320
out of Ube when the crew received indication of failure of the battery and
an odour appeared in the cockpit. Due to the odour the crew decided to divert
to Takamatsu, where the crew landed on runway 26, vacated the runway onto
taxiway T4 and initiated an emergency evacuation. Attending emergency services
found no trace of fire, however traces of smoke released from the electric
compartment were found on the outside of the fuselage. Investigators found
the main battery, a lithium ion battery same type as the APU battery, had
buckled at the upper cover and was leaking, the inside showed hydrocarbons.
The main battery was removed from the aircraft on Jan 17th, the undamaged
APU battery was removed from the aircraft on Jan 18th, following a first
examination of the main battery on Jan 20th the battery has been dispatched
for detailed examination on Jan 22nd.

On Feb 5th 2013 the JTSB released a second progress report in Japanese reporting
that all 8 cells of the damaged battery, nominal voltage 29.6V, 75 Ah capacity
at 28.5kg/63 lbs, showed thermal damage before the thermal runaway, particularly
cells 3 and 6 are damaged. The positive electrode of cell 3 shows substantial
damage and a hole, the internal wiring has melted down.

On Feb 20th 2013 the JTSB released another progress report in Japanese reporting,
that the aircraft had no history of being hit by lightning. The positive
electrode of cell number 3 had become so hot, that the material melted,
the positive terminal of cells 1, 2, 6, 7 and 8 were damaged supposedly
because of reaching the melting point of the terminal’s material aluminium.
The grounding wire of the battery container was broken most likely because
of currents flowing through the container. The flight data recorder revealed
that the battery voltage reduced from 31V to 11V within 10 seconds followed
by voltage drops of about 1V every two seconds, prior to that a measured
voltage of 32V indicated the battery was at nearly full charge. The investigation
of why the voltage drops occurred is still underway, specific attention
is given to the strobe navigation lights however, that were turned on during
the encounter. The investigation is ongoing.

On Mar 27th 2013 the JTSB released another interim report in Japanese summarizing,
that a “smoking gun” has still not been identified, the investigation so
far has not yet led to “elucidation of the underlying cause”. The JTSB reported
that the puzzle about the navigation strobe lights has been solved however
(see sketch below), with both APU and main batteries showing balanced voltages
neither relay would be powered with the related switches off, however, with
the main battery’s voltage dropping to 1V a current flow from the APU battery
via both relays to ground became possible, both relays activated and the
wing tip and strobe lights activated despite being switched off. The wire
connecting the battery case to ground was broken and showed evidence of
having been blown (editorial note: implicitely suggesting prior to the battery
event), however, the aircraft had no history of a lightning strike. There
is no evidence, that battery charger, bus power control unit, generator
control unit or battery diode module did not perform to specifications.
Battery cells 1-8, especially 3 and 6, showed extensive internal damage,
there is no evidence that a large current flow occurred on the output of
the battery towards the hot battery bus.

The NTSB is currently investigating the APU battery fire that occurred on
board of JAL Japan Airlines’ Boeing 787-800 registration JA829J in Boston
on Jan 7th 2013 after the passengers and crew had disembarked at the gate.
The NTSB reported on Jan 20th 2013 that a first examination of the flight
data recorder of JA829J showed the nominal battery voltage of 32V has never
been exceeded. The battery, powering the APU for APU startup, has been disassembled
into its 8 cells for detailed examination and documentation, 3 of the cells
were selected for further disassembly and examination of cell internal components.
On Jan 24th 2013 the NTSB reported that examinations including CT scans
identified traces of electric short circuiting on an electrode (see photo
below) as well as signs of thermal runaway on JA829J’s APU battery. There
was fire present.

On Feb 7th 2013 the NTSB reported: “After an exhaustive examination of the
JAL lithium-ion battery, which was comprised of eight individual cells,
investigators determined that the majority of evidence from the flight data
recorder and both thermal and mechanical damage pointed to an initiating
event in a single cell. That cell showed multiple signs of short circuiting,
leading to a thermal runaway condition, which then cascaded to other cells.
Charred battery components indicated that the temperature inside the battery
case exceeded 500 degrees Fahrenheit.” Mechanical impact damage as well
as external short circuiting have been ruled out as causes, deformations
and arcing were the result of a battery malfunction. The NTSB continued
that Boeing conducted a risk assessment during the certification process
which did not identify any possibility of a cell to cell propagation or
of fire, both of which however occurred in the battery fire events at Boston.
Boeing further assessed that a smoke release event would occur one time
in 10 million flight hours, however, the two events at Boston and Takamatsu
bring the balance to two events in 100,000 flight hours well above the failure
rate predicted in the certification process. The NTSB concluded: “the possibility
that a short circuit in a single cell could propagate to adjacent cells
and result in smoke and fire must be reconsidered.”

On Mar 7th 2013 the NTSB released an interim report reporting the APU of
JA829J (169 flight hours/22 flight cycles since new) had been started at
15:04Z while the aircraft was taxiing to the gate. The aircraft reached
the gate at 15:06Z, the passengers disembarked by 15:15Z and the crew left
at 15:20Z. Cleaning personal entered the cabin. According to the flight
data recorder the voltage of the APU battery, a Lithium Cobalt based battery
rated at 75Ah/29.6V capable of delivering up to 1000A and typically 450A
over 45 seconds for up to three APU start attempts, began to fluctuate at
15:21:01Z, failed at 15:21:15Z with the voltage dropping and reached 28V
at 15:21:30Z. At 15:21:37Z the APU automatically shut down, the battery
voltage reached 0V. A mechanic in the aft cabin noticed the power had been
lost and went to the cockpit, recognized the APU had automatically shut
down and went back to the aft cabin but smelled and saw smoke and notified
the maintenance manger, who in turn asked the mechanic to check the aft
electronic bay. The mechanic found heavy smoke and observed two distinct
flames of about 3 inches at the APU battery. The mechanic attempted to extinguish
the fire using a dry chemical fire extinguisher but flames and smoke did
not stop. At 15:37Z emergency services were alerted, the first vehicle arrived
less than a minute later. Multiple attempts by emergency services to extinguish
the fire were unsuccessful, the battery appeared to rekindle. A pop sound
was heard followed by hissing sounds, a firefighter received a minor burn
at the neck when the battery popped. It was decided to remove the battery,
about 80 minutes after the begin of the event the battery was moved out
of the aircraft, 100 minutes after the begin of the event the situation
was pronounced under control. The battery had weighed 61.8lbs/28kg when
it was installed and weighed 56 lbs/25kg when it was removed from the aircraft
mainly due to the loss of electrolyte. Examination of the cells and battery
revealed a number of protusions on cell 5, which were determined to the
result of arcing between between the cell 5 case and battery case, the protusions
were outward and the cell case had expanded outward, the arcing was the
result of the cell expansion leading to the breach of the battery case.
Tests of the battery monitoring unit were not possible due to the damage
received during the fire, the battery control unit passed all tests (except
that it inhibited charging already above the permitted minimum temperature
of 5 degrees F). Boeing had assessed the risk of a battery cell venting
at one in 10 million flight hours and the risk of the battery spilling flammable
fluid at one in 1 billion flight hours, however, only 52,000 flight hours
had been accumulated in operation of the B787 so far and two batteries had
vented/spilled. The only scenario, that Boeing had identified, that could
lead to the battery venting with fire was overcharge, the design requirements
made it highly improbable that an overcharge could occur. The investigation
is continuing.

The incidents prompted the FAA to conduct a review of the Boeing 787 design,
manufacturing and quality assurance processes, the US Department of Transport
and the FAA are convinced, that the aircraft is safe reporting they spent
more than 200,000 man hours during certification of the aircraft.

In the evening of Jan 16th 2013 the FAA released an emergency airworthiness
directive requiring all operators of Boeing 787-800 with immediate effect
to modify the battery system or take another FAA approved action before
further flights, which effectively grounds the aircraft. The FAA argued:
“This emergency AD was prompted by recent incidents involving lithium ion
battery failures that resulted in release of flammable electrolytes, heat
damage, and smoke on two Model 787-8 airplanes. The cause of these failures
is currently under investigation. These conditions, if not corrected, could
result in damage to critical systems and structures, and the potential for
fire in the electrical compartment.”

On Mar 12th 2013 the FAA announced they approved a plan to certificate an
improved battery system provided by Boeing. An improved containment of the
battery, and improved venting system, a redesign of battery components to
reduce the risk of short circuits inside the battery and better insulation
of cells are parts of that plan, the FAA has also approved limited test
flights to two Boeing 787-800s, the FAA said: “The purpose of the flight
tests will be to validate the aircraft instrumentation for the battery and
battery enclosure testing in addition to product improvements for other
systems.” The AD remains in effect until the tests conclude successfully,
the FAA did not provide any estimates on the time line.

On Apr 26th 2013 the FAA released a new airworthiness directive 2013-08-12
superseding the emergency airworthiness directive of Jan 16th 2013 permitting
the Boeing 787-800 to resume service after following steps have been taken:
“Install main battery and auxiliary power unit (APU) battery enclosures
and environmental control system (ECS) ducts; and replace the main battery,
APU battery, and their respective battery chargers; in accordance with the
Accomplishment Instructions of Boeing Alert Service Bulletin B787-81205-SB500003-00,
Issue 001, dated April 19, 2013.” As result of this new airworthiness directive
a first Boeing 787-800 registration ET-AOP of Ethiopian Airlines took the
skies on Apr 27th 2013 flying passengers from Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) to
Nairobi (Kenya) as flight ET-801.

On Jul 12th 2013 an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 787-800 registration ET-AOP
was parked at London Heathrow Airport with no occupants, when smoke began
to billow from the rear of the aircraft prompting emergency services to
respond and both runways to be closed. The aircraft was foamed and the fire
extinguished. The cause of the fire is unknown at this time. The aircraft
had arrived in Heathrow as flight ET-700 at 06:30L (05:30Z) and was scheduled
to depart for the return flight ET-701 at 21:00L (20:00Z). On Jul 13th 2013
the AAIB reported that there had been smoke throughout the fuselage causing
extensive heat damage in the upper portion of the rear of the fuselage and
stated: “However, it is clear that this heat damage is remote from the area
in which the aircraft main and APU (Auxiliary Power Unit) batteries are
located, and, at this stage, there is no evidence of a direct causal relationship.”

On Jul 18th 2013 the AAIB reported in their special bulletin with respect
to ET-AOP, that fire fighters encountered a fire above the ceiling panels
close to the rear of the cabin, a halon extinguisher was not effective,
only after a panel was moved and the fire was doused with water and foam
the fire was extinguished. The origin of the fire coincided with the emergency
locator transmitter (ELT), with no other systems in the vicinity storing
sufficient energy to initiate a fire. The ELT is powered by a set of Lithium
Manganese Dioxide Batteries, which showed disruptions of cells. It is unclear
however whether the combustion started as result of energy release within
the battery cells or by an outside event like a short circuit. Some 6000
units of this transmitter have been produced, ET-AOP is the only such incident
so far. The AAIB recommended to the FAA to “inert” (deactivate) the ELTs
in Boeing 787s until appropriate airworthiness actions can be taken and
to conduct a safety review of all Lithium battery powered ELTs on all aircraft
types.

On Jan 14th 2014 a JAL Japan Airlines Boeing 787-800, registration JA834J,
was parked at the apron of Tokyo’s Narita airport and was being prepared
for departure for flight JL-707 to Bangkok (Thailand) scheduled about two
hours later, when white smoke was observed from the aircraft’s main battery,
the battery was found overheated, its safety valve opened and electrolyte
fluid leaking from the battery. No further damage is being reported, the
aircraft was removed from service. A replacement Boeing 787-800 registration
JA829J operated the flight departing with a delay of 7 minutes and arriving
on schedule. Boeing tweeted that the aircraft was in maintenance, a single
cell vented resulting in a smoke event, the new safe guards worked as planned.
The battery suffered a fault in the charger and battery. The airline stated:
“A maintenance personnel in the cockpit found that the white smoke was wafting
outside of the window and that the message which indicated the possibility
of main battery system failure was displayed on the cockpit display during
departure preparation. The inspection of the battery case inside the battery
enclosure revealed that the safety pressure relief valve (which opens in
case that the cell inside pressure rises) of one cell of the eight cells
opened. JAL707 departed by another Boeing 787 almost on time.” This new
ground incident comes a few days after both NTSB and JTSB announced the
investigations into the thermal runaways of the APU and main battery in
Takamatsu and Boston have been finished and the final reports are being
prepared for release later in 2014.

On Jun 18th 2014 the British AAIB provided a special bulletin reporting
the investigation into the Ethiopian ET-AOP event in London so far determined,
that the ELT battery had suffered a thermal runaway with all of its 5 cells
showing severe damage consistent with the thermal runaway. The ELT battery’s
internal wires were found improperly installed, “in that they had been crossed
and pinched together between the battery cover-plate and the ELT case, adjacent
to one of the cover-plate fasteners.” It was likely that the wires were
improperly installed during production assembly of the ELT.

The AAIB reported: “The nature of the battery failure was such that much
of the battery material was consumed, and that which remained was extremely
fragile. Therefore, despite extensive forensic examination and CT scanning
of the battery and the individual cells, it has not been possible to determine
with certainty the sequence of cell failures within the battery or the pre-failure
state of the safety features in the circuit.”

The AAIB released five safety recommendations to the FAA as result of the
investigation into ET-AOP so far.

The faulty wiring of ET-AOP (Photo: AAIB):
Schematics of battery and damage of ANA main battery (Graphics: AVH/JTSB):
The grounding wire of battery case (Graphics: JTSB):
The electrical path activating wing tip lights despite switched off (Graphics:
JTSB):
Battery diagram (Graphics: NTSB):
The damaged electrode of cell 3 (Photo: JTSB):
Traces of smoke exiting the fuselage (Photo/Graphics: JTSB):
Main battery left, undamaged APU battery right (Photos: JTSB):
Hole in an electrode of JA829J indicative of short circuit (Photo: NTSB):
The burned battery of JA829J, Boston Jan 7th 2013 (Photo: NTSB):

———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=45c317be
20130115173431:20130115000000
Incident: Cathay A333 at Tokyo on Jan 15th 2013, smoke in cabin
A Cathay Pacific Airbus A330-300, flight CX-501 from Tokyo Narita (Japan)
to Hong Kong (China) with 127 people on board, was climbing out of Tokyo’s
Narita Airport when a smoke detector in a lavatory activated prompting the
crew to return to Narita Airport for a safe landing on runway 34L. Attending
emergency services reported seeing no fire or smoke, the aircraft taxied
to the gate on its own power.

Japan’s Ministry of Transport reported that a burning odour was observed
near the lavatory immediately after takeoff, later the smoke detector activated.
An inflight entertainment system’s display set in front of a passenger seat
near the toilet is suspected as cause of the smell.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=45bfd41d
20130111212131:20130108000000
Incident: Air Canada E170 at Toronto on Jan 8th 2013, acrid odour and haze on board
An Air Canada Embraer ERJ-175, registration C-FEJD performing flight AC-764
from Toronto,ON (Canada) to Newark,NJ (USA) with 46 people on board, was
climbing out of Toronto’s runway 24R when the crew stopped the climb at
5000 feet reporting an acrid odour and light haze on board of the aircraft.
The aircraft returned to Toronto for a safe landing on runway 24L about
20 minutes after departure.

The Canadian TSB reported that maintenance replaced both recirculation filters,
the aircraft returned to service without reoccurrences.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=45b8e286
20130103163658:20121214000000
Incident: TAP A319 at Copenhagen on Dec 14th 2012, smoke in cockpit
A TAP Air Portugal Airbus A319-100, registration CS-TTK performing flight
TP-754 from Lisbon (Portugal) to Copenhagen (Denmark), was on approach to
Copenhagen’s runway 04R when the crew detected a burning smell in the cockpit
and spotted light haze. The crew requested priority and continued for a
safe landing on runway 04R about 5 minutes later.

Denmark’s HCL reported the crew did not don their oxygen masks. After rollout,
while taxiing the crew discovered the source of the odour was a cockpit
display. After the aircraft had reached the gate an ECAM message indicated
a fan in the rear cargo bay. Emergency services therefore inspected the
rear cargo bay but did not find any trace of fire, heat, smoke or smell.
Maintenance removed the cockpit display in question but found no fault,
only some dust. The HCL believes that an electrical source covered with
dust at the cockpit display in question may have been the cause of the odour/haze.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=45b22b73
20130315193504:20121214000000
Incident: Lufthansa A321 near Frankfurt on Dec 14th 2012, smoke in cabin and cockpit
A Lufthansa Airbus A321-100, registration D-AIRR performing flight LH-1246
from Frankfurt/Main (Germany) to Vienna (Austria) with 157 people on board,
was climbing out of Frankfurt’s runway 18 when the crew reported smell,
then smoke in both cockpit and cabin, stopped the climb at FL110 and returned
to Frankfurt for a safe landing on runway 25C about 18 minutes after departure.

The French BEA reported there were no injuries, the German BFU is investigating
the serious incident.

On Mar 15th 2013 the German BFU reported in their monthly bulletin that
both pilots noticed a “rotten” smell in the cockpit, a few seconds later
the first officer showed first symptoms prompting both pilots to don their
oxygen masks and return to Frankfurt. The odour was also noticed in the
cabin. The aircraft returned to Frankfurt for a safe landing about 20 minutes
after departure, all members of the crew were taken to a hospital for checks.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=45a5cafa
20121211143824:20121210000000
Incident: Alaska B738 near Sacramento on Dec 10th 2012, electrical smell in cabin
An Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-800, registration N525AS performing AS-606
from Seattle,WA to Las Vegas,NV (USA) with 152 passengers and 6 crew, was
enroute at FL370 about 125nm northeast of Sacramento,CA (USA) when the crew
reported an electrical smell in the cabin and decided to divert to Sacramento,
where the aircraft landed safely about 22 minutes later.

A replacement Boeing 737-800 registration N516AS reached Las Vegas with
a delay of 6:15 hours.

The airline confirmed some slight electrical odour on board of the aircraft,
the source of the odour is under investigation, there was no fire or smoke.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=45a43649/0000
20130315160351:20121209000000
Incident: Condor A320 near Stuttgart on Dec 9th 2012, smoke on board
The German BFU reported in their monthly bulletin that the aircraft was
enroute at FL350 when an eletrical odour was observed that changed into
smell of plastics. Shortly afterwards white smoke appeared in the cockpit,
the crew donned their oxygen masks and decided to divert to Stuttgart for
an overweight landing (68 tons) on runway 25. Although the smoke in the
cockpit had dissipated, the crew worked the checklists for an emergency
evacuation including crew on stations and “ENG MASTER SW”, emergency services
reported seeing no smoke or fire, so that the crew decided to not evacuate
and have passengers disembark via stairs and were bussed to the terminal.
No injuries occurred.

Post flight examination revealed the radar tranceiver located in the front
area of the avionics compartment had been cause of the smells and smoke.
It was removed from the aircraft and taken a special laboratory for further
examination.

The radar tranceiver with minor traces of soot (Photo: BFU):

———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=45a3b15a
20121208215044:20121209000000
Incident: Cathay B773 near Wuhan on Dec 9th 2012, smell in cockpit
A Cathay Airlines Boeing 777-300, registration B-KPP performing flight CX-251
(dep Dec 8th) from Hong Kong (China) to London Heathrow,EN (UK) with 238
passengers and 18 crew, was enroute near Wuhan (China) when the crew decided
to divert to Wuhan due to some odour in the cockpit. The aircraft landed
safely in Wuhan (500nm north of Hong Kong) about 105 minutes after departure
from Hongkong.

The flight is currently estimated to reach London with a delay of 16 hours.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=45a2f6a7
20121207233307:20121206000000
Incident: Jetblue E190 at New York on Dec 6th 2012, smell of smoke in cabin
A Jetblue Embraer ERJ-190, registration N178JB performing flight B6-1111
from New York JFK,NY to Raleigh/Durham,NC (USA) with 95 people on board,
was on a Breezy Point climb out of New York’s runway 31L when the crew requested
to level off at 6000 feet reporting cabin crew had just reported a smokey
odour in the back of the cabin. The crew requested to return to New York
to check the smell out, on approach the crew reported the smell had subsided
and the aircraft landed safely on runway 31L about 15 minutes after departure.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=45a2e6b5
20121207213913:20121204000000
Incident: Westjet B737 near Regina on Dec 4th 2012, generator failure and odour on board
A Westjet Airlines Boeing 737-700, registration C-GWAZ performing flight
WS-475 from Winnipeg,MB to Calgary,AB (Canada) with 127 people on board,
was enroute at FL400 about 135nm east of Regina,SK when the right hand generator
(engine CFM56) failed. A short time later, after the crew had completed
the relevant checklist, a strong burning electrical smell was noticed throughout
the aircraft. The crew declared emergency and diverted to Regina for a safe
landing about 30 minutes later.

The Canadian TSB reported there was no visible smoke. Maintenance found
the generator control unit had burned out. The unit was replaced.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=45a133eb
20121205173845:20121203000000
Incident: Ryanair B738 near London on Dec 3rd 2012, odour in cabin
A Ryanair Boeing 737-800, registration EI-DHY performing flight FR-2404
from London Stansted,EN (UK) to Memmingen (Germany), stopped the climb out
of London at FL150 and returned to Stansted Airport for a safe landing on
runway 22 about 35 minutes after departure.

A passenger reported a distinct smell of exhaust fumes in the cabin. The
crew announced technical problems and returned to Stansted Airport.

A replacement Boeing 737-800 registration EI-EPG reached Memmingen with
a delay of 2 hours.

The incident aircraft was able to resume service about 10 hours after landing.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=45b23cec
20121226173747:20121127000000
Incident: Ukraine B733 at Liege on Nov 27th 2012, cargo fire indications
A Ukraine International Airlines Boeing 737-300, registration UR-FAA performing
flight PS-31R from Liege (Belgium) to Vienna (Austria), was climbing through
FL277 to FL350 out of Liege when the crew received multiple main deck cargo
fire indications. The crew donned their oxygen masks, worked the cargo fire
checklist and descended the aircraft to FL100. After levelling off at FL100
the fire indication disappeared, the crew could not notice any smoke/haze
or smell any unusual odour. The crew nonetheless decided to return to Liege
for a safe landing.

Ukraine’s Ministry of Transport reported in their monthly bulletin that
a faulty smoke detector was identified and replaced, in addition traces
of frost were detected on a panel of the main cargo deck that could have
triggered a false smoke indication. The investigation determined the fire
indications were false after dry ice transported by the aircraft evaporated
and triggered the smoke detectors, one of the smoke detectors was faulty.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=45951936
20121120141924:20121120000000
Incident: KLM Cityhopper F70 near Amsterdam on Nov 20th 2012, odour in cabin
A KLM Cityhopper Fokker 70, registration PH-KZU performing flight WA-1873/KL-1873
from Amsterdam (Netherlands) to Stuttgart (Germany), was climbing out of
Amsterdam when the crew stopped the climb at FL290 about 80nm eastsoutheast
of Amsterdam due to a strange odour and unuusal noises in the cabin, the
crew suspecting the odour might be the result of a bird strike during departure.
The aircraft returned to Amsterdam for a safe landing on runway 18C about
40 minutes after departure, the crew indicated no further assistance was
needed and taxied to the apron.

The flight was cancelled.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=45c8fe7e
20130122183250:20121111000000
Accident: Condor B753 near Frankfurt on Nov 11th 2012, pungent odour on board
A Condor Boeing 757-300, registration D-ABOE performing flight DE-7982 from
Frankfurt/Main (Germany) to Las Palmas,CI (Spain), was accelerating through
130 KIAs for takeoff from Frankfurt’s runway 18 when a pungent odour was
noticed on the flight deck, due to the speed the crew decided to continue
takeoff however. During the climb the odour was also observed in the cabin,
both pilots felt tickles in their limbs and gums prompting them to don their
oxygen masks, stop the climb at FL250 and return to Frankfurt for a safe
landing on runway 25L about 23 minutes later.

The German BFU reported in their monthly bulletin that emergency services
checked the aircraft on the taxiway, however no anomaly and no abnormal
measurements of cabin air were found. Maintenance found the right hand engine’s
oil reservoirs had been overfilled by two quarts. A number of flight attendants
suffered from symptoms of tickling legs/arms as well, all 9 crew members
were taken to a hospital for medical assistance and assessment, urine and
blood samples were taken.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=45c8fbff
20130122181600:20121108000000
Incident: Lufthansa B733 near Frankfurt on Nov 8th 2012, blue haze and chemical smell
A Lufthansa Boeing 737-300, registration D-ABEW performing flight LH-1186
from Frankfurt/Main (Germany) to Zurich (Switzerland), was enroute at FL230
about 77nm south of Frankfurt, 25nm west of Stuttgart (Germany) and 78nm
north of Zurich (Switzerland) when the crew decided to don their oxygen
masks and to turn around and return to Frankfurt after a flight attendant
in the forward galley observed blue haze and a pungent chemical odour near
the ceiling of the galley, confirmed by other flight attendants. The flight
attendant working in the forward galley felt unwell. At the time of the
haze and odour the ovens were not in use and the galley lighting had been
dimmed down to about 50%. The aircraft landed safely back on Frankfurt’s
runway 25C about 25 minutes later.

The German BFU reported in their monthly bulletin that emergency services
checked the aircraft after landing, measurements did not identify any anomaly.
A technical check of the aircraft did not identify the source or cause of
the haze and smell. All crew members went to a hospital for a medical assessment.

———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=458634ab
20121102140530:20121101000000
Incident: TUIFly B738 at Munich on Nov 1st 2012, fumes in cabin
A TUIFly Boeing 737-800, registration D-AHFW performing flight X3-2158 from
Munich (Germany) to Palma Mallorca,SP (Spain), was climbing out of Munich’s
runway 26L with a delay of about 90 minutes when the crew decided to stop
the climb at FL070 due to fumes in the cabin. The aircraft landed safely
back on Munich’s runway 26L about 20 minutes after departure.

The aircraft was able to depart again after about 4 hours on the ground
and reached Palma Mallorca with a delay of 5:45 hours.

The airline confirmed a light odour on board of the aircraft prompting the
return and reported an engine wash had been conducted the night prior to
the flight.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=458084b7
20121026140536:20121026000000
Incident: Jetstar A320 near Christchurch on Oct 26th 2012, smokey odour in cockpit
A Jetstar Airbus A320-200, registration VH-VFD performing flight JQ-288
from Christchurch to Wellington (New Zealand), was climbing out of Christchurch
about 13 minutes into the flight when the crew stopped the climb at FL230
and returned to Christchurch due to a smokey odour in the cockpit. The aircraft
landed safely on Christchurch’s runway 02 about 30 minutes after departure.

The flight was subsequently cancelled, the passenger were rebooked onto
other flights.

The airline confirmed the aircraft returned due to engineering difficulties.

Passengers said a flight attendant noticed a strange odour in the cabin
which prompted the crew to return to Christchurch. The odour was very faint
like burning fabric.

Emergency services said they were told there was smoke in the cockpit.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=45c2e2e2
20130115115030:20121021000000
Incident: Lufthansa A321 near London on Oct 21st 2012, strong odour in cockpit and cabin
A Lufthansa Airbus A321-200, registration D-AISL performing flight LH-902
from Frankfurt/Main (Germany) to London Heathrow,EN (UK), was descending
through FL120 towards London when the first officer noticed a strong worrying
smell in the cockpit combined with irritation of eyes and throat as well
as nausea prompting both flight crew to don their oxygen masks, declare
PAN and perform a safe priority landing on Heathrow’s runway 09L about 20
minutes later.

Germany’s BFU reported in their monthly bulletin that the odour was noticed
also in the cabin, a number of passengers also complained about irritations
of eyes and throats and nausea. After vacating the runway the aircraft stopped
on the adjacent taxiway, the air conditioning systems and engines were shut
down, the air on board rapidly improved. Both pilots and all 4 cabin crew
went to medical checks to a hospital in London, returned to Frankfurt as
passengers and underwent a medical examination at a hospital in Frankfurt.
The medical examination found no anomaly. The aircraft departed London after
about 90 minutes on the ground, positioned back to Frankfurt with airline
technicians on board taking measurements, amongst them electronic air quality
measurement and video borescopic examination of the engines but also did
not detect any anomaly.

Following arrival in Frankfurt the aircraft resumed service one hour after
landing in Frankfurt and about 4 hours after landing in London.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=457d4685/0000
20130509152651:20121021000000
Incident: Lufthansa A321 at London on Oct 21st 2012, fumes in cabin
The United Kingdom’s AAIB released their bulletin into the serious incident
releasing following summary:

The investigation was inconclusive in that a source of the apparent contamination
of the cabin and flight deck air was not found, despite the detailed analysis
of residues and the medical examinations of the affected members of the
crew. This event thus joins a growing number of cases in which there has
been a similar lack of conclusive evidence as to the cause(s) of aircraft
cabin air quality issues.

The AAIB reported the first officer noticed a strong odour in the cockpit
accompanied by eye and throat irritation when the aircraft descended through
FL120 on approach to Heathrow Airport. The commander checked with cabin
crew who also confirmed an odour in the cabin. The first officer started
to feel dizzy and nauseous prompting both flight crew to don their oxygen
masks and request a priority landing into Heathrow. The aircraft touched
down within 10-15 minutes after the onset of smell, vacated the runway and
stopped on the adjacent parallel taxiway, where engines and air conditioning
systems were shut down. After engine shut down the situation in the cabin
improved, a few passengers reported minor throat irritation. The first officer
was still dizzy and nauseous, all crew members complained about eye and
throat irritation, all were taken to a hospital and released a couple of
hours later after blood tests revealed no medical findings. The crew returned
to Frankfurt and again went to a hospital, where further tests also revealed
no findings.

The aircraft underwent extensive tests for traces of oil, salts, sulphur
with just minor findings which compared to findings on another aircraft
of similiar operating hours with no odour, flight deck and cabin lights
were checked for function and odour with no findings, the circulation fans,
recirculation and avionices filters were checked again without any finding
out of the ordinary. Equipment in galleys and lavatories was checked again
without identfying anything out of the ordinary.

During the subsequent ferry flight to Frankfurt cabin air was measured by
an analyser with no findings, after landing in Frankfurt the engines were
checked with borescopes which revealed an old bird strike debris in the
compressor stages 3 and 4 of the right hand engine unrelated to the fumes
event however and no other findings.

The AAIB concluded their bulletin: “In the United Kingdom, a Civil Aviation
Authority analysis of Mandatory Occurrence Reports (MORs) indicated that
ëfume eventsí occur on approximately 0.05% of all commercial passenger and
cargo flights. In most cases the effects on aircrew take the form of ëacuteí
symptoms, such as eye and throat irritation, as experienced by the crew
of D-AIRX, although long term health issues have been recorded. However,
inconsistent reporting is thought to have affected the quality of the evidence.
It is also worth noting that in tests where measurements of contaminants
have been taken, the concentration is invariably well below internationally
agreed levels for occupational exposure.”
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=457d4685
20130509152722:20121021000000
Incident: Lufthansa A321 at London on Oct 21st 2012, fumes in cabin
A Lufthansa Airbus A321-100, registration D-AIRX performing flight LH-900
from Frankfurt/Main (Germany) to London Heathrow,EN (UK) with 139 passengers
and 6 crew, was in a hold waiting for arrival at Heathrow Airport when the
flight crew donned their oxygen masks and declared PAN reporting fumes in
the cabin near the forward galley. The aircraft was vectored for an immediate
approach to Heathrow’s runway 09L and landed safely. All crew, including
flight and cabin crew, were taken to a hospital.

The AAIB is investigating.

The airline confirmed the crew requested a priority landing in Heathrow
due to an indefinable odour in the cabin and landed safely about 20 minutes
later. All cabin and flight crew were medically examined, the examinations
were without findings. No passenger reported feeling unwell. The cause of
the fumes is unclear.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=457b95e0
20121020141719:20121020000000
Incident: Transavia B738 near Zagreb on Oct 20th 2012, odour in cabin
A Transavia Boeing 737-800, registration PH-HSB performing flight HV-578
(dep Oct 19th) from Sharm el Sheikh (Egypt) to Amsterdam (Netherlands) with
189 passengers and 6 crew, was enroute at FL360 about 130nm south of Zagreb
(Croatia) when the crew decided to divert to Zagreb due to a pungent odour
of melting plastics on board. The aircraft landed safely on Zagreb’s runway
05 about 30 minutes later. Emergency services found no trace of fire. Two
passengers required medical attention, were treated by a doctor at the airport
and recovered quickly.

The passengers were taken to hotels.

The airline confirmed the diversion due to a pungent smell on board, all
occupants are well.

A replacement Boeing 737-800 registration PH-HZE has been dispatched to
Zagreb.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=4595ffe9
20121121160500:20121018000000
Incident: Enter B734 at Kiev on Oct 18th 2012, rejected takeoff
An Enter Air Boeing 737-400, registration SP-ENA performing flight OF-946P
from Kiev (Ukraine) to Katowice (Poland), rejected takeoff at high speed
(about 110 knots) when the crew smelled strong odour of oil in the cockpit.
The aircraft slowed safely and returned to the apron.

Ukraine’s Ministry of Transport reported in their monthly bulletin that
the cause of the smell was identified to be oil entering the right hand
engine’s bleed air system.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=457d75d7
20121022210308:20121018000000
Incident: Westjet B737 near Calgary on Oct 18th 2012, burning odour in cabin
A Westjet Boeing 737-700, registration C-FWBX performing flight WS-167 from
Calgary,AB to Edmonton,AB (Canada) with 116 people on board, was climbing
out of Calgary#s runway 16 when the purser detected a burning smell and
haze in the mid cabin. The flight crew levelled off at about 8000 feet,
declared emergency reporting smoke in the cockpit and returned to Calgary
for a safe landing on runway 28 about 10 minutes later.

The Canadian TSB reported that maintenance identified a problem with the
Live TV system, further troubleshooting is underway.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=45c2df48
20130115112443:20121017000000
Accident: Air Berlin B738 at Munich and Berlin on Oct 17th 2012, odour on board sickens all 4 cabin crew
An Air Berlin Boeing 737-800, registration D-ABKP performing flight AB-6192
from Munich to Berlin Tegel (Germany), was climbing out of Munich when a
strong odour developed in cockpit and cabin. All four cabin crew began to
complain about tickle in the throat, nausea and tickle of arms and legs.
One flight attendant vomitted and was unable to continue duties for the
remainder of the flight. Enroute the odour subsided but returned during
the descent towards Berlin. The aircraft landed without further incident
on Tegel’s runway 26R about 45 minutes after departure from Munich.

Germany’s BFU reported in their monthly bulletin that all crew went for
a medical checkup after landing. A technical examination of both engines
revealed no anomaly.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=457aeef9
20121019192526:20121017000000
Incident: Air Canada B773 at Vancouver on Oct 17th 2012, bird strike
An Air Canada Boeing 777-300, registration C-FIVR performing flight AC-7
from Vancouver,BC (Canada) to Hong Kong (China) with 368 people on board,
was just rotating for takeoff from Vancouver’s runway 08R when the crew
observed a heron and believed it had struck the aircraft. There were no
abnormal indications, the crew therefore decided to continue the flight.
During the climb cabin crew however reported intermittent burning odour
in the cabin. The crew thus reported smoke in the cockpit, dumped fuel and
returned to Vancouver for a safe landing on runway 08R about one hour after
departure.

The Canadian TSB reported 40 tons of fuel were dumped, the aircraft landed
safely, brakes temperatures remained normal and the aircraft taxied to gate.
Maintenance found significant damage to the right hand engine’s (GE90) acoustic
tiles, that is being assessed by powerplant engineering. Feathers were recovered
from the engine and have been forwarded for identification.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=45769045
20121014130903:20121013000000
Incident: Lufthansa A321 near Munich on Oct 13th 2012, odour in cabin
A Lufthansa Airbus A321-200, registration D-AISL performing flight LH-1300
from Frankfurt/Main (Germany) to Istanbul (Turkey) with 187 passengers and
7 crew, was enroute at FL350 about 10nm north of Munich (Germany) when the
crew decided to divert to Munich due to an unusual odour on board of the
aircraft. The aircraft landed safely on Munich’s runway 08L about 25 minutes
later.

A replacement A321-200 registration D-AIDT reached Istanbul with a delay
of 3:15 hours.

The airline reported an examination of the aircraft identified some cargo
in the hold, but not passenger luggage, as cause of the odour.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=456e6d4b
20121004151446:20121004000000
Incident: Qantas B744 near Darwin on Oct 4th 2012, burning smell in cabin
A Qantas Boeing 747-400, registration VH-OJC performing flight QF-5 from
Sydney,NS (Australia) to Singapore (Singapore) with 305 passengers, was
enroute at FL360 about 120nm southwest of Darwin,NT (Australia) when the
crew decided to divert to Darwin due to a burning smell in the cabin. The
aircraft landed safely on Darwin’s runway 29 about 25 minutes later.

The flight was postponed to the next day, the passengers were taken to hotels.

The airline reported a burning plastics or electrical smell was detected
in the cabin. The smell dissipated about 10 minutes after it was detected.

Passengers reported the captain announced he was getting concerned about
a possible electrical fault and diverted to Darwin.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=45c27245
20130114230319:20121001000000
Accident: Ryanair B738 near Bremen and Vilnius on Oct 1st 2012, both flight crew partially incapacitated
A Ryanair Boeing 737-800, registration EI-EBP performing flight FR-7602
from Bremen (Germany) to Vilnius (Lithuania), was climbing out of Bremen,
when a pungent odour and patches of haze came out of the air conditioning
vents in the cockpit. About 5 minutes into the flight both flight crew felt
severe headache, the forward portion of the cabin noticed the odour. The
haze and odour dissipated during further climb, the crew recovered and continued
the flight to Vilnius. During the descent the odour and haze returned causing
again severe headache to both pilots. The aircraft continued for a safe
landing at Vilnius.

Following sufficient recovery the crew decided to carry out the return flight
FR-7601, too. During departure from Vilnius the odour and haze again occurred
to a much lesser extent than during departure at Bremen, the crew continued
the flight. During the approach to Bremen, while descending through FL060,
the odour and haze appeared again causing again severe headache to both
pilots, the first officer, pilot monitoring at that time, also suffered
from dizziness. The crew continued the landing without donning oxygen masks
and landed safely.

Germany’s BFU reported that both pilots complained about persistent health
problems following the flight and became unfit to fly in the following days.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=456db93a
20121003194846:20121001000000
Incident: Air Canada A320 near Toronto on Oct 1st 2012, fuming oven
An Air Canada Airbus A320-200, registration C-FDQV performing flight AC-272
from Winnipeg,MB to Toronto,ON (Canada) with 112 people on board, had just
begun the descent towards Toronto when a forward galley oven emitted an
acrid odour. The power to the galley was turned off, the flight crew declared
PAN. The aircraft continued for a safe landing on Toronto’s runway 23 and
taxied to the gate.

The Canadian TSB reported maintenance replaced the oven and controller.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=45694106
20120928124946:20120925000000
Incident: LIAT DH8C near St. Maarten on Sep 25th 2012, burning smell in cockpit
A LIAT de Havilland Dash 8-300, flight LI-368 from Antigua (Antigua) to
Anguilla (Anguilla), was enroute near Saint Maarten when the crew detected
a burning odour in the cockpit and decided to divert to St. Maarten for
a safe landing.

The airline reported maintenance identified an electronic component had
failed resulting in the odour. The component was replaced.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=4554f709
20121203170131:20120903000000
Accident: XL Airways B738 at Cologne on Sep 3rd 2012, injuries after malfunction of air conditioning system
An XL Airways Germany Boeing 737-800, registration D-AXLF performing flight
G1-110 from Hanover to Cologne/Bonn (Germany) with 186 passengers, 10 infants
and 6 crew, had safely landed on Cologne’s runway 24 and was taxiing towards
the terminal, when smoke appeared in the cabin seemingly originating from
the air conditioning vents. The occupants rapidly deplaned via stairs. 11
passengers needed treatment by medical services at the airport.

Passengers reported the smell of kerosene on board, then smoke appeared
in the cabin.

Airport Authorities reported the aircraft was evacuated (editorial note:
photos of the scene show no evacuation slides deployed, but stairs at the
aircraft), 7 passengers were treated for minor smoke inhalation, 4 passengers
were taken to a hospital. The cause of the smoke was unknown, Airport police
confirmed however that passengers reported the smell of kerosene.

The airline reported that upon touch down smoke exited the air conditioning
vents for a couple of seconds, the cause being unclear. The following day
(Sep 4th) the airline added that a defective hydraulic check valve near
the wheel well was found. There was no smoke but vapour of hydraulic fluid
that produced a pungent odour.

Cologne Fire services reported 11 people were taken to local hospitals with
irritations of respiratory tract. 5 passengers received serious, 6 minor
injuries.

The BFU responded to the occurrence and sent investigators on site, cockpit
voice and flight data recorders were downloaded. First investigation results
suggest a malfunction of the air conditioning system emitted steam, there
was no evidence of smoke.

The aircraft bound for Gaziantep (Turkey) had earlier returned to Hanover
already, after the crew had levelled off at FL110 due to an odour on board.
The aircraft landed back in Hanover about 45 minutes after departure. Following
maintenance the aircraft departed Hanover for Cologne about 5:40 hours after
landing back.

A replacement Atlas Air Airbus A321-200 registration TC-ETF reached Gaziantep
with a total delay of 24 hours.

In their September Bulletin released on Dec 3rd 2012 Germany’s BFU reported
that cabin crew believed to have observed some unusual smell during climb
and informed the commander. The flight was continued. During touchdown on
runway 24 a flight attendant observed smoke and odour coming from one of
the over wing emergency exits, she could not determine whether it was smoke,
steam or mist, the odour was “horrible and caustic, which hit her lungs”.
9 seconds after “slightly positive touchdown”, vertical acceleration 1.4G,
while airspeed decayed through 100 knots, the captain, pilot flying, noticed
black smoke invading the cockpit through the air conditioning vents and
turned off both air conditioning systems and observed the smoke decreased.
The first officer noticed gray smoke from the air conditioning vents which
decreased after the captain had turned off both packs. After the aircraft
vacated the runway he opened his side window to release the rest of the
smoke. In the meantime the passengers became agitated, some passengers boxed
the overhead panels opening the oxygen mask containers, multiple annoncements
by flight attendants weren’t able to calm the passengers. The captain continued
taxi to the park position, both packs were activated again during taxi about
3 minutes prior to reaching the parking position, the doors were opened
at the assigned parking position. The disembarkment of passengers however
was disorderly, cabin crew perceived the passengers as highly emotional
and aggressive. 11 passengers were taken to hospital but were able to continue
to Gaziantep the following day. Maintenance found hydraulic fluid along
the full length of the tubing to the pneumatic manifold, the contamination
began at the connector to the hydraulic reservoir pressurization system,
in the tube and filter to the hydraulic A-system considerable amounts of
hydraulic fluid were found. The needle showing the filling level was near
the full state, however could not be exactly determined due to the glass
being steamed up, the indicator of the B system was beyond full. Boeing
customer support had warned in 2004, that filling the hydraulic reservoirs
beyond full would result in hydraulic fluid entering the pneumatic system
and air conditioning systems.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=454bb4f3
20121120160750:20120823000000
Accident: Lufthansa Cityline E190 near Linz on Aug 23rd 2012, pungent odour on board
A Lufthansa Cityline Embraer ERJ-195, registration D-AEBB performing flight
CL-1705/LH-1705 from Sofia (Bulgaria) to Munich (Germany) with 115 passengers,
was enroute at FL340 about 130nm south of Linz over Slovenia when a pungent
odour developed on board, a number of passengers and cabin crew began to
complain about headache prompting the crew to divert to Linz (Austria) where
the aircraft landed safely on runway 26 about 33 minutes later. The occupants
complaining about headache received ambulant treatment at the airport by
medical staff.

The remainder of the flight was cancelled, the passenger were taken to Munich
by bus.

On Aug 30th it became known the pungent odour was caused by old cooking
oil.

Germany’s BFU reported in their August bulletin released in November 2012,
that a strong odour occurred in the cabin shortly after departure. After
cabin crew and passengers began to complain about sudden headaches, the
first officer left his seat to check the situation in the cabin and upon
return also complained about headache and donned his oxygen mask, which
prompted the captain to also leave his seat and check the situation in the
cabin. A short time after his return he too felt unwell, donned his oxygen
mask, declared emergency and diverted the aircraft to Linz. All 5 crew members
went to a hospital for checks.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=454a179c
20120821225138:20120821000000
Incident: Lufthansa B735 near Dusseldorf on Aug 21st 2012, bird strike, smoke in cockpit
A Lufthansa Boeing 737-500, registration D-ABIC performing flight LH-3386
from Dusseldorf (Germany) to London Heathrow,EN (UK), was climbing out of
Dusseldorf’s runway 23L when the crew stopped the climb at FL250 about 120nm
west of Dusseldorf reporting smoke in the cockpit and returned to Dusseldorf
for a safe landing on runway 05L in opposite direction of active runways
23. The aircraft taxied to the apron with emergency services in trail.

An observer on the ground reported after the aircraft had reached the apron
emergency services remained in attendance for 25 more minutes before the
fire trucks returned to their bases.

The flight was cancelled, the passengers were rebooked onto other flights.

The airline reported the odour prompting the return was identified to be
the result of an engine (CFM56) ingesting a bird during departure.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=45490864
20120820145357:20120819000000
Incident: United B752 near Newark on Aug 19th 2012, unusual odour on board
A United Boeing 757-200, flight UA-409 from Newark,NJ to Seattle,WA (USA),
was climbing through 14,000 feet out of Newark when the crew decided to
return to Newark reporting smoke in the cockpit. During descent back to
Newark the crew reported the smoke appeared to be going down and indicated
they would be able to vacate the runway. The aircraft landed safely on Newark’s
runway 04L about 20 minutes after departure and vacated the runway.

The airline said the aircraft returned to Newark due to an unusual odour
aboard which was later linked to the air conditioning system.

A replacement Boeing 757-200 registration N553UA reached Seattle with a
delay of 4:15 hours.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=45474a4a
20120818105822:20120816000000
Incident: Vietnam A321 near Ho Chi Minh City on Aug 16th 2012, burning odour on board
A Vietnam Airlines Airbus A321-200, registration VN-A349 performing flight
VN-1308 from Ho Chi Minh City to Da Nang (Vietnam), was enroute about 30
minutes into the flight when a burning odour developed on board prompting
the crew to return to Ho Chi Minh City for a safe landing.

The flight was cancelled, the passengers were rebooked onto the next flight.

The odour was identified to be caused by a malfunction of the air conditioning
system.

Passengers reported the aircraft carried numerous Cambodian writings, airline
staff explained the aircraft had been leased out to Cambodia.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=45427768
20120905191655:20120811000000
Incident: US Airways B762 near Boston on Aug 11th 2012, smoke in cockpit
A US Airways Boeing 767-200, registration N251AY performing flight US-750
from Philadelphia,PA (USA) to Brussels (Belgium), was enroute at FL370 about
200nm east of Boston,MA when the crew reported smoke in the cockpit and
decided to divert to Boston. On approach to Boston the crew reported visibility
in the cockpit was good again, there was still intermittent smell of smoke
however. The aircraft landed safely on Boston’s runway 22L about 40 minutes
later, vacated the runway and taxied straight to the apron.

A replacement Boeing 767-200 registration N245AY reached Brussels with a
delay of about 9 hours.

On Aug 13th 2012 NAV Canada reported the crew reported an electrical smell
and possible smoke in the cockpit.

On Sep 5th 2012 the Canadian TSB reported maintenance identified an inoperative
avionics recirculation fan as source of the odour. The incident aircraft
positioned to Philadelphia under minimum equipment list requirements due
to the fan remaining inoperative, the fan was replaced in Philadelphia.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=454167e2
20120815153404:20120811000000
Incident: ANZ A320 near Auckland on Aug 11th 2012, unusual odour prompts return
An ANZ Air New Zealand Airbus A320-200, registration ZK-OJC performing flight
NZ-703 from Auckland (New Zealand) to Sydney,NS (Australia), had just reached
cruise level 320 when the crew decided to return to Auckland due to an unusual
smell that was observed on board of the aircraft. The aircraft turned around
and landed safely on Auckland’s runway 05R about 50 minutes after departure.

The flight was cancelled, the passengers were rebooked onto other flights.

On Aug 15th the airline reported that the incident was unrelated to the
fault 3 days later, see Incident: ANZ A320 near Auckland on Aug 14th 2012,
air conditioning fault. The unusual smell was identified to have been caused
by a zonal dryer, similiar to a dehumidifier.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=453e3e79
20120807172318:20120805000000
Incident: Delta B744 at Osaka on Aug 5th 2012, burning odour in cabin
A Delta Airlines Boeing 747-400, registration N662US performing flight DL-278
from Osaka Kansai (Japan) to Honolulu,HI (USA) with 382 people on board,
was climbing out of Kansai Airport’s runway 24L when a burning odour developed
in the cabin prompting the crew to level off at FL110 and returned to Kansai
for a safe landing about 20 minutes after departure.

Passengers reported that after the burning smell developed the cabin lights
went out temporarily.

Japan’s Ministry of Transport reported that nothing was found wrong with
the aircraft, the fumes were identified as vapour from the air conditioning
system.

The aircraft departed again after about 3.5 hours on the ground and reached
Honolulu with a delay of 3:20 hours.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=45354ecf
20120727163548:20120727000000
Incident: Georgian B190 at Syracuse on Jul 27th 2012, odour in cabin
An Air Georgian Beech 1900D on behalf of Air Canada, registration C-GMGA
performing flight ZX-7401/AC-7401 from Syracuse,NY (USA) to Toronto,ON (Canada)
with 4 people on board, was climbing out of Syracuse when the crew reported
an odour on board of the aircraft however no other indication, and requested
to return to Syracuse for a safe landing on runway 28 about 10 minutes after
departure. The aircraft vacated the runway and taxied to the apron.

The airport reported a battery operated smoke detector issued an alarm.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=45281147
20120711172329:20120710000000
Accident: US Airways A333 near Boston on Jul 10th 2012, odour sickens five cabin crew
A US Airways Airbus A330-300, registration N276AY performing flight US-720
from Charlotte,NC (USA) to Rome Fiumicino (Italy) with 177 passengers and
12 crew, was enroute at FL370 about 160nm east of Boston,MA (USA) when the
crew advised air traffic control that they needed a new destination Philadelphia,PA
(USA). The aircraft was cleared to FL360, turn around and divert to Phialdelphia.
The crew subsequently reported they were diverting due to an odour in the
cabin, and on the way to Philadelphia reported medical issues. The aircraft
landed safely on Philadelphia’s runway 27R about 65 minutes after turning
around. 5 cabin crew were taken to a hospital.

The airline reported 5 cabin crew were taken to a hospital feeling nauseous
as result of fumes in the cabin. A replacement crew operated the flight
to Rome.

A replacement Airbus A330-300 registration N270AY departed Philadelphia
about 4 hours after landing and reached Rome with a delay of 6:15 hours.

The FAA confirmed on Jul 11th that 4 persons on board received injuries
due to fumes on board of the aircraft, 13 others declined treatment.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=45227bec
20120704152208:20120702000000
Incident: Vision B734 near Gulfport on Jul 2nd 2012, odour in cockpit and cabin
A Vision Airlines Boeing 737-400, flight V2-709 from Gulfport,MS to Saint
Petersburg,FL (USA) with 128 people on board, was climbing out of Gulfport
when a strong odour developed on board prompting the crew to return to Gulfport’s
Biloxi Regional Airport for a safe landing about 10 minutes after departure
and taxied to the gate.

A postflight inspection identified residue of chemicals following an engine
wash as cause of the odour.

The aircraft was able to depart again after about 6 hours after landing
and reached Saint Petersburg with a delay of 6.5 hours.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=4521e338
20120703212109:20120702000000
Incident: Air Canada B763 near Buenos Aires on Jul 2nd 2012, strong burning odour on board
An Air Canada Boeing 767-300, registration C-GDUZ performing flight AC-92
from Santiago (Chile) to Buenos Aires Ezeiza,BA (Argentina), was enroute
more than half way towards Buenos Aires when a strong burning smell developed
on board prompting the crew to declare emergency. The aircraft continued
for a safe landing on Ezeiza’s runway 11, no trace of fire or smoke was
detected, and taxied to the gate, where the passengers disembarked.

The aircraft was able to depart for the return flight AC-93 from Ezeiza
to Toronto,ON (Canada) via Santiago with a delay of 2.5 hours. The complete
scheduled rotation AC-92/93 is Toronto-Santiago-Ezeiza-Santiago-Toronto.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=452122a5
20120712152219:20120702000000
Incident: Swiss RJ1H near Zurich on Jul 2nd 2012, loss of cabin pressure
A Swiss Avro RJ-100, registration HB-IXW performing flight LX-456 from Zurich
(Switzerland) to London City,EN (UK), was climbing through FL250 about 100nm
west of Zurich when the crew initiated an emergency descent and the passenger
oxygen masks were released. The aircraft descended to FL100 and returned
to Zurich for a safe landing on runway 14 about 40 minutes later.

The flight was cancelled, the passengers were rebooked onto the next flights.

A passenger reported that cabin crew were just serving drinks when the aircraft
began a steep descent causing the service carts to roll off. During the
descent the passenger oxygen masks were released and smoke of whitish/blueish
colour appeared in the cabin obviously coming from where the passenger oxygen
masks were released from. The smoke became dense enough to make it difficult
to see the flight attendant in the front of the cabin, the eyes were burning.
After the aircraft levelled off at low altitude the flight attendants tore
the oxygen masks including tubing from the cabin ceiling, a number of tubes
had melted.

The airline confirmed a gradual loss of cabin pressure reporting there had
been no smoke and no overheating/burning generator, no damage had occurred
to the oxygen masks/tubing and the aircraft received no damage. There was
some odour as result of the oxygen generators working however.

On Jul 12th the airline added that they are now able to confirm reduced
visibility in the cabin in addition to the odour, apologizing that this
information had not been available to the press department last week when
issuing the first statement. During operation of the chemical oxygen generators
located above the passenger seats heat and an odour of iron are being generated
which can also reduce visibility in the cabin. These conditions do not endanger
safety of flight however.

The Swiss BFU reported on Jul 11th that the air conditioning system #1 had
been disengaged for technical reasons. About 25 minutes into the flight
air conditioning system #2 shut down automatically resulting in a rapid
climb of cabin altitude. The flight crew donned their oxygen masks and initiated
an emergency descent, the passenger oxygen masks were automatically released
and used by passengers. The aircraft returned to Zurich. The BFU rated the
occurrence a serious incident and have opened an investigation.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=4510cd75
20120612225707:20120612000000
Incident: American Eagle E135 near Shreveport on Jun 12th 2012, electrical odour
An American Eagle Embraer ERJ-140, registration N844AE performing flight
MQ-2871 from Jackson,MS to Dallas Ft. Worth,TX (USA) with 44 people and
3 crew, was enroute at FL280 about 40nm southeast of Shreveport,LA when
the crew reported an electrical odour on board and decided to divert to
Shreveport for a safe landing about 15 minutes later.

The remainder of the flight was cancelled, the passengers were rebooked
onto other flights.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=4510b53b
20120612201919:20120612000000
Incident: Southwest B737 at Oakland on Jun 12th 2012, fumes in cockpit
A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-700, registration N713SW performing flight
WN-508 from Oakland,CA to Burbank,CA (USA) with 137 passengers and 5 crew,
was climbing through 8000 feet out of Oakland’s runway 29 when the crew
reported fumes in the cockpit, declared a precautionary emergency and returned
to Oakland for a safe landing on runway 29 about 13 minutes after departure.

A replacement Boeing 737-700 registration N453WN reached Burbank with a
delay of 2 hours.

The airline reported a strong odour was observed in the cabin prompting
the return.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=450e3d6e
20120609210039:20120609000000
Incident: Condor B753 near Nuremberg on Jun 9th 2012, burning smell on board
A Condor Boeing 757-300, registration D-ABOC performing flight DE-6512 from
Dusseldorf (Germany) to Antalya (Turkey) with 234 people on board, was enroute
at FL350 about 45nm northwest of Nuremberg (Germany) when the crew reported
a burning odour on board and diverted to Nuremberg for a safe landing on
runway 28 about 15 minutes later. Responding emergency services found no
trace of fire or smoke, however confirmed an abnormal smell in the cockpit
and a source of heat.

A replacement Boeing 757-300 registration D-ABOH is estimated to reach Antalya
with a delay of 6 hours.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=454c4cce
20120824122950:20120603000000
Incident: Lufthansa A319 at Frankfurt and Hanover on Jun 3rd 2012, oil fumes on board
A Lufthansa Airbus A319-100, registration D-AILT performing flight LH-58
from Frankfurt/Main to Hanover (Germany), was climbing out of Frankfurt
shortly after takeoff when the captain noticed oil fumes in the cockpit.
The first officer, pilot flying, donned his oxygen masks as a precaution.
The odour of oil was subsequently also reported from the front of the cabin
but seemed to subside enroute. During the descent the odour intensified
again, both pilots now used their oxygen masks and continued for a safe
landing in Hanover.

The German BFU reported in their monthly bulletin that all crew went for
a medical check after landing as a precaution. An inspection of both engines
identified no anomaly or source of smell. During a following ground run
the odour reappeared after the APU had been activated. The BFU opened an
investigation.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=44f70c6e
20120512151610:20120512000000
Incident: Lufthansa A321 at Prague on May 12th 2012, odour in cabin
A Lufthansa Airbus A321-100, registration D-AIRN performing flight LH-1403
from Prague (Czech Republic) to Frankfurt/Main (Germany) with 120 passengers,
was in the initial climb out of Prague’s runway 24 when an unusual odour
was observed in the cabin prompting the crew to level off at 7000 feet and
return to Prague for a safe landing on runway 24 about 15 minutes after
departure.

A replacement Lufthansa Cityline Avro RJ-85 registration D-AVRR positioned
from Munich (Germany) to Prague and delivered the passengers to Frankfurt
with a delay of 2:45 hours.

The incident aircraft positioned to Frankfurt later the day departing Prague
about 7 hours after landing.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=44eded0c
20120501195445:20120501000000
Incident: Delta B764 over Atlantic on May 1st 2012, smokey odour in cabin
A Delta Airlines Boeing 767-400, registration N841MH performing flight DL-19
from London Heathrow,EN (UK) to Detroit,MI (USA), was enroute over the Atlantic
Ocean about one hour into the crossing when the crew reported a smokey odour
in the cabin, turned around and diverted to Shannon (Ireland). On approach
the crew advised they didn’t need any assistance. The aircraft landed safely
on runway 06 about 70 minutes after turning around.

The aircraft was able to continue the journey after 2 hours on the ground
and is estimated to reach Detroit with a delay of 3.5 hours.

N841MH in Shannon:

———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=44f6882b
20120511233531:20120429000000
Incident: Westjet B737 at Calgary on Apr 29th 2012, blast of hot air from rudder pedals
A Westjet Boeing 737-700, registration C-FIBW performing flight WS-447 from
Calgary,AB to Vancouver,BC (Canada) with 122 people on board, was in the
initial climb out of Calgary’s runway 28 when immediately after rotation
a strong smell of fumes along with a blast of hot air from the rudder pedals
was noticed in the cockpit. Before the aircraft reached 1000 feet AGL the
purser contacted the flight deck reporting a smokey odour in the cabin.
The crew declared emergency, levelled off at 5000 feet and returned to Calgary
for a safe landing on Calgary’s runway 34 about 8 minutes after departure
and stopped on the runway. Emergency services found no trace of fire or
heat.

The Canadian TSB reported prior to the departure maintenance had prepared
the left hand engine for a borescopic inspection within an E2 check. The
borescopic inspection plug had been removed, but then it was determined
that the borescopic inspection could not proceed due to the tight tolerances
on the new engine. Anti-seize compound was applied to plug and the plug
was re-installed. As the borescopic inspection had not been conducted the
engine run required after such an inspection was not performed. It is believed
that heated residual anti-seize compound on and around the borescope inspection
plug caused the smoke.

A replacement Boeing 737-700 registration C-FXWJ reached Vancouver with
a delay of 2.5 hours.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=451cc736
20120627161535:20120426000000
Incident: Lufthansa A321 at Moscow on Apr 26th 2012, fumes on board
A Lufthansa Airbus A321-200, registration D-AIRT performing flight LH-1447
from Moscow Domodedovo (Russia) to Frankfurt/Main (Germany), was climbing
out of Moscow when shortly after becoming airborne and activation of the
air conditioning system a strong odour developed on board. The flight crew
assessed the circumstances and decided to continue the flight using their
oxygen masks. The aircraft continued for a safe landing in Frankfurt about
3:10 hours later.

Germany’s BFU reported in their monthly bulletin that crew described the
strong smell as “musty-oily” and like “a hot foehn”. None of the flight
and cabin crew complained about any abnormal symptoms, however all crew
went to a precautionary laboratory check to the airport clinics. Maintenance
inspected and ground run engines and APU with no findings and without any
smell developing.

The incident aircraft resumed service about 12 hours after landing.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=44e8aecf
20120425193015:20120425000000
Incident: Ryanair B738 at Bergamo on Apr 25th 2012, strong odour in cabin
A Ryanair Boeing 737-800, registration EI-EVA performing flight FR-4001
from Milan Bergamo (Italy) to Lanzarote,CI (Spain) with 179 passengers,
was in the initial climb out of Bergamo’s Orio al Serio Airport’s runway
28 when a strong acrid smell was noticed in the cabin. The crew levelled
off at 4000 feet and returned to Bergamo’s runway 28 for a safe landing
about 12 minutes after departure.

A replacement Boeing 737-800 registration EI-EKV reached Lanzarote with
a delay of 2.5 hours.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=44e87f7d
20120425135017:20120425000000
Incident: KLM MD11 near Shannon on Apr 25th 2012, smoke in cockpit
A KLM McDonnell Douglas MD-11, registration PH-KCC performing flight KL-758
from Panama City (Panama) to Amsterdam (Netherlands) with 272 passengers
and 13 crew, was enroute at FL370 about 140nm south of Shannon (Ireland)
when the crew reported smoke in the cockpit and diverted to Shannon for
a safe landing on runway 06 about 35 minutes later. Responding emergency
services found no trace of fire or smoke.

The airline reported an unusual odour in the cabin prompted a precautionary
diversion. A replacement aircraft is going to continue the flight.

PH-KCC at the gate in Shannon:

———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=44e723f9
20120423204728:20120422000000
Incident: Delta MD88 at New York on Apr 22nd 2012, odour on board
A Delta Airlines McDonnell Douglas MD-88, registration N938DL performing
flight DL-2019 from New York La Guardia,NY to Minneapolis,MN (USA) with
156 people on board, was climbing out of La Guardia Airport when the crew
reported a smoky odour on board, stopped the climb at about 17,000 feet
and decided to divert to New York’s JFK Airport. On final approach to runway
04L the crew went around and positioned for another approach to runway 04L
for a safe landing about 40 minutes after departure and 10 minutes after
going around.

A replacement MD-88 reached Minneapolis with a delay of 6 hours.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=44e62ccf
20120422151444:20120422000000
Incident: UPS B763 near Boston on Apr 22nd 2012, odour, smoke in cockpit and cargo fire indication
A UPS Boeing 767-300, registration N332UP performing flight 5X-209 from
Philadelphia,PA (USA) to Cologne (Germany), was enroute at FL330 about 40nm
northnortheast of Boston,MA (USA) when the crew reported an odour in the
cockpit, followed by smoke in the cockpit from the center pedestal possibly
right radio. The crew decided to divert to Boston where the aircraft landed
overweight and safely on runway 33L about 13 (!) minutes later and stopped
on the runway reporting they had hot brakes and now also had a fire indication
at the upper cargo deck containing hazmat, they believed however the fire
indication was false. The crew shut the aircraft down and requested emergency
services to use thermal imaging, a quick check of the cargo bay by them
had not shown any trace of fire. Emergency services found no trace of fire.

The aircraft was subsequently towed to the cargo apron.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=44e30b5e
20120420110703:20120418000000
Incident: Lufthansa B744 near Ufa on Apr 18th 2012, smoke in cabin
A Lufthansa Boeing 747-400, registration D-ABVS performing flight LH-729
from Shanghai (China) to Frankfurt/Main (Germany) with 311 passengers, was
enroute at FL340 about 80nm northeast of Ufa (Russia) when the crew reported
smoke in the cabin and diverted to Ufa for a safe landing about 20 minutes
later. Responding emergency services found no trace of fire, the smoke was
identified as electrical as result of some faulty wires. No injuries were
reported.

The airline’s website estimated the flight to depart Ufa at 04:45L Apr 19th
and continue to Moscow Domodedovo (Russia), those flights were all cancelled
on Apr 19th. The website then did not show how the passengers would get
to Frankfurt.

Lufthansa dispatched two Airbus A320-200, registration D-AIZJ and D-AIQB,
from Moscow to Ufa as flights LH-9875 and LH-9879, which arrived in Ufa
around 11:30L (05:30Z), the aircraft are currently enroute as flights LH-9877
and LH-9881 obviously heading for Germany, current position (11:00Z) already
over Belarus 270nm west of Moscow. D-AIZJ landed on Frankfurt’s runway 25C
at 15:08L (13:08Z) and D-AIQB on runway 25C at 15:21L (13:21Z) delivering
the passengers to Frankfurt with a total delay of about 20.5 hours.

The incident aircraft positioned to Germany on Apr 20th leaving Ufa about
44 hours after landing.

The airline reported the aircraft diverted because of an unusual odour on
board adding later that the source of the smell was identified to be an
overheating lamp in the crew rest bunk.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=44de6eb5
20120412220046:20120412000000
Incident: Luxair E145 at Munich on Apr 12th 2012, burning odour
A Luxair Embraer ERJ-145, registration LX-LGW performing flight LG-9732
from Munich (Germany) to Luxembourg (Luxembourg) with 29 passengers and
3 crew, was climbing out of Munich when the crew reported a burning odour
in the cockpit, levelled off at FL100 and returned to Munich for a safe
landing about 20 minutes after departure. Responding emergency services
confirmed a burning smell in the cockpit, but could not locate the origin.

The passengers were rebooked onto the next flight LG-9730 and reached Luxembourg
with a delay of 3 hours.

The airline reported a maintenance technician was flown to Munich and determined
the charger of a cockpit torch had suffered a short circuit developing the
burning smell as result.

The incident aircraft was able to resume service about 8 hours after landing.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=44f887e7
20120514122334:20120316000000
Accident: Air Berlin B737 at Munich on Mar 16th 2012, rotten odour on board
An Air Berlin Boeing 737-700, registration D-ABLF performing flight AB-6112
from Munich to Cologne (Germany), was departing Munich and in the initial
climb when a strong rotten smell developed on board, which slowly dissipated
during cruise. The aircraft continued for a safe landing at Cologne.

Germany’s BFU reported in their monthly bulletin that during the flight
one cabin crew member already complained about severe headache, after landing
the entire crew complained about nausea and went to see the airport’s doctor.
An investigation has been opened.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=44c554c9
20120312235739:20120312000000
Incident: Arkefly B763 near Brussels on Mar 12th 2012, electrical odour in cockpit and electrical problems
An Arkefly Boeing 767-300 on behalf of Jetairfly, registration PH-OYJ performing
flight TB-103 from Brussels (Belgium) to Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic),
was climbing through about FL110 out of Brussels when the crew declared
PAN PAN PAN reporting an electrical odour and requesting to return to Brussels.
The aircraft levelled off at FL120, the crew reported they had electrical
problems as well, and returned to Brussels for a safe landing about 30 minutes
after departure.

The aircraft was able to depart again after about 7 hours on the ground
and is currently estimated to reach Santo Domingo with a delay of 8 hours.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=44bf47fd
20120307122041:20120305000000
Incident: Air France A343 over Atlantic on Mar 5th 2012, smoke caused by short circuit
An Air France Airbus A340-300, registration F-GLZJ performing flight AF-422
from Paris Charles de Gaulle (France) to Bogota (Colombia) with 274 passengers
and 14 crew, was enroute over the Atlantic northwest of the Azores Islands
when the crew received a smoke indication for the lower mobile deck, crew
rest area. The flight crew decided to divert to Lajes Airport on Terceira
Island, Azores (Portugal) for a safe overweight landing. The passengers
disembarked via mobile stairs.

Examination revealed the smoke indication was caused by smoke emanating
from a short circuit.

A replacement Airbus A340-300 registration F-GLZR was dispatched to Lajes
on Mar 6th, departed Terceira Island at 15:40L Mar 6th (16:40Z) and reached
Bogota with a delay of 26.5 hours.

The airline’s press office said, the fire indication was false, there was
no smoke, an investigation is underway to determine why the alarm went off
for no reason.

Passengers reported an unusual burning odour shortly after takeoff, that
had been delayed by about 30 minutes due to some technical issue. About
3 hours into the flight the odour intensified and smoke became visible in
the cabin, seemingly emanating from a lavatory. The aircraft dumped fuel
while descending towards the Azores Islands.

Passenger Alessandro Colombo was seated in the front row of premium voyager
class and told The Aviation Herald, that he could not notice any smoke,
unusual odour or unusual sounds from his seat, however, he noticed something
was going on in the left aft part of the cabin. The aircraft was northwest
of the Azores Islands when it turned to divert to Lajes, the captain announced
they had a smoke alert, would divert to Lajes and would dump fuel on the
way to Lajes. The aircraft, while dumping fuel, descended normally to 3000
feet (according to map/flight progress display on the entertainment system),
continued at that altitude, still dumping fuel, for about 20 minutes straight
towards Lajes and landed safely. Alessandro described the scenario on board
as calm with no panic whatsoever, four fire trucks awaited the aircraft
at Lajes, 2 firemen entered the cabin in full safety equipment, the passengers
disembarked quietly over airport stairs with all their belongings.

Disembarking the aircraft in Lajes (Photo: Alessandro Colombo):

———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=44baa216
20120229121020:20120228000000
Incident: Frontier A319 near Nashville on Feb 28th 2012, odour in cockpit
A Frontier Airlines Airbus A319-100, registration N947FR performing flight
F9-427 from Atlanta,GA to Denver,CO (USA) with 99 passengers, was enroute
at FL360 about 50nm southeast of Nashville,TN when the crew donned their
oxygen masks due to an unusual odour in the cockpit and decided to divert
to Nashville, where the aircraft landed safely on runway 20R about 25 minutes
later.

A replacement Airbus A319-100 registration N945FR reached Denver with a
delay of 5.5 hours.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=44bbcd4b
20120301205124:20120226000000
Incident: First AT42 at Yellowknife on Feb 26th 2012, smoke just prior to takeoff
A First Air Avion de Transport Regional, registration C-FIQU performing
flight 7F-852 from Yellowknife,NT to Cambridge Bay,NU (Canada) with 21 people
on board, was lined up on runway 34 preparing for departure when the crew
received an aft smoke indication and decided to return to the apron. While
taxiing along the runway a strong odour of electrical fumes was detected,
the crew stopped the aircraft about 1550 feet down the runway and evacuated
the aircraft.

The Canadian TSB reported maintenance found the circuit breaker for the
“ground cooling fan #2” tripped and the Pack 2 Overheat mimic trip indicator
was showing. The ground cooling fan #2 was replaced, following function
checks the aircraft was returned to service.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=44cbabc3
20120320174937:20120113000000
Incident: Air Berlin A332 near Bangkok on Jan 13th 2012, burning odour and smoke in cabin
An Air Berlin Airbus A330-200, registration D-ABXB performing flight AB-7151
from Bangkok (Thailand) to Dusseldorf (Germany), was climbing out of Bangkok
when a burning odour became noticeable in the aft cabin followed by visible
smoke. Near the door L3 rumbling and whimpering sounds were heard. Subsequently
white smoke associated with a burned smell appeared from the air conditioning
outlets in the cabin ceiling. Smell and smoke was not noticeable in the
cockpit nor was any warning indication in the cockpit. After cabin crew
had informed the flight crew an emergency was declared and the crew set
course to return to Bangkok. While descending, with the engines at idle
and while working the smoke checklists, the smoke began to lighten, the
aircraft landed safely but overweight back in Bangkok. The passengers disembarked
normally via stairs.

The BFU reported in their monthly bulletin that the rotor of an air cycle
machine, usually rotating at 35000 revolutions per minute to prepare engine
bleed air for use in the air conditioning system, had seized. The turbine
had overheated and unprocessed, humid engine bleed air had entered the cabin.
Later a valve closed automatically preventing such bleed air to enter the
air conditioning system.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=4496ec87
20120117223332:20120113000000
Incident: Porter DH8D near Quebec on Jan 13th 2012, smoke in cockpit
A Porter Airlines de Havilland Dash 8-400, registration C-GLQQ performing
flight PD-512 from Quebec,QC to Toronto,ON (Canada) with 68 people on board,
was climbing through FL180 out of Quebec when the crew detected a burning
smell in the cockpit and shortly afterwards saw wisps of smoke followed
by an “ENG ADPT HEAT 1” caution message. The crew performed the smoke drill,
donned oxygen masks and goggles, declared emergency and returned to Quebec
for a safe landing on Quebec’s runway 06 about 45 minutes after departure.
Responding emergency services found no trace of fire or heat, however still
observed the smell of smoke. The aircraft taxied to the gate where passenger
disembarked normally.

Emergency services again inspected the aircraft at the gate, the smell was
still noticeable, however, no source of heat was found.

The Canadian TSB reported maintenance found a damaged and overheated Engine
Intake Heater Adapter Assembly which caused the odour to develop and distribute
through the engine intake via the bleed air and the air conditioning system
into the aircraft. The Heater Adapter Assembly was replaced.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=449110c5
20120110174744:20120110000000
Incident: American B738 at New York on Jan 10th 2012, electrical odour
An American Airlines Boeing 737-800, registration N829NN performing flight
AA-487 from New York JFK,NY (USA) to San Juan (Puerto Rico) with 154 people
on board, was climbing through 13,000 feet when the crew reported an electrical
smell in the area of the forward galley, levelled off at 13,000 feet and
returned to New York for a safe landing on runway 31L about 20 minutes after
departure.

The aircraft was able to depart again after about 2 hours on the ground
and reached San Juan with a delay of an hour.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=4493ab21
20120113230333:20120108000000
Incident: Air Wisconsin CRJ2 at Ottawa on Jan 8th 2012, smoke in cockpit
An Air Wisconsin Canadair CRJ-200 on behalf of US Airways, registration
N434AW performing flight ZW-3837/US-3837 from Ottawa,ON (Canada) to Philadelphia,PA
(USA), was climbing out of Ottawa when the crew reported smoke in the cockpit,
the airfield was in sight. The aircraft was cleared for an “absolutely unrestricted
visual approach” to runway 25, levelled off at about 4000 feet and landed
safely on runway 25 about 5 minutes after departure.

The Canadian TSB reported the odour (smoke) was attributed to ingestion
of anti-ice fluid that had been applied prior to departure.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=448e8b96
20120107154547:20120106000000
Incident: Korean A333 near Komatsu on Jan 6th 2012, odour on board
A Korean Air A330-300, registration HL7550 performing flight KE-766 from
Sapporo (Japan) to Seoul (South Korea) with 242 passengers, was enroute
at FL380 about 120nm northeast of Komatsu (Japan) when a strong odour on
board prompted the crew to divert to Komatsu for a safe landing. Emergency
services found no trace of fire, heat or smoke.

The passengers were taken to hotels. The aircraft was examined and released
for flight the following day after 20 hours on the ground. The aircraft
reached Seoul with a delay of 20 hours.

Passengers reported the odour smelled like burned wires.

The airline reported the odour was caused by an anomaly in the air conditioning
system.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=448a8c92
20120102232753:20111231000000
Incident: American B772 near Beijing on Dec 31st 2011, smell of smoke in cabin
An American Airlines Boeing 777-200, registration N756AM performing flight
AA-186 from Beijing (China) to Chicago O’Hare,IL (USA), was enroute about
30 minutes into the flight when smell of smoke was detected in the cabin
prompting the crew to return to Beijing for a safe landing about 60 minutes
after departure. No traces of fire, heat or smoke were found.

The aircraft was able to depart the following day and reached Chicago with
a delay of 26 hours.

Passengers reported they smelled a strong odour of smoke on board, shortly
afterwards the captain announced they had technical problems and were returning
to Beijing.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=4483bc24
20111225142035:20111221000000
Incident: Wisconsin CRJ2 near Ottawa on Dec 21st 2011, smoke on board
An Air Wisconsin Canadair CRJ-200 on behalf of US Airways, registration
N434AW performing flight ZW-3757/US-3757 from Ottawa,ON (Canada) to Charlotte,NC
(USA) with 52 people on board, was in the initial climb out of Ottawa when
the crew reported smoke in the cockpit, levelled off at 3000 feet and returned
to Ottawa for a safe overweight landing about 20 minutes after departure.
Responding emergency services found no trace of fire, heat or smoke.

The Canadian TSB reported that the aircraft had been de-iced prior to departure,
de-icing fluid entered the air conditioning system and caused the odour
and smoke.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=4477d21b
20111211140845:20111208000000
Incident: Air Berlin A332 over Atlantic on Dec 8th 2011, odour on board
An Air Berlin Airbus A330-200, registration D-ALPE performing flight AB-7451
from New York JFK,NY (USA) to Dusseldorf (Germany), was enroute at FL370
about 130nm west of St. John’s,NL (Canada) when the crew reported an unidentifyable
odour on board, turned around and requested to divert to Bangor,MA (USA).
The crew subsequently decided to return to New York’s JFK Airport for a
safe landing on runway 31R with emergency services on stand by about 2:40
hours later.

The incident aircraft was able to depart again after about 17 hours on the
ground in New York and reached Dusseldorf with a total delay of 22 hours.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=446f0c3b
20111130231449:20111126000000
Incident: Air Canada A320 near Vancouver on Nov 26th 2011, acrid smell on board
An Air Canada Airbus A320-200, registration C-FTJP performing flight AC-162
(scheduled dep Nov 25th) from Vancouver,BC to Toronto,ON (Canada) with 152
people on board, was climbing through 10,000 feet out of Vancouver when
the crew reported an acrid smell in the cabin and returned to Vancouver
declaring urgency with ATC due to overweight landing and possibly hot brakes.
The aircraft landed safely in Vancouver about 15 minutes later.

A replacement Airbus A320-200 reached Toronto with a delay of 2.5 hours.

The Canadian TSB reported the source of the odour is believed to be the
auxiliary power unit’s (APU) bleed. Maintenance conducted an engine run
with the APU off, the smell dissipated. The APU bleed valve was deactivated
according to minimum equipment list requirements, an overweight landing
inspection could be skipped because touchdown occurred at less than 360
fpm and the aircraft returned to service without further incident.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=44619c2d
20111114162946:20111113000000
Incident: American B752 near Nassau on Nov 13th 2011, smell of smoke
An American Airlines Boeing 757-200, registration N616AA performing flight
AA-1830 from Punta Cana (Dominican Republic) to Miami,FL (USA), was enroute
at FL360 about 115nm southsoutheast of Nassau (Bahamas) when the crew reported
smell of smoke on board and diverted to Nassau for a safe landing about
30 minutes later.

A replacement Boeing 757-200 reached Miami with a delay of 5 hours.

A left hand bleed duct overheat was identified as cause of the odour.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=445f5876
20111111232114:20111111000000
Incident: Delta DC95 at Fargo on Nov 11th 2011, smoke in cabin
A Delta Airlines Douglas DC-9-50, registration N677MC performing flight
DL-1246 from Fargo,ND to Minneapolis,MN (USA) with 76 passengers, was climbing
out of Fargo’s runway 18 when the crew reported smoke in the cabin and returned
to Fargo’s runway 18 for a safe landing about 10 minutes after departure.

The airline reported a smokey odour was observed in the cabin prompting
the return.

The aircraft was able to depart again and reached Minneapolis with a delay
of 6:15 hours.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=44822517
20111223154955:20111020000000
Accident: TUIFly B737 at London and enroute on Oct 20th 2011, captain and two cabin crew unwell
A TUIFly Boeing 737-700 in Air Berlin colours, registration D-AHIA performing
flight AB-8597 from London Gatwick,EN (UK) to Nuremberg (Germany), had used
a ground power unit for electric supply as well as the APU’s bleed air for
air conditioning while on the ground in Gatwick. A strong odour developed
on board of the aircraft which the crew accounted to come from the bleed
air of the APU, the APU was kept operating however due to the low outside
temperature of +2 degrees C (36 degrees F). While the aircraft taxied for
departure the smell reduced so that the crew decided to depart. The smell
reduced further during the initial climb, then began to intensify again.
Passengers attempted to identify the smell but did not approach cabin crew.
Enroute the captain left the cockpit to inspect the cabin, two flight attendants
complained about tingling arms and legs, headache, dizziness, lack of power
of concentration, stinging eyes and difficulty swallowing. Upon returning
to the cockpit the captain detected unusual bodily symptoms on himself,
too. Both flight crew discussed the situation considering a diversion to
the closer Frankfurt (Germany), but decided to continue the flight to destination.
During the descent the captain repeatedly used his oxygen mask. The aircraft
landed safely in Nuremberg.

The German Bureau for Aviation Accident Investigation (BFU) reported in
their monthly bulletin all three crew members, captain and two cabin crew,
were unable to perform duties for 1.5 weeks following the accident flight.

A technical examination of the aircraft in the next two days revealed no
anomaly on both engines, the APU and the air conditioning systems.

A chemical analysis of the cabin air sampled on Oct 20th after landing did
not reveal any anomalies.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=4448a8f1
20111017152420:20111014000000
Incident: Austrian F70 near Vienna on Oct 14th 2011, odour on board
An Austrian Airlines Fokker 70, registration OE-LFJ performing flight OS-615
from Vienna (Austria) to Sochi (Russia), was climbing through FL280 out
of Vienna when the crew decided to return to Vienna due to a stale odour
on board. The aircraft entered a holding at FL100 to burn off fuel and landed
safely back about 90 minutes after departure.

The airline reported the cause of the stale odour on board is being investigated,
causes like contamination through bleed air, cleaning materials or condensation
in the air conditioning are being looked at.

Following the examination the airline reported the cause of the odour was
identified an obstruction in the air conditioning system, therefore cooling
water in the air conditioning system became brackish and started to smell
when it heated up, the smell being similiar to an air conditioning system
that had been used for a longer period of time.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=444e75ef
20111022134541:20111012000000
Incident: TAP A332 near Gran Canaria on Oct 12th 2011, odour on board
A TAP Air Portugal Airbus A330-200, registration CS-TOI performing flight
TP-151 from Lisbon (Portugal) to Recife,PE (Brazil), was enroute at FL380
about 90nm south of Gran Canaria,CI (Spain) two hours into the flight when
the crew turned around to return to Lisbon due to an unusual odour on board.
The aircraft landed safely on Lisbon’s runway 03 about 110 minutes after
turning around.

A replacement Airbus A330-200 registration CS-TOM reached Recife with a
delay of 6.5 hours.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=44457995
20111011201811:20111011000000
Incident: Skyways F50 at Kristianstad on Oct 11th 2011, electrical fumes on board
A Skyways Fokker 50, registration SE-LIT performing flight JZ-466 from Kristianstad
to Stockholm Arlanda (Sweden), was climbing out of Kristianstad when the
crew reported an electrical odour on board of the aircraft and decided to
return to Kristianstad for a safe landing about 15 minutes after departure.

The flight was subsequently cancelled, the passengers were bussed to Vaxjo
(about 125 road km north of Kristianstad) to catch flight JZ-448 which reached
Stockholm with a delay of 2:20 hours.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=46c79b49
20131204170904:20111009000000
Accident: Lufthansa A388 at Frankfurt and San Francisco on Oct 9th 2011, fumes permanently injure flight attendant
A Lufthansa Airbus A380-800, registration D-AIMB performing flight LH-454
from Frankfurt/Main (Germany) to San Francisco,CA (USA) with an unknown
number of passengers and 24 crew, was climbing out of Frankfurt when a strong
chemical odour of dirty socks was observed in cockpit and cabin. The flight
crew contacted dispatch who told the flight crew that one of the engines
had been washed prior to departure, the bleed air suppy was deactivated
on that engine and the odour dissipated. The aircraft continued the flight
to San Francisco. During the descent towards San Francisco the odour re-appeared
even stronger than on departure despite the bleed air still being deactivated
on the washed engine. The aircraft landed safely in San Francisco.

As a precaution following the fumes events two of the flight attendants
went to see the San Francisco’s doctor assigned by Lufthansa to seek advice,
but the doctor wasn’t available, only a sign indicating on the door that
he’d be back shortly, however, the doctor didn’t return the entire afternoon.
The two joined the crew for their scheduled return flight and worked normally
on the return flight.

Arriving at home immediately after the return flight one of the two flight
attendants seeking medical advice in San Francisco felt very sick. During
subsequent medical checks it turned out that the flight attendant had received
serious injuries, that are still seriously affecting the flight attendant’s
health more than two years later rendering the flight attendant unable to
work due to headache, permanent tiredness, lack of concentration, lack of
energy, burning eyes and related shortcomings.

The Aviation Herald learned of the accident through the family of the injured
flight attendant in October 2013. The family stated that a laboratory test
by a US university had proven an intoxication with TriCresyl Phosphate (TCP).

The report on research laboratory tests conducted in January 2012 produced
by the Medical Center of the University of Nebraska confirmed: “Sample [number
omitted] was positive for exposure to tri-o-cresyl phosphate.”

Tri-o(rtho)-cresyl phosphate (ToCP) is one of the 10 isomers of tri-cresyl-phosphate
(TCP), a substance belonging to the chemical family of organo-phosphates,
which are used for special aviation lubricants. One of the widely known
members of the family of organo-phosphates is the nerve agent Sarin.

The family reported, that this report was not recognized by Germany’s Authorities
like “Arbeitsmedizinischer Dienst” (occupational health service), health
insurance, Luftfahrtbundesamt (LBA, Civil Aviation Authority), the airline
or the related cabin crew association, hence the medical status of the flight
attendant was not acknowledged as work accident resulting from the occurrence
flight. Necessary treatment to overcome the intoxication was thus not available
to the flight attendant. Quite the opposite, the family told The Aviation
Herald, the Medical Center of the University of Nebraska was “advised”
to not conduct those tests anymore.

A second medical examination in Germany conducted in October 2013 by the
Medical Center of Tagesklinikum Cham reported a lot of medical values identifying
degradation products of organo-phospates and related antibodies. The report
states: “Es liegt jetzt schon eine signifkant eingeschr‰nkte F‰higkeit des
Organismus vor mit Toxinen umzugehen, die bei einem Fumes Event freigestellt
werden.” (Translation: Already now a significantly reduced capacity of the
organism exists to handle toxins that are being released during a fumes
event.)

The medical expertise concludes: “Das gefundene Abbauprodukt stammt eindeutig
von einem prim‰ren Organophosphat. In Bezug auf das stattgehabte Fume event
kommt nur das Trikresylphosphat als Prim‰rsubstanz zum Tragen. Somit ist
der Kontakt und die klinische Bedeutung, die f¸r den Zustand [name omitted]
verantwortlich ist, gesichert.” (Translation: The found degradation product
undisputably originates from a primary organophosphate. With respect to
the happened fumes event only tri-cresyl phosphate takes effect as primary
substance. Hence contact and clinical significance, responsible for the
status of [name omitted], are verified.)

The expertise recommends a number of therapies to help the flight attendant’s
body to get rid of the intoxication and recover from Neuropathy.

Associates of the flight attendant stated the flight attendant was healthy
and in good spirit the day before departure to San Francisco. After the
return from the rotation they nearly could not recognize the flight attendant,
who was pale, weak and apathetic, the status has not noticeably improved
since.

Lufthansa’s press department refused to comment on questions like whether
there was a doctor accredited in San Francisco and why that doctor wasn’t
available, or whether they were able to identify any cause of the smell/fumes
on board of D-AIMB stating that they won’t disclose any personal data of
their employees. When The Aviation Herald queried, that absolutely no personal
data of the flight attendants involved were asked for, Lufthansa spokesman
Michael Lamberty stated: “aus unterschiedlichen Gr¸nden, kˆnnen wir abschlieflend
keine Fragen entdecken, auf die wir n‰her eingehen kˆnnten” (translation:
for a number of reasons and in conclusion we can not detect any questions,
that we could respond to).

Germany’s Luftfahrtbundesamt (LBA, Civil Aviation Authority) stated on Oct
15th 2013, that they were not aware of the occurrence.

Germany’s BFU (accident investigation board) told The Aviation Herald, that
they received a written report about the flight of Oct 9th 2011 on Oct 23rd
2011, the narration of events in that report prompted the BFU to rate the
occurrence not as accident or serious incident, an investigation was not
opened as result. The BFU said, new evidence presented by The Aviation Herald
and the family of the flight attendant is being assessed, might change the
classification of the occurrence and thus prompt an investigation, a decision
is pending.

The United States NTSB reported, they were not aware of the occurrence,
the responsibility for the investigation would be with Germany’s BFU however.

The responsible German federal “Amt f¸r Versorgung und Soziales” (Department
for Care and Social Services) issued a ruling in March 2013, that the flight
attendant was handicapped to a degree (GdB) of 50 (signifying severe disability),
and argued, that the flight attendant had been intoxicated by TCP and suffered
from reduced capacity, Polyneuropathy and reduction of brain capacity as
well as depressive disturbances.

Germany’s Berufsgenossenschaft f¸r Transport und Verkehrswirtschaft (Professional
Association for Transport and Traffic) rejected any compensation claims
in May and October 2013 ruling, that a concrete proof of TCP or other related
harmful substances affecting the flight attendant’s health was not presented,
hence a work accident did not occur. The Association acknowledged however
that the captain of the flight immediately suspected intoxication by TCP.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=44466577
20111012222302:20111009000000
Incident: Lufthansa A321 near Linz on Oct 9th 2011, odour in cockpit
A Lufthansa Airbus A321-100, registration D-AIRX performing flight LH-1239
from Vienna (Austria) to Frankfurt (Germany), was enroute at FL230 about
20nm west of Linz (Austria) when two circuit breakers popped followed by
some odour that prompeted the crew to divert to Munich (Germany) for a safe
landing on runway 26L about 20 minutes later.

The remainder of the flight was cancelled, the passengers were rebooked
onto other flights.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=44410faa
20111006161407:20111003000000
Incident: Westjet B738 near Calgary on Oct 3rd 2011, burning odour in cabin
A Westjet Boeing 737-800, registration C-GWSX performing flight WS-425 from
Calgary,AB to Vancouver,BC (Canada) with 134 people on board, was in the
initial climb through 1000 feet AGL out of Calgary’s runway 16 when the
crew reported smoke in the cabin. The aircraft levelled off at around 8400
feet and returned to Calgary’s runway 16 for a safe landing about 12 minutes
after departure.

The Canadian TSB reported, that it was actually a burning smell in the cabin.
The smell dissipated until landing and the aircraft taxied to the apron
with the APU shut down. The APU had received maintenance the previous day,
during which the fan blades were lubricated. It is believed the burning
smell originated from the excess lubricant burning off.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=443e0efb
20111002223835:20111002000000
Incident: Delta B752 near Sioux Falls on Oct 2nd 2011, electrical fumes in cabin
A Delta Airlines Boeing 757-200, flight DL-1550 from Las Vegas,NV to Minneapolis,MN
(USA), was enroute at FL370 about 50nm west of Sioux Falls,SD (USA) when
the crew reported an electrical odour in the cabin and diverted to Sioux
Falls for a safe landing about 20 minutes later.

The FAA reported the crew requested to divert to Sioux Falls because of
electrical fumes on board.

———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=4439c964/0000
20120313173121:20110926000000
Incident: United Airlines B752 at Denver on Sep 26th 2011, bird strike
The NTSB have released their final report concluding the probable cause
was:

The initial damage to the fan blades was caused by the ingestion of a Red-Tailed
Hawk that resulted in the fracture of one or more fan blades, which then
struck the fan case and caused it to bulge. The bulged fan case moved into
the path of the other passing fan blades producing various sized blades
fragments that creating a cascading effect of collateral impact damage to
the other fan blades, the fan case, and the inlet cowl.

The NTSB reported the aircraft had just touched down on runway 35R, full
reverse thrust had been applied, when the flight crew observed two hawks
at the center line of runway 35R shortly followed by impact on the fuselage
and hot odour in the cockpit. After vacating the runway engine #1 rolled
down on its own, an oil pressure light followed by a low oil pressure indication
came on. A flight attendant observed smoke from the tail pipe of the engine,
the flight crew shut the engine down using the “engine fire, severe damage
or separation” checklist. Emergency services were called but found no trace
of fire. The aircraft was subsequently towed to the gate.

The aircraft sustained minor gouging of the fuselage and underside of the
left wing, a passenger window was nicked and the left main gear forward
tyre was slashed but not deflated.

The left hand engine showed multiple impacts on its inner barrel of the
inlet cowl, gouges and through holes through the outer skin of the inlet
at two locations. All fan blades were extensively damaged with three blades
fractured across the airfoil. No penetrations or breaches were observed
in the engine cases, the fan case however showed several bulges corresponding
to hard impacts, fan blade rub strip material was missing.

The right hand engine showed minor fan blade leading edge damage to a number
of blades.

The remains of the whole bird as well as fragments of a second bird were
recovered from runway 35R and identified as remains of juvenile Red-Tailed
Hawks.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=443e9a61
20111129180153:20110925000000
Accident: Air Berlin A332 near New York and Berlin on Sep 25th and Sep 26th 2011, odour causes all crew feel unwell
An Air Berlin Airbus A330-200, registration D-ALPI performing flight AB-7249
from New York JFK,NY (USA) to Berlin Tegel (Germany) with 254 passengers
and 10 crew, was climbing through 2500 feet out of New York when an unusual
odour of wet pullovers was observed in the cockpit and cabin, especially
in the forward area of the cockpit. The crew identified the smell as oil
fumes and continued the climb to FL380 where the odour reduced to bearable
intensity. Several cabin crew reported headache resulting from the fumes,
cockpit crew members complained about dizziness and tumb fingers causing
difficulty to operate the MCDU. Medical services contacted via radio refused
service arguing the oil fumes event was “political” because of the involved
TCP (“TriCresyl Phosphate”) problems. After monitoring the oil consumption
over the first 4 hours of the flight the crew identified a loss of 4 quarts
of oil for the left hand engine (PW4168) with the right hand engine’s oil
consumption remaining normal. During the approach to Berlin, while descending
through FL070 the smell increased in intensity again. The aircraft continued
for a safe landing on Tegel’s runway 26R about 7 hours after departure from
New York. The purser received serious injuries.

All flight and cabin crew delivered blood samples. The purser was in hospital
care for more than 2 days. The flight crew complains about lasting impact
on their health like dizziness and tumb fingers.

Maintenance reported the carbon seals at the left engine’s spinner were
leaking substantial amounts of oil.

Germany’s Civil Aviation Authority (LBA) reported they received an occurrence
report by Air Berlin and are investigating.

Germany’s Bureau for Aviation Accident Investigation (BFU) confirmed the
BFU have initiated an investigation.

On Nov 29th 2011 the BFU reported in their monthly bulletin, that all crew
complained about headache, cough, hoarseness, lack of powers of concentration,
dizziness, difficulty in swallowing as well as slightly numb finger tips.

Air Berlin confirmed that the flight experienced short term odours during
climb and descent, which were noticed by both cockpit and cabin crew but
dissipated quickly. The airline is currently not able to provide further
details due to the ongoing investigation.

In a new statement Air Berlin reported on Oct 4th, that an occurrence report
was immediately submitted to the LBA. The airline did not see any necessity
to submit a report to the BFU arguing the events did not constitute a serious
incident, however, submitted a report on Sep 28th stating they wanted authorities
have the final assessment. Immediately after landing the members of the
crew received medical care and were examined by “Berufsgenossenschaftlicher
und Arbeitsmedizinischer Dienst” (BAD – trade associations’ and industrial
medical service), who did not find a causal link between the odour and the
symptoms suffered by the members of the crew. The purser, who had been submitted
to hospital care, was released with normal values in the meantime. The technical
logs showed, that the oil consumption of the left engine was well below
limits, nonetheless, the engine was replaced without technical necessity.

A similiar occurrence spanning multiple flights had occurred with another
Air Berlin A332 earlier this year, see Incident: Air Berlin A332 at Bangkok
on Apr 11th 2011, departed with engine required to be changed, Incident:
Air Berlin A332 near Munich on Apr 9th 2011, strong smell of oil on board
and Incident: Air Berlin A332 near Munich on Apr 8th 2011, smell of oil
on board.

The theory, that oil fumes by the nature of the ingredient TriCresyl Phosphate
entering the cabin through the bleed air system may cause toxic symptoms
(named Aerotoxic Syndrome), has been consequently denied by the industry
over decades arguing that no scientific evidence of a causal link between
TCP and the Aerotoxic Syndrome could be produced. In the recent years scientific
studies however proved a causal link between TCP in form of oil fumes via
bleed air and the Aerotoxic Syndrome. These results led to a court verdict
in Australia in 2010 awarding compensation to a flight attendant, who had
been exposed to fumes leading to an Aerotoxic Syndrome. The results of this
recent scientific research are currently being discussed in the national
parliaments of a number of countries with the expectation of rules changing.
Additional filters for the bleed air systems promising to substantially
reduce oil fumes are available, these filters however have not been applied
to Air Berlin’s aircraft as of current.

Newest aircraft designs, for example the Boeing 787, no longer supply the
cabin air conditioning systems with engine bleed air.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=443426bb
20110920203548:20110916000000
Incident: United Airlines B772 near Halifax on Sep 16th 2011, smoke detector could not be silenced
A United Airlines Boeing 777-200, registration N218UA performing flight
UA-976 from Washington Dulles,DC (USA) to Dubai (United Arab Emirates) with
262 people on board, was enroute at FL310 about 55nm southeast of Halifax,NS
(Canada) when the crew received a smoke detector indication, cabin crew
also received Lower Lobe Area Rest (LLAR) red cabin lights and chime announciations
at their stations. No odour, smoke, heat or fire was observed in or near
the LLAR, however, none of the indications could be silenced. The flight
crew declared emergency, returned to Washington’s Dulles Airport, dumped
fuel on the way back and landed safely about 2 hours after turning around.

The Canadian TSB reported maintenance replaced a number of electronic boards,
the LLAR smoke detector and returned the aircraft to service.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=442302d3
20110831154802:20110830000000
Incident: Ryanair B738 near Nantes and London on Aug 30th 2011, odour on board
A Ryanair Boeing 737-800, registration EI-DHC performing flight FR-9803
from Girona,SP (Spain) to London Stansted,EN (UK), was enroute at FL380
about 32nm south of Nantes (France) when the crew decided to divert to Nantes
squawking emergency after a passenger complained about smell of smoke on
board. The aircraft landed safely on Nantes runway 03 about 15 minutes later.

Ryanair reported that engineers were flown to Nantes, nothing was found,
and the aircraft was released for flight about 5.5 hours later.

When the aircraft was enroute at FL280 over the Channel about 75nm south
of London’s Gatwick Airport,EN (UK), the crew decided to divert to Gatwick
squawking emergency again after there were again passenger complaints about
fumes. The aircraft landed safely in Gatwick about 20 minutes later.

Ryanair reported that a passenger complained about fumes in the rear galley
prompting another diversion to the nearest airport Gatwick. The passengers
were taken to Stansted Airport by coach. The aircraft was taken out of service
for inspection.

By Aug 31st 15:45Z the aircraft is still out of service, although it was
positioned to Stansted Airport around noon Aug 31st.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=4422f853
20110831144207:20110830000000
Incident: Virgin America A320 near Houston on Aug 30th 2011, smell of smoke in cabin
A Virgin America Airbus A320-200, registration N835VA performing flight
VX-315 from Orlando,FL to Los Angeles,CA (USA), was enroute at FL360 about
60nm east of Houston,TX (USA) when the crew reported smoke in the cabin
and diverted to Houston. The aircraft landed safely on Houston’s runway
27 (runways 08 and 09 active) about 17 minutes later.

A passenger tweeted the flight diverted because of an odour on board.

A replacement Airbus A319-100 registration N524VA reached Los Angeles with
a delay of 8 hours.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=44206481
20110906193952:20110827000000
Incident: United Airlines B763 over Atlantic on Aug 27th 2011, electrical smell on board
A United Airlines Boeing 767-300, registration N657UA performing flight
UA-948 from Washington Dulles,DC (USA) to London Heathrow,EN (UK) with 169
passengers and 12 crew, was enroute over the Atlantic when the crew decided
to divert to Keflavik (Iceland) due to an electrical smell on board. The
airplane landed safely in Keflavik.

The remainder of the flight was cancelled, the passengers were rebooked
onto other flights to London.

The Canadian TSB reported on Sep 6th that the electrical smell was noticed
in the forward galley area. The galley equipment and lighting was switched
off and the smell dissipated. Later in the flight there was a report an
interior side wall panel was warm to touch with no abnormal smell. A short
time later, about 650nm southwest of Keflavik the flight crew noticed an
intermittent odour in the cockpit. The crew consulted the quick reference
handbook, shut down the utility busses, declared emergency and diverted
to Keflavik. Company maintenance reported, that they were unable to detect
an odour after landing and while testing were unable to reproduce the smell
on the ground, there were no smell related events in the previous 200 hours
of flight. In the absence of discrepancies the aircraft was returned to
service.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=441192fb
20110810225337:20110809000000
Incident: US Airways B752 near Orlando on Aug 9th 2011, odour on board, engine shut down
A US Airways Boeing 757-200, registration N206UW performing flight US-1719
from Charlotte,NC to Orlando,FL (USA) with 149 people on board, was on approach
to Orlando when the crew declared emergency reporting they had an odour
in the cockpit probably coming off the left hand engine (RB211). The engine
was still running but would be shut down upon landing. The crew continued
for a safe landing on runway 18R, secured the left hand engine while turning
off the runway and stopped on taxiway E for an inspection of the left hand
engine by emergency services.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=441180ec
20110810205311:20110804000000
Incident: Westjet B737 near Quebec City on Aug 4th 2011, electrical smell in cabin
A Westjet Boeing 737-700, registration C-FWCN performing flight WS-340 from
Toronto,ON to Quebec City,QC (Canada) with 109 people on board, was on approach
to Quebec City about 95nm west of Quebec City, when the crew declared emergency
reporting an electrical smell in the rear of the cabine and requesting emergency
services on stand by. The aircraft continued for a safe landing on Quebec
City’s runway 06 about 17 minutes later and stopped on the runway.

The Canadian TSB reported attending fire fighters found no anomaly. Maintenance
examined the aircraft, found no problem and returned the aircraft to service.

NAV Canada that after an external visual examination of the aircraft the
aircraft vacated the runway and taxied to the apron. The odour was identified
in the aft area of the cabin, examinations of rear ceiling panels, rear
compartments and rudder were without result. The runway was closed for 4
minutes.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=443aaef8
20110928202110:20110731000000
Incident: European Air Transport B752 near Leipzig on Jul 31st 2011, fumes in cockpit
A European Air Transport (DHL) Boeing 757-200, registration D-ALEA performing
freight flight QY-6241 from Leipzig (Germany) to Milan Bergamo (Italy) with
2 crew, was in the climb out of Leipzig when both crew noticed a strong
odour and a burning feel in eyes and throat. Both crew donned their oxygen
masks, levelled off at FL230 and returned to Leipzig for a safe landing
about 30 minutes after departure.

The BFU is investigating.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=440aa8ee
20110802152255:20110728000000
Incident: Martinair B763 near Miami on Jul 28th 2011, odour in cockpit
A Martinair Boeing 767-300, registration PH-MCI performing flight MP-639
from Amsterdam (Netherlands) to Cancun (Mexico) with 274 passengers, was
enroute at FL380 about 140nm eastnortheast of Miami,FL (USA) when the crew
reported they needed to divert to Miami however did not require any assistance.
The aircraft landed safely in Miami about 25 minutes later.

The passengers were taken to hotels. The aircraft was able to continue to
Cancun the following day and reached Cancun with a delay of 25.5 hours.

Passengers reported crew told them about a strange smell in the cockpit.
Gossip the next day was a fuse had tripped.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=44042d90
20110725203019:20110722000000
Incident: American MD82 at Memphis on Jul 22nd 2011, bird strike
An American Airlines McDonnell Douglas MD-82, flight AA-1193 from Memphis,TN
to Dallas Ft. Worth,TX (USA) with 54 people on board, was in the initial
climb out of Memphis when the crew reported an electrical odour and vibrations
requiring them to return to Memphis. While on final approach to runway 36L
the crew declared emergency for electrical fumes and vibrations reporting
no other abnormal indications. The aircraft landed safely on runway 36L
about 10 minutes after departure.

The FAA reported the left hand engine ingested birds on takeoff causing
minor damage to the aircraft.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=43ffa20c
20110720104650:20110719000000
Incident: American Eagle E135 near Hayden on Jul 19th 2011, electrical odour in cockpit
An American Eagle Embraer ERJ-135, flight MQ-3822 from Denver,CO to Los
Angeles,CA (USA) with 36 passengers and 3 crew, was enroute at FL360 about
30nm northwest of Hayden’s Yampa Valley Airport,CO when the crew reported
a strong electrical odour in the cockpit and diverted to Yampa Valley Airport
for a safe landing about 25 minutes later. Attending emergency services
found no trace of fire, heat or smoke.

The airline said, the cause of the odour is under investigation. The passengers
were bussed back to Denver and rebooked onto other flights.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=43e4cd37
20110617104815:20110615000000
Accident: US Airways A319 at Pittsburgh on Jun 15th 2011, fumes on board
A US Airways Airbus A319-100, flight US-630 from Phoenix,AZ to Pittsburgh,PA
(USA) with 106 passengers and 5 crew, was on approach to Pittsburgh’s runway
10L descending through 5000 feet when the crew reported they were on oxygen
due to fumes in the cockpit and requested emergency services available at
the gate. The crew continued for a safe landing on runway 10L about 7 minutes
later. While taxiing to the gate still on oxygen the crew requested paramedics
at the gate reporting they had burning fumes in the cockpit and some odour
in the cabin, the flight crew was suffering from burning eyes and a burning
in the nose. One of the flight crew was subsequently taken to a local hospital.

The airline reported mechanics have not yet identified the source of the
fumes.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=43cf4989
20110522102554:20110521000000
Incident: Delta DC95 near Green Bay on May 21st 2011, odour in forward galley
A Delta Airlines Douglas DC-9-50, registration N766NC performing flight
DL-1476 from Detroit,MI to Minneapolis,MN (USA) with 81 passengers and 5
crew, was enroute at FL280 about 15nm east of Green Bay,WI when the crew
reported a strange odour/smell of smoke in the forward galley and decided
to divert to Green Bay for a safe landing about 17 minutes later. Emergency
services found no trace of fire, heat or smoke.

The passengers were rebooked onto other flights.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=43caa3e6
20110516220053:20110516000000
Incident: Allegiant MD83 at Mesa on May 16th 2011, hot odour on board
An Allegiant McDonnell Douglas MD-83, flight G4-174 from Mesa,AZ to Pasco,WA
(USA) with 147 passengers and 5 crew, was climbing out of Mesa when the
crew reported smoke in the cockpit and decided to return to Mesa’s Phoenix-Mesa
Gateway Airport. The aircraft levelled off at 15,000 feet and landed safely
at Mesa about 25 minutes after departure.

The airline reported there was no smoke but fumes and heat in the cabin.

A replacement MD-88 reached Pasco with a delay of 4 hours.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=43c7fd93
20110513152509:20110513000000
Incident: American Eagle E145 near Toronto on May 13th 2011, electrical odour in cabin
An American Eagle Embraer ERJ-145, registration N611AE performing flight
MQ-4349 from Montreal,QC (Canada) to Chicago O’Hare,IL (USA) with 49 passengers
and 3 crew, was enroute at FL360 about 65nm north of Toronto,ON (Canada)
when the flight attendant reported a hot electrical odour in the cabin prompting
the flight crew to divert to Toronto for a safe landing on runway 05 about
20 minutes later. The aircraft taxied to the apron where passengers disembarked
normally.

The airline reported the flight attendant noticed a hot electrical smell
in the cabin.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=43c7d617
20110513110301:20110512000000
Incident: SAS B738 near Oslo on May 12th 2011, smoke in cockpit, cracked windshield
A SAS Scandinavian Airlines Boeing 737-800, registration LN-RCN performing
flight SK-4031 from Oslo to Stavanger (Norway) with about 70 passengers,
was climbing through FL270 out of Oslo when the crew donned their oxygen
masks reporting smoke in the cockpit and decided to return to Oslo. During
the descent a windshield cracked. The airplane landed safely about 20 minutes
later.

The airline reported, that a defective windshield heating element caused
an electrical odour and smoke prompting the captain to turn the windshield
heating off, which in turn caused one of 17 layers of the windshield to
crack. The defective heating element is being investigated.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=43c25d2a
20110506233859:20110506000000
Incident: American Eagle E135 near Fresno on May 6th 2011, odour on board
An American Eagle Embraer ERJ-135, flight MQ-3024 from Los Angeles,CA to
Reno,NV (USA) with 41 people on board, was enroute at FL340 about 55nm southeast
of Fresno,CA (USA) when the crew reported an electrical odour on board and
diverted to Fresno for a safe landing about 15 minutes later. The airplane
was able to taxi to the apron where passengers disembarked normally.

The airline reported the crew noticed a hot, electrical ozone odour.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=43c20b4f
20110506145907:20110505000000
Incident: American B738 at Fort Lauderdale on May 5th 2011, odour on board
An American Airlines Boeing 737-800, registration N801NN performing flight
AA-2285 from Fort Lauderdale,FL (USA) to Port au Prince (Haiti) with 75
people on board, was in the initial climb out of Fort Lauderdale’s runway
13 when the crew reported a smell of fuel throughout the entire cabin and
cockpit and decided to return to Fort Lauderdale, where the aircraft landed
safely on runway 13 with emergency services on stand by about 13 minutes
after departure.

The flight was subsequently cancelled.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=43c0ffb9
20110505102809:20110504000000
Incident: Southwest B735 near El Paso on May 4th 2011, electrical odour in cockpit and cabin
Oxygen masks dropped (Photo: Josh Myers)A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-500,
registration N525SW performing flight WN-31 from Houston Hobby,TX to Phoenix,AZ
(USA) with 138 people on board, was enroute at FL360 about 50nm west of
El Paso,TX (USA) when the crew reported an electrical odour in the cockpit
and cabin and decided to divert to El Paso. The crew indicated they intended
to vacate the runway. The airplane landed safely on El Paso’s runway 22
about 18 minutes later and vacated the runway. The passengers disembarked
normally.

Passengers reported the oxygen masks were released.

A replacement Boeing 737-300 reached Phoenix with a delay of 3.5 hours.

The airline said, the incident aircraft is being ferried to Dallas Love,TX
for examination of what caused the electrical smell.

———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=43bde96b
20110501233748:20110501000000
Incident: Delta B752 near Tampa on May 1st 2011, smell of smoke in cockpit
A Delta Airlines Boeing 757-200, flight DL-1147 from Atlanta,GA to West
Palm Beach,FL (USA) with 182 passengers, was enroute at FL390 about 70nm
north of Tampa,FL (USA) when the crew decided to divert to Tampa due to
a smokey odour in the cockpit. The airplane landed safely on Tampa’s runway
01L about 15 minutes later.

The airline said, the airplane has been taken out of service. The passengers
are offered to being bussed to or rebooked onto other flights to West Palm
Beach.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=43bb32d9
20110428200626:20110428000000
Accident: Continental B738 at San Antonio on Apr 28th 2011, chemical odour in cabin
A Continental Airlines Boeing 737-800, registration N11206 performing flight
CO-7 from San Antonio,TX to Houston International,TX (USA) with 152 people
on board, was climbing through 14,000 feet out of San Antonio’s runway 12R
when the crew reported they had some sort of chemical odour in the aft cabin,
declared emergency and returned to San Antonio for a safe landing on runway
12R about 13 minutes later. Emergency services in hazmat suits entered the
aircraft. One person was taken to a local hospital, 4 people needed to be
treated for respiratory problems on site.

Passengers complained about burning eyes and respiratory problems.

Emergency services said there was an unknown substance on board.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=43b28370
20110421153454:20110411000000
Incident: Air Berlin A332 at Bangkok on Apr 11th 2011, departed with engine required to be changed
An Air Berlin Airbus A330-200, registration D-ALPD performing flight AB-7151
from Bangkok (Thailand) to Dusseldorf (Germany) with passengers on board,
had experienced issues with oil smells on board on the previous two sectors,
see: Incident: Air Berlin A332 near Munich on Apr 8th 2011, smell of oil
on board and Incident: Air Berlin A332 near Munich on Apr 9th 2011, strong
smell of oil on board. Thai Airways’ Maintenance in Bangkok had found oil
leaking through various parts of the #2 engine (PW4168) consistent with
a seal having failed, had recommended to replace the engine and did NOT
sign the aircraft off for flight. The airplane departed Bangkok following
some repairs and release by Air Berlin’s specialists and completed a safe
landing in Dusseldorf.

Sources tell The Aviation Herald, that engine #2 had not been replaced in
Bangkok, the engine replacement took only place in Dusseldorf after arrival
of flight AB-7151. The crew report of smell of oil following the flight
from Mombasa was not contained in the tech log of the aircraft. A local
Bangkok maintenance team while conducting the inspection of the aircraft
and engines arrived at the Airbus Trouble Shooting Manual’s (TSM) task 71-00-61-810-801,
subtask 71-00-61-810-050-A fault isolation, identified oil leaking from
the inlet cones, anti-ice vent holes, fan blades, 2.5 bleed vent areas of
the #2 engine and identified puddles of oil at the bottom of the fan case
of engine #2 as well as on the floor underneath engine #2, consistent with
the failure of the no. 1 carbon bearing seal of the right engine. Subtask
71-00-61-810-050-A fault isolation clearly states in conclusion a) without
granting any discretion: “a) If there was oil wetting in one or more of
these areas, do these steps: 1) replace the engine, 2) replace the no #1
bearing carbon seal on the engine that you removed”.

The German BFU confirmed the incident stating, that they have received a
relevant report from the crew to Bangkok, they do not know however whether
the smell of oil during the flight from Mombasa was noted in the relevant
aircraft logs. Investigators just shook their heads in disbelief over the
event, but due to current legal requirements are not going to investigate
the incident. The case has been forwarded to the German Luftfahrtbundesamt
(civil aviation authority) for further proceedings.

The German Luftfahrtbundesamt (LBA) is investigating whether the flight
was illegally conducted with a defective engine.

The LBA added, that in general terms there are no regulations and no discretion
permitting to go beyond limits set in the manufacturer’s manuals. However,
in case of conflicting diagnoses by different maintenance teams it is the
responsibility of the operator to decide how to proceed. The results of
all (different) diagnoses are to be documented.

Air Berlin said in a first statement of Apr 15th sent to the German radio
station NDR Info, that there was only some “unusual odour” shortly after
takeoff from Munich. The odour quickly dissipated. As a precaution a special
inspection of the aircraft was performed in Bangkok which showed a minor
oil leakage in the right hand engine, the oil consumption however had remained
in the normal range specified by the manufacturer. After “adjustment of
the leakage” the aircraft was released for flight. After return from Bangkok
the engine was replaced as a precaution. The Luftfahrtbundesamt (civil aviation
authority) has been properly notified of the occurrence.

After The Aviation Herald published the initial story Air Berlin replied
to The Aviation Herald first asking for more time to answer the questions,
then followed up with updated statements on Tuesday (Apr 19th) and Wednesday
(Apr 20th), but did not respond to further attempts to clarify issues.

In the updated statements Air Berlin said, that the crew of flight AB-7362
from Munich to Mombasa on April 8th 2011 identified unusual smells shortly
after takeoff from Munich, the smells however dissipated quickly. The smells
reoccurred during the approach to and landing in Mombasa. A subsequent inspection
of the aircraft was without result and the aircraft was released for flight.
Flight AB-7363 returning from Mombasa to Munich on Apr 9th went without
incident. On flight AB-7152 from Munich to Bangkok on Apr 9th there were
unusual smells again shortly after takeoff which dissipated prompting the
crew to continue the flight to Bangkok. A specialist team of Air Berlin
maintenance was flown to Bangkok to assess the right hand engine, found
a static leak (according to Air Berlin’s statement leaking oil only while
the engine was NOT operating), determined that the oil consumption had remained
within the range approved by the manufacturer, and released the aircraft
for flight. The aircraft flew passengers to Dusseldorf as flight AB-7151
without incidents. The engine was changed in Dusseldorf as a precaution.

Air Berlin did not explain the quick turn around times in Mombasa (less
than 120 minutes at the gate although Air Berlin claims the aircraft was
inspected to determine the source of the smells) and Munich (less than 130
minutes at the gate).

Air Berlin did not clarify how the smell of oil, that by Air Berlin’s statement
appeared during approach to and landing in Mombasa, was possible if the
leak was static indeed and oil therefore exited the engine only while not
operating and any residue had already been blown out by the operating engine
evident by the dissipation of the smell of oil shortly after takeoff as
reported by Air Berlin.

Air Berlin also did not explain, how it was possible that the local Bangkok
maintenance team of Thai Airways while conducting the inspection of the
aircraft and engines arrived at the Airbus Trouble Shooting Manual’s (TSM)
task 71-00-61-810-801, subtask 71-00-61-810-050-A fault isolation, identified
oil leaking from the inlet cones, anti-ice vent holes, fan blades, 2.5 bleed
vent areas of the #2 engine and identified puddles of oil at the bottom
of the fan case of engine #2 as well as on the floor underneath engine #2,
consistent with the failure of the no. 1 carbon bearing seal of the right
engine. Subtask 71-00-61-810-050-A fault isolation clearly states in conclusion
a) without granting any discretion: “a) If there was oil wetting in one
or more of these areas, do these steps: 1) replace the engine, 2) replace
the no #1 bearing carbon seal on the engine that you removed”.

Air Berlin further did not explain, how it was possible that the Thai Airways’
maintenance team and Air Berlin’s specialist team arrived at very different
results in their investigations and how it was possible that Air Berlin’s
maintenance team released the aircraft for a flight carrying passengers.

Air Berlin also did not explain the picture of the oil leak on the spinner
(see below) that clearly shows the oil exited under the influence of sufficient
airflow pressing the oil against the spinner, which entirely elimited the
influence of gravity, and the spinner turning at speed, making absolutely
clear the oil leaked while the engine was turning. The picture suggests
by the visible distribution of oil that the picture was taken immediately
after engine shut down.

Oil leaks on the spinner:
Oil at the bottom of the fan case:

———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=43ad6939
20110412132236:20110411000000
Incident: Delta MD88 near Raleigh/Durham on Apr 11th 2011, electrical odour on board
A Delta Airlines McDonnell Douglas MD-88, registration N934DL performing
flight DL-1415 from New York JFK,NY to Fort Lauderdale,FL (USA) with 94
passengers and 5 crew, had stopped climb out of New York at FL240 and was
enroute at FL240 about 110nm eastnortheast of Raleigh/Durham,NC when the
crew decided to divert to Raleigh/Durham reporting an electrical odour in
the forward galley, cabin crew complaining about feeling unwell. The airplane
landed safely about 25 minutes after the decision to divert and about 60
minutes after levelling off at FL240. Nobody needed medical attention after
landing.

A replacement MD-88 reached Fort Lauderdale with a delay of 105 minutes.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=43a98890
20110407211344:20110403000000
Incident: Air Canada A319 at Toronto on Apr 3rd 2011, instrument failure and acrid smell
An Air Canada Airbus A319-100, registration C-GBIN performing flight AC-1294
from Toronto,ON (Canada) to Aruba (Aruba) with 69 people on board, was accelerating
for takeoff from runway 23 when the lower ECAM and the first officers primary
flight display and navigation display failed accompanied by an acrid smell.
The crew continued the takeoff, declared emergency in the initial climb
reporting smoke and electrical smell, stopped the climb at 3000 feet and
returned to Toronto’s runway 23. On downwind the crew indicated they’d need
to stop on the runway but did not expect an evacuation, reaffirming on final
that they did not expect an evacuation but needed a tow. The crew performed
a safe landing about 13 minutes later, the airplane was towed to the gate.

The Canadian TSB reported maintenance found two circuit breakers tripped
(for the bus2 electrical supply and the Brake and Steering Control Unit
(BSCU)). The BSCU did not show any malfunction, abnormal odour or signs
of overheating/burning. The #2 transformer rectifier unit was replaced,
systems checked operative thereafter and the airplane returned to service.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=43a5da63
20110403135718:20110330000000
Incident: American MD82 near Jacksonville on Mar 30th 2011, smell of smoke in cabin
An American Airlines McDonnell Douglas MD-82, registration N510AM performing
flight AA-555 from Fort Myers,FL to Dallas Ft. Worth,TX (USA), was enroute
at FL300 about 70nm northwest of Tampa,FL and 135nm southwest of Jacksonville,FL
when the crew reported an odour of smoke without any visible smoke in the
cabin and due to a thunderstorm front in their south decided to divert to
Jacksonville. During the approach to Jacksonville the crew reported the
odour was dissipating. The aircraft landed safely on Jacksonville’s runway
07 (active runway 32) about 23 minutes later, the airplane stopped on the
runway and was checked by emergency services before continuing to the apron
after about 5 minutes.

A replacement McDonnell Douglas MD-83 reached Dallas with a delay of 2.5
hours.

Metars Tampa:
KTPA 310215Z 18009KT 9SM -RA SCT050 OVC110 21/19 A2987 RMK AO2 TSE15 P0004
$
KTPA 310153Z 20010KT 7SM -TSRA SCT050CB OVC110 21/18 A2987 RMK AO2 TSB0054
SLP116 FRQ LTGICCC NE-SE MOV E P0012 T02110178 $
KTPA 310059Z COR 13006KT 9SM -TSRA FEW025CB OVC080 21/18 A2985 RMK AO2 TSB54
FRQ LTGICCC W TS W MOV E P0000
KTPA 310053Z 14005KT 10SM -RA OVC080 21/18 A2986 RMK AO2 SLP109 P0003 T02060183

KTPA 302353Z 11003KT 9SM -RA SCT040 OVC070 21/18 A2987 RMK AO2 RAE19B36
SLP115 P0003 60009 T02110183 10272 20206 56010
KTPA 302253Z 28003KT 4SM -RA BKN040 BKN055 OVC070 21/17 A2988 RMK AO2 RAB23
SLP118 P0006 T02060172
KTPA 302153Z COR 32007KT 10SM BKN055 OVC080 23/16 A2988 RMK AO2 VCSH NW
SLP117 T02280161

Metars Jacksonville:
KJAX 310156Z 29003KT 10SM SCT009 BKN014 OVC024 18/18 A2977 RMK AO2 SLP081
T01830183
KJAX 310121Z 28003KT 10SM SCT009 BKN014 OVC024 18/18 A2976 RMK AO2
KJAX 310056Z 26004KT 10SM BKN009 OVC024 18/18 A2975 RMK AO2 SLP076 T01830178
KJAX 310028Z 26003KT 10SM SCT009 OVC024 18/18 A2974 RMK AO2
KJAX 302356Z 25003KT 10SM FEW005 BKN012 BKN030 18/18 A2974 RMK AO2 SLP070
60126 T01830178 10244 20178 51035
KJAX 302331Z 00000KT 10SM SCT005 BKN012 OVC024 18/18 A2973 RMK AO2
KJAX 302256Z 32003KT 10SM BKN005 OVC021 18/18 A2972 RMK AO2 SLP064 T01830178
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=439dadfd
20110324210602:20110315000000
Incident: Air Canada A320 at Los Angeles on Mar 15th 2011, bird strike
An Air Canada Airbus A320-200, registration C-FDST performing flight AC-790
from Los Angeles,CA (USA) to Toronto,ON (Canada) with 146 people on board,
was climbing through 400 feet AGL out of Los Angeles’ runway 24L in instrument
meteorological conditions (low visibility procedures were in effect at LAX)
when the left hand engine (CFM56) surged repeatedly in rapid succession
accompanied by compressor stalls. The engine rolled back to about 80% N1
with substantial yawing of the aircraft. The engine automatically recovered
about 3-5 seconds later with no ECAM warning, an acrid odour developed in
the cabin. Due to the weather conditions the crew decided to divert to Ontario,CA
(USA), both engines appeared to be operating normally with no unusual vibration.
The aircraft landed safely in Ontario about 30 minutes after departure,
stopped on the runway and shut both engines down. After inspection by emergency
services the right hand engine was started and the aircraft taxied to the
apron.

The Canadian TSB reported a visual inspection revealed evidence of a bird
strike in the #1 engine fan cone and showed damage to the guide vanes aft
of the N1 fan. Bird remains were on the engine cowling and several engine
components. A borescopic inspection showed damage to the low and high pressure
compressors. The engine was replaced.

Metars:
KLAX 151641Z 11005KT 3SM BR FEW003 BKN140 14/13 A3009 RMK AO2
KLAX 151623Z 11005KT 1 1/2SM BR SCT003 BKN140 14/13 A3009 RMK AO2 VIS 1V2
KLAX 151610Z VRB04KT 1/2SM R25R/P6000FT FG BKN003 14/12 A3010 RMK AO2 VIS
1/4V3/4
KLAX 151553Z VRB03KT 3/4SM R25R/P6000FT BR OVC003 14/13 A3010 RMK AO2 SLP192
VIS 1/2V1 T01390128
KLAX 151530Z 33003KT 1/2SM R25R/1400VP6000FT FG OVC001 13/12 A3010 RMK AO2
KLAX 151522Z 29004KT 1/4SM R25R/1200V2000FT FG VV001 13/12 A3010 RMK AO2
KLAX 151509Z 28006KT 1/4SM R25R/1800V3500FT FG VV001 13/12 A3010 RMK AO2
KLAX 151453Z 18003KT 1/2SM R25R/1200V3500FT FG OVC001 13/12 A3009 RMK AO2
SLP188 VIS 1/4V3/4 FG OVC001 T01280122 53005
KLAX 151431Z 08003KT 3/4SM R25R/1800VP6000FT BCFG BR BKN001 BKN130 13/12
A3009 RMK AO2 FG BKN001
KLAX 151426Z 15004KT 1/2SM R25R/3000VP6000FT FG BKN001 13/12 A3009 RMK AO2
FG BKN001
KLAX 151421Z 11004KT 1 1/2SM R25R/3000VP6000FT BCFG BR SCT001 SCT010 BKN130
13/12 A3009 RMK AO2 VIS 1V2 FG SCT001
KLAX 151353Z 11005KT 2 1/2SM BCFG BR FEW002 SCT200 SCT250 13/12 A3007 RMK
AO2 SLP181 VIS 2 1/2V4 ASOS VIS 5 T01280117
KLAX 151326Z 10007KT 4SM BCFG BR BKN003 13/12 A3007 RMK AO2 VIS S-SW 2 1/2
ASOSVIS 7

KONT 151653Z 00000KT 9SM FEW150 BKN250 17/09 A3009 RMK AO2 SLP183 T01720094

KONT 151553Z 00000KT 10SM FEW150 BKN250 16/09 A3009 RMK AO2 SLP183 T01560089
KONT 151453Z 07003KT 10SM FEW150 BKN250 12/09 A3008 RMK AO2 SLP181 T01220089
53003
KONT 151353Z 00000KT 10SM FEW150 SCT250 11/08 A3007 RMK AO2 SLP177 T01110078
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=438502c1
20110223114224:20110222000000
Incident: Delta MD88 near Greensboro on Feb 22nd 2011, odour in cockpit
A Delta Airlines McDonnell Douglas MD-88, registration N987DL performing
flight DL-1014 from Atlanta,GA to Richmond,VA (USA) with 113 passengers
and 5 crew, was enroute at FL310 about 80nm southwest of Greensboro,NC when
the crew reported smoke in the cockpit and diverted to Greensboro for a
safe landing about 13 minutes later.

Delta reported a suspicious odour was noticed in the cockpit area.

A replacement MD-88 reached Richmond with a delay of 6 hours.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=43839d00
20110221221253:20110221000000
Incident: Chautauqua E145 near Indianapolis on Feb 21st 2011, strong odour on board
A Chautauqua Airlines Embraer ERJ-145 on behalf of American Airlines, flight
RP-5061/AA-5061 from Louisville,KY to Chicago O’Hare (USA) with 39 people
on board, was enroute at FL230 about 36nm southeast of Indianapolis,IN when
the crew observed a strong odour on board similiar to wires or electronics
overheating and decided to divert to Indianapolis. The airplane landed safely
about 15 minutes later and taxied to the apron.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=43824aea
20110220122123:20110219000000
Incident: Continental B752 near Boston on Feb 19th 2011, burning odour on board
A Continental Airlines Boeing 757-200 in United colours, registration N17139
performing flight CO-24 from Newark,NJ (USA) to Shannon (Ireland) with 191
people on board, was enroute at FL350 about 160nm east of Boston when the
crew reported a burning smell on board and decided to turn around and divert
to Boston. The airplane landed safely on Boston’s runway 33L about 35 minutes
later.

The cause of the smell is under investigation, the onward flight to Shannon
was cancelled.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=43809819
20110218143145:20110218000000
Incident: Republic E170 near Washington on Feb 18th 2011, electrical odour in cabin
A Republic Airlines Embraer ERJ-175 on behalf of US Airways, registration
N127HQ performing flight RW-3116/US-3116 from Manchester,NH to Washington
National,DC (USA) with 60 passengers and 4 crew, was on the Potomac River
Approach into Washington’s Ronald Reagan National Airport runway 19 when
a flight attendant noticed an electrical smell in the forward galley and
pulled the circuit breakers prompting the flight crew to declare emergency
about 8nm before touchdown however without requiring assistance. The aircraft
landed safely on runway 19 about 4 minutes later and turned off onto taxiway
F. Responding emergency services found no trace of fire, heat or smoke.

The approach clearance for the aircraft next in sequence for landing was
cancelled.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=4377815f
20110217181108:20110207000000
Incident: Delta B764 over Labrador Sea on Feb 7th 2011, fumes in cockpit
A Delta Airlines Boeing 767-400, registration N833MH performing flight DL-40
from Minneapolis,MN (USA) to London Heathrow,EN (UK), was enroute above
the Labrador Sea when the crew reported fumes in the cockpit and decided
to divert to Goose Bay,NL (Canada), where the airplane landed safely about
100 minutes later. Emergency services found no trace of fire, heat or smoke.

NAV Canada reported that a local maintenance facility checked the aircraft,
identified and fixed the problem and released the aircraft to continue the
flight.

The aircraft reached London with a delay of 6 hours.

The Canadian Transportation Safety Board (TSB) said the crew received an
indication the left hand recirculation fan had failed and noticed an electrical
odour. After declaring emergency the crew actioned the smoke removal checklist
and diverted to Goose Bay. Maintenance discovered the left recirculation
fan had failed and released the aircraft to service according to Minimum
Equipment List (MEL) requirements.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=43747cab
20110204103935:20110203000000
Incident: Southwest B737 near Omaha on Feb 3rd 2011, odour on board
A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-700, registration N202WN performing flight
WN-154 from Denver,CO to Philadelphia,PA (USA) with 106 people on board,
was enroute at FL390 about 130nm west of Omaha,NE (USA) when the crew decided
to divert to Omaha due to an unusual smell on board. The aircraft landed
safely on Omaha’s runway 14R about 25 minutes later.

The flight reached Philadelphia with a delay of 5.5 hours.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=4364dd4a
20110121224424:20110115000000
Incident: Cathay Pacific B773 at Vancouver on Jan 15th 2011, odour on board prompts two returns
A Cathay Pacific Boeing 777-300, registration B-KPH performing flight CX-888
from Vancouver,BC (Canada) to New York JFK,NY (USA) with 184 people on board,
was climbing out of Vancouver’s 08R when a smell of smoke was detected on
board prompting the flight crew to level off at 9000 feet and return to
Vancouver for a safe landing on runway 08R about 25 minutes after departure.

The aircraft was examined and released for flight again. The aircraft departed
a second time from runway 08R after about 110 minutes on the ground, however
the smell was observed again prompting the crew to level off at 10000 feet
and return a second time again landing safely on runway 08R about 20 minutes
after second departure.

The flight was subsequently cancelled.

The airline confirmed there was a strong odour on board prompting the first
return. The aircraft departed again however the smell was still detected
in the cabin prompting the second return. Emergency services were on stand
by for both landings. The flight was cancelled, the passengers put into
hotels. The aircraft is currently being examined, the Canadian Transportation
Safety Board is expected to investigate.

The Canadian TSB reported on Jan 21st that maintenance could not determine
the source of the smell of burning plastics observed on board. The aircraft
was released to flight again, but returned a second time when the smell
of burning plastics re-appeared. Maintenance again could not determine the
source of the smell. The airplane was subsequently released for a ferry
flight to New York with an engineering manager on board to observe.

The second return (first return not available on flightaware):

———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=4360a379
20110111161843:20110111000000
Incident: Danish Air Transport AT42 near Bergen on Jan 11th 2011, smell of smoke in cabin
A Danish Air Transport Avions de Transport Regional ATR-42-300, flight DX-54
from Bergen to Floro (Norway), returned to Bergen after smell of smoke was
noticed in the cabin. The airplane landed safely about 20 minutes after
departure.

The airline said, a short circuit in one of the passenger reading lights
is suspected to have caused the odour. The incident was undramatic.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=435cceca
20110106213638:20110106000000
Incident: Continental B737 near El Paso on Jan 6th 2011, smell of smoke
A Continental Airlines Boeing 737-700, registration N15712 from Santa Ana,CA
to Houston Intercontinental,TX (USA) with 127 people on board, was enroute
at FL370 about 35nm westnorthwest of El Paso,TX when the crew reported smell
of smoke in the cockpit and decided to divert to El Paso for a safe landing
on El Paso’s runway 22 about 15 minutes later. Responding emergency services
found no trace of fire, heat or smoke.

The cause of the odour is under investigation.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=435c5cd8
20110106080651:20110105000000
Incident: Cayman B733 near Grand Cayman on Jan 5th 2011, smell of smoke on board
A Cayman Airways Boeing 737-300, registration VP-CAY performing flight KX-113
from Miami,FL (USA) to Grand Cayman Island (Cayman Islands), was enroute
overhead Cuba about half way into the flight when a smell of smoke developed
on board. The crew accelerated the approach and landing into Grand Cayman’s
Owen Roberts International Airport, landed safely and taxied to the gate,
where passengers disembarked normally.

The airline said, that the crew elected to begin the descent into Grand
Cayman early after the smell of smoke developed on board. Maintenance identified
a ventilation fan that had developed a defect resulting in the odour. The
fan was replaced.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=435a7b02
20110103212919:20110103000000
Incident: United Airlines A320 near Denver on Jan 3rd 2011, odour on board
A United Airlines Airbus A320-200, registration N487UA performing flight
UA-243 from Denver,CO to Las Vegas,NV (USA) with 144 passengers and 5 crew,
was climbing out of Denver about 60nm into the flight when an unusual odour
was observed in the cockpit and cabin of the aircraft. The crew decided
to return to Denver for a safe landing about 30 minutes after departure.

A replacement aircraft reached Las Vegas with a delay of 2.5 hours.

The FAA reported a smell of smoke.

The airline reported an unusual odour but did not confirm smell of smoke.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=435b422d
20110104213321:20101225000000
Accident: Jazz DH8C near Port Hardy on Dec 25th 2010, engine change after mist and acrid smell
An Air Canada Jazz de Havilland Dash 8-300, registration C-GKTA performing
flight QK-8560 from Vancouver,BC to Smithers,BC (Canada) with 34 people
on board, was enroute about 160nm north of Vancouver near Port Hardy,BC
in moderate icing conditions when mist and an acrid smell entered the cabin.
The crew declared emergency and diverted to Port Hardy. The airport closed
all runways to accomodate the aircraft. The airplane landed safely and taxied
to the apron, where passengers disembarked normally.

NAV Canada reported that one passenger was taken to a local hospital with
unknown injuries. Following a check for foreign objects the runway was reopened
about 45 minutes later.

The Canadian TSB reported that an engine fault (PW123) was determined as
cause of the mist and odour, the engine was replaced.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=434f6da7/0000
20120229192031:20101221000000
Incident: Ryanair B738 at Kerry on Dec 21st 2010, smoke during roll out
The Irish Air Accident Investigation Unit (AAIU) released their final report
concluding the probable cause of the occurrence was:

Ingestion of granular urea while using reverse thrust.

Contributory Factor(s)

A prolonged spell of cold weather resulted in granular urea being used to
anti-ice the runway after normal de-icing fluid stocks had been exhausted.

The newly assigned first officer (CPL, 322 hours total, 2.5 hours on type)
was pilot flying on his first flight with passengers, the captain (ATPL,
13,000 hours total, 6,100 hours on type) was pilot monitoring also holding
an instructors rating, a safety pilot (ATPL, 2,600 hours total, 2,300 hours
on type) occupied the observer’s seat.

The crew had been advised on approach, that the runway was dry and had been
cleared to land on runway 26. Slowing through 60 knots the captain took
control of the aircraft in compliance with company standard operating procedures.
When the aircraft slowed through 50 knots the safety pilot reported smoke
at the right hand side of the cockpit followed by a call from the cabin
supervisor when the aircraft turned off the runway that there was smoke
in the cabin too.

The captain observed the smoke to thicken and instructed the first officer
to don his oxygen mask. Following the call from the cabin the captain instructed
the safety pilot to open the cockpit door to view the cabin and could not
see the back of the cabin due to “grey/blue slightly acrid smoke”. He decided
to immediately evacuate the aircraft, shut down the engines without starting
the APU and invoked the evacuation procedures.

The safety pilot called PAN to ATC, emergency services responded promptly.
Cabin crew commenced evacuation through all exits upon hearing the captain’s
instruction via PA, one passenger however was unable to open the overwing
exit which therefore was not used for evacuation. A good number of passengers
took along their carry on items, it was difficult to control them without
disrupting the evacuation flow.

The AAIU reported no injuries occurred.

The AAIU reported that the month prior to the event it had been unusually
cold depleting the supplies of runway de-icing fluid at the airport. As
snow was expected to fall during the day, the airport therefore had used
an alternative to keep the runway free of ice, urea granulates.

Urea granulates are colourless, odourless with a melting point of 132.7
degrees C. The AAIU collected samples of the urea granulate from the runway
and heated them using hot air. The granulate initialted melted to a clear
fluid, which subsequently began to boil releasing a pungent and acrid smell
and some grey hue. The AAIU annotated that ammonia was being released upon
contact with the water vapour in the air).

The AAIU reported that a similiar incident had occurred on another Ryanair
airframe upon arrival in Girona. The cause of that event could not be clarified.

The AAIU analysed, that although snow fall was expected during the day and
the runway had been prepared with granular urea, there had been no snow.
As a result the urea had not dissolved and remained in granular form on
the runway, which remained bare and clear of snow.

Revserse thrust was used after touchdown, it was therefore probable that
urea was lifted from the runway and ingested into the engines, where the
urea rapidly heated by the engine compression before being dispensed through
flight deck and cabin by the air conditioning system.

The AAIU analysed: “The first priority is the safety of passengers and crew;
if they can be evacuated safely it is critical that this is done as soon
as possible. Therefore when faced with acrid smoke in both the cockpit and
cabin from an unknown source and possibly a fire, the Commander correctly
decided to shut the engines down and order an evacuation.”

While urea was commonly used on runway and taxiways in history it is currently
rarely used so that flight crews affected for the first time by urea won’t
recognize its fumes and smell. The AAIU therefore issued a safety recommendation
to advise flight crew accordingly when urea is being used on run- or taxiways.

An additional safety recommendation was issued regarding the cockpit voice
recorder continuing recording for 10 minutes even after power failure, a
third safety recommendation addressed ICAO to examine the issue of passengers
taking their carry on items along during an evacuation.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=434f5f94
20101221122203:20101220000000
Incident: Southwest B737 near St. Louis on Dec 20th 2010, haze in cabin
A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-700, flight WN-718 from Chicago Midway,IL
to San Jose,CA (USA) with 109 people on board, was departing Chicago Midway
when haze developed in the cabin. The crew aborted the climb and prepared
for a possible return, but were able to clear the haze and identify by the
smell that de-icing fluid had entered the air conditioning system. The crew
therefore decided to continue the flight and climbed the aircraft to FL300
before they decided to divert the aircraft to Saint Louis,MO (USA), where
the aircraft landed safely about 50 minutes after departure.

The airline reported that following the distinct odour immediately identified
as de-icing fluid by the flight crew the crew decided to divert to Saint
Louis as a precaution. The airplane was able to continue but needed to do
another stop at Dallas Love,TX (USA) to change crew due to crew duty time
issues before continuing to San Jose.

The airplane reached San Jose with a delay of 5.5 hours.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=434e753b/0000
20120927231051:20101219000000
Accident: Germanwings A319 near Cologne on Dec 19th 2010, smoke in cockpit, both pilots nearly incapacitated
The German BFU released their preliminary report in German stating, that
both flight crew became partially incapacitated within seconds following
a strong burning electrical smell on base leg and during intercept of the
localizer. The captain’s oxygen level in his blood fell substantially below
80%, the first officer’s oxygen level below 80% (normal value 95-98%). The
first officer was in sick leave for 6 months following the event.

The flight had been delayed due to heavy snowfall in Cologne. The aircraft
finally departed Vienna with a delay of 3 hours, the flight was uneventful
until the aircraft turned onto the left base leg for Cologne’s runway 14L
when both flight crew smelled a strong electrical burning odour. Upon query
the purser reported no smell in the cabin. The odour seemed to subside after
a brief moment.

While the aircraft turned to intercept the localizer the first officer reported
he felt seriously sick close to vomiting (German “kotz¸bel”), he smelled
a strong electrical sweet odour and would don his oxygen mask. Alerted by
that remark the captain noticed his legs and arms were tickling, his senses
were literally vanishing and his sight abruptly reduced to a tunnel view.
He too donned his oxygen mask. The first officer needed two attempts to
don his oxygen masks. After both flight crew had donned their oxygen masks,
the captain improved slightly, while the first officer’s condition continued
to deteriorate.

The captain (35, ATPL, 7,864 hours total, 3,107 on type) instructed the
first officer (26, CPL, 720 hours total, 472 hours on type) to advise approach
they would immediately contact tower and to declare Mayday on tower. While
the first officer was communicating with tower declaring emergency and reporting
strong smell in the cockpit the tower instructed an aircraft ahead of the
A319 to go around, the aircraft established on the glide path, the captain,
pilot flying, selected flaps 1 himself and disengaged the autopilot now
flying manually. The aircraft was flying too fast (around 220 KIAS), the
captain therefore deployed spoilers, instructed the first officer therefore
to lower the gear and later to select flaps 2.

At that point the first officer felt overwhelmed, he could no longer overview
the scenario, could no longer process the arriving information and had difficulty
to focus on single aspects of the scenario. The captain felt that while
manually flying the aircraft he was at the upper limit of what he was capable
to do in his bad bodily shape.

After the crew managed to configure the aircraft for landing, the aircraft
was still too fast, the captain decided that a go-around was not possible
and thus cancelled the stability criteria (gate at 1000 feet), their only
option was to put the aircraft down as quickly as possible.

The first officer described the time between 1800 feet and touchdown as
an eternity, he was however able to recognize that the aircraft had reached
and was maintaining correct approach speed and realized they had not worked
the landing checklist. He thus processed the landing checklist which required
all his efforts, it was difficult to process the checklist, it was difficult
to concentrate and think.

Both pilots reported that just prior to landing they perceived their situation
as surreal and like in a dream.

The aircraft touched down on the runway, the automatic brakes slowed the
aircraft to about 40 knots, the captain subsequently applied manual brakes,
the aircraft began to skid, the captain however managed to slow the aircraft
to taxi speed and vacate the runway via taxiway A3. He then joined taxiway
A and handed controls to the first officer to be able to talk to emergency
services. The first officer totally focussed on steering the aircraft that
he did not get anything that happened around him.

The captain in the meantime was talking to emergency services, tower did
not want them taxi to the gate but to a remote stand away from the buildings,
following that decision the captain took over again and taxied the aircraft
to the stand. Shortly before arriving on stand the first officer noticed
they had not yet run the after landing checklist, the checklist was now
executed. After reaching the stand and applying park brake both crew realised
the APU had not yet been started, the APU was started.

The first officer wanted to open his side window, but needed three attempts
to do so. After the window was open he removed his oxygen masks, but immediately
noticed the acrid smell again and donned his oxygen mask again.

Emergency services subsequently entered the cockpit, the first officer needed
assistance to get off the aircraft, while the captain remained in the cockpit
until all passengers had disembarked. Emergency services measured oxygen
levels in the blood of both pilots and found the captain substantially below
80% (at about 70%) and the first officer below 80%, paramedics commented
both pilots were close to faint.

The BFU stated the events in the cockpit remained unnoticed in the cabin
until after landing.

Following landing the aircraft was checked by airline maintenance who identified
de-icing fluid as source of the smell. The technicians reported that they
could clearly detect the odour even 15 minutes after landing. Maintenance
replaced cooling fans for cockpit instrumentation, no pollution was detected.
The engines were checked, washed and ground run with no findings, the flight
crew oxygen supply and masks replaced, and a 45 minutes test flight undertaken
with no odours, the aircraft was thus returned to service on Dec 20th 2010.

A C-Check 13 months later also did not identify any possible causes of the
smell.

The BFU reported that their initial information received from emergency
services had been smoke in the cockpit, both pilots were treated in ambulances,
it was suspected they were suffering from smoke poisoning. Subsequently
the airline told the BFU, that there had been no smoke but only smell, maintenance
had identified de-icing fluid as cause of the smell, the crew had been released
from hospital, the crew did not suffer from any poisoning. Following that
information the BFU decided to not open an investigation.

Only a year later the BFU received additional information which prompted
the BFU to open an investigation.

The BFU reported that medical services at the airport already measured the
blood oxygen levels of both pilots and found the values below and well below
80%. Both pilots were subsequently taken to a hospital for further diagnosis.
During the drive to the hospital one pilot recovered to the point where
he commented he could clearly think again. After two hours in the hospital
both pilots were discharged without blood analysis.

The first officer went to the hospital again the following day for a detailed
analysis of his health condition. A blood analysis detected two conspicuous
values in the area of clinical chemistry, the first officer was not fit
for duty for 6 months.

The BFU did not release any safety recommendations so far.

In a similiar event involving the very same Germanwings A319 the Irish AAIU
concluded “The probable cause of the adverse symptoms reported by the aircraft
crew and some passengers could not be determined”, see Accident: Germanwings
A319 at Dublin on May 27th 2008, pressurization problems.

Two more aircraft had similiar issues within 8 days prior to this accident,
see Incident: Germanwings A319 at Cologne on Dec 11th 2010, smoke in cockpit
and Incident: Germanwings A319 near Cologne on Dec 16th 2010, smell of smoke.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=44f65038
20120511170151:20101217000000
Report: Sun-Air D328 at Billund on Dec 17th 2010, smoke in cockpit and cabin
A Sun-Air Dornier D-328-300, registration OY-NCL performing flight EZ-8211
from Billund (Denmark) to London Stansted,EN (UK) with 26 passengers and
3 crew, was originally destined for London City,EN (UK) but due to a delay
needed to head for Stansted Airport. The aircraft departed Billund’s runway
09 and was climbing through 800 feet AGL when the crew noticed a chemical
odour and smoke like haze around the map and instrument lights. At the same
time the flight attendant called the flight deck reporting smoke and odour
in the cabin. At the same time a smoke indication for the rear toilet illuminated.
The crew declared emergency, stopped the climb and decided to return to
Billund. While positioning for runway 09 the crew worked the relevant checklists
which required the #2 air conditioning system to be shut down after which
the smoke and odour began to dissipate. The aircraft landed safely back
on runway 09 about 8 minutes after departure.

Denmark’s Havarikommission (HCL) released their final report in Danish concluding
the probable cause of the incident was a worn and slightly damaged carbon
seal in the right hand engine.

The HCL reported that as result of the haze dissipating after shutting the
#2 air conditioning system down maintenance conducted a borescopic inspection
of the right hand engine immediately after landing and found the compressor
stage #2 contaminated with engine oil. With the compressed air that oil
was then transferred to the air conditioning systems and in turn caused
the smell and haze. The engine was removed from the aircraft and sent to
the manufacturer for further examination, which revealed a carbon seal at
the #2 bearing was worn and slightly damaged.

The HCL assessed that occurrences of this sort had been very few worldwide,
it was the first such event in Denmark. The board therefore concluded it
was a unique event which does not require further action like engine modification.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=434ad15e
20101215201219:20101214000000
Incident: Austrian Arrows DH8D at Vienna on Dec 14th 2010, odour on board
An Austrian Arrows de Havilland Dash 8-400, registration OE-LGA performing
flight OS-913 from Vienna to Innsbruck (Austria) with 57 passengers, was
in the initial climb out of Vienna when the crew decided to return to Vienna
due to an acid smell on board. The airplane landed safely about 10 minutes
after departure and taxied to the gate, where passengers disembarked normally.

A replacement Dash 8-400 registration OE-LGC reached Innsbruck with a delay
of 2 hours.

The airline reported, that the airplane returned to Vienna due to an unpleasant
smell on board, the crew requested priority for the landing.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=4349fc6d
20110416083222:20101213000000
Incident: Webjet B733 near Rio de Janeiro on Dec 13th 2010, loss of cabin pressure
A Webjet Boeing 737-300, registration PR-WJO performing flight WH-6708 from
Rio de Janeiro,RJ to Salvador,BA (Brazil) with 132 people on board, was
already enroute near Rio de Janeiro when the crew released the passenger
oxygen masks and initiated an emergency descent. The crew returned to Rio
de Janeiro for a safe landing about 90 minutes after departure.

Passengers complained about a strong burning odour on board.

The airline said, that the crew noticed cabin pressure problems, released
the passenger oxygen masks and returned to Rio de Janeiro. The airplane
was removed from service for inspections. The passengers were rebooked onto
other flights.

The American NTSB reported on Apr 16th 2011, that the airplane was climbing
to FL330 when the crew noticed the cabin pressurization system was not properly
working and stopped the climb. The cabin’s rate of climb was indicated at
500+ feet per minute, the cabin altitude index was 8.0 and increased to
10.0 a few seconds later, the pressure differential was 5.0. The crew actioned
the relevant checklists, donned their oxygen masks and released the passenger
oxygen masks and returned to Rio de Janeiro. The investigation is conducted
by Brazil’s CENIPA.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=433d3d98
20101124153718:20101123000000
Incident: Lufthansa A343 near Munich on Nov 23rd 2010, odour on board
A Lufthansa Airbus A340-300, registration D-AIGO performing flight LH-424
from Munich (Germany) to Boston,MA (USA), was climbing through 5000 feet
when a strong oily odour on board convinced the crew to return to Munich.
The airplane levelled off at 6000 feet and performed a safe landing about
30 minutes after departure.

A replacement Airbus A340-600 registration D-AIHR reached Boston with a
delay of 2:45 hours.

Gossip is that D-AIGO had received a new inboard left hand engine (CFM56)
and was about to conduct its first flight following the engine change.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=433a21f4
20101119134411:20101119000000
Incident: Virgin Blue B737 at Melbourne on Nov 19th 2010, odour in cabin
A Virgin Blue Boeing 737-700, flight DJ-807 from Melbourne,VI to Sydney,NS
(Australia) with 122 passengers and 6 crew, was in the initial climb when
the crew noticed an abnormal odour on board prompting the return to Melbourne.
The airplane landed safely less than 30 minutes after departure.

A passenger said, it smelt like burning plastics. The captain announced
that an engine had been changed on the aircraft and may be the source of
the smell.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=4333c185
20101109194406:20101109000000
Incident: Jazz CRJ1 near Washington on Nov 9th 2010, odour in cabin
An Air Canada Jazz Canadair CRJ-100, registration C-FVMD performing flight
QK-7651/AC-7651 from Washington National,DC (USA) to Montreal,QC (Canada)
with 12 passengers and 3 crew, was climbing through FL220 when the crew
reported an odour in the rear of the aircraft cabin and decided to return
to Washington’s Ronald Reagan Airport. The airplane landed safely about
20 minutes later.

The flight was cancelled, the passengers were rebooked onto other flights.

The airline said first results of the examination of the aircraft suggest
a passenger service unit (overhead light and air vent) may have malfunctioned.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=43322ee9
20101107213357:20101106000000
Incident: Airtran B712 near Memphis on Nov 6th 2010, smoke in cabin
An Airtran Boeing 717-200, registration N921AT performing flight FL-619
from New Orleans,LA to Milwaukee,WI (USA) with 65 people on board, was enroute
at FL330 almost overhead Memphis,TN (USA) when the crew reported an odour
and some smoke in the cabin. The crew diverted to Memphis for a safe landing
20 minutes later.

Airtran reported passengers and crew noticed an odour and a small amount
of smoke in the cabin.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=432ae90d
20101028205353:20101025000000
Incident: United Airlines B772 near Winnipeg on Oct 25th 2010, smoke in cockpit
A United Airlines Boeing 777-200, registration N226UA performing flight
UA-835 from Chicago O’Hare,IL (USA) to Shanghai (China) with 194 passengers,
was enroute at FL340 about 210nm north of Winnipeg,MB (Canada) when the
crew reported smoke in the cockpit and decided to divert to Winnipeg, where
the aircraft landed safely about 45 minutes later.

A replacement Boeing 777-200 registration N219UA was dispatched from Chicago
O’Hare to Winnipeg as flight UA-9945 and reached Shanghai with a delay of
28 hours.

The Canadian TSB reported on Oct 28th that the crew detected an odour in
the cockpit about 2 hours into the flight and turned the re-circulation
fans off. About 5 minutes later the crew received an EICAS warning “Smoke
Crew Rest AFT/FD” and a master caution. The crew opened the flight deck
door and noticed a haze in the companionway and a rumbling underneath the
forward galley floor. The crew donned their oxygen masks, declared emergency
and diverted to Winnipeg. The crew continued to use the oxygen masks for
about 20 minutes, dumped fuel and completed a safe landing. Attending emergency
services using thermal imaging found no trace of smoke, heat or fire, the
cargo holds were opened but no trace of fire, smoke or heat were found there,
too. Maintenance troubleshooting could not identify the source of smoke.
After completing an overweight landing inspection the aircraft was ferried
to San Francisco with engineering pilots and maintenance personnel on board
performing system tests. No EICAS messages appeared during that ferry flight,
however during the descent towards San Francisco an oil odour became noticeable.
Troubleshooting is continuing with the focus on how oil is entering the
pneumatic system.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=4327c7e9
20101021194346:20101019000000
Incident: Air Canada E190 at Edmonton on Oct 19th 2010, flock of birds
An Air Canada Embraer ERJ-190, registration C-FHON performing flight AC-255
from Edmonton,AB to Vancouver,BC (Canada) with 79 people on board, was climbing
through 2000 feet AGL out of Edmonton’s runway 30 when the airplane encountered
multiple bird strikes impacting the left inboard slats, the right hand windshield
and the left hand engine (CF34). The crew observed a slight fluctuation
in the #1 engine parameters, subsequently a strong odour developed in the
cabin. The crew declared emergency and returned to Edmonton for a safe landing
on runway 02 about 10 minutes later.

The Canadian TSB reported, that maintenance found damage to the left hand
engine, cowling as well as right hand wing components. The birds are suspected
to have been Canada geese.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=431f0f97
20101008193334:20100930000000
Incident: Air Canada E190 near St. Pierre on Sep 30th 2010, autoflight system failure, smell of smoke in cabin
An Air Canada Embraer ERJ-190, registration C-FHKI performing flight AC-1197
from St. John’s,NL to Toronto,ON (Canada), was enroute at FL340 near St.
Pierre (Territorial Collectivity of Saint Pierre and Miquelon, France) when
the crew requested to descend below RVSM due to the failure of the autoflight
system. The airplane was cleared to FL280 and descended to that level. Following
the descent the crew reported they were investigating a report of smoke
in the cabin. A short time later the crew reported there was an electrical
odour near a rear galley oven. The circuit breaker for the oven was manually
tripped and the smell dissipated. The crew continued the flight to destination
for a safe landing 2:40 hours later.

The Canadian TSB reported, that maintenance personnel reset the circuit
breakers and selected the rear galley ovens and coffeemakers on, but the
problem could not be reproduced. The airplane was since returned to service.

———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=4314d727
20100923134336:20100923000000
Incident: Delta Airlines B764 over Irish Sea on Sep 23rd 2010, smell of smoke in cockpit
A Delta Airlines Boeing 767-400, registration N840MH performing flight DL-250
(dep Sep 22nd) from New York JFK,NY (USA) to Athens (Greece) with 231 passengers
and 12 crew, was enroute at FL340 overhead the Irish Sea when the crew decided
to divert to Manchester,EN (UK) due to a smell of smoke in the cockpit.
The airplane landed safely about 20 minutes later.

The flight is expected to continue the following day (Sep 24th) and reach
Athens with a delay of 28 hours. The passengers were taken to local hotels.

Delta Airlines said, the crew reported a smokey odour in the cockpit and
diverted to Manchester as a precaution. The passengers disembarked normally,
the airplane was examined by maintenance and cleared for departure. However,
due a strike of ATC personnel in France the crew ran out of maximum duty
hours, so that the flight had to be cancelled. The flight will now depart
Manchester as DL-9858 on Friday at 8am BST (07:00Z).
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=430ab24f
20100908181321:20100908000000
Incident: Etihad A320 near Kuwait on Sep 8th 2010, odour in cabin
An Etihad Airways Airbus A320-200, registration A6-EIK performing flight
EY-543 from Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) to Damascus (Syria), diverted
to Kuwait (Kuwait) after an odour of fuel was observed on board. The airplane
landed safely.

It turned out that a passenger had taken a fuel container on board, that
started leaking.

The airplane reached Damascus with a delay of 4 hours.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=43095e51
20100906112201:20100906000000
Incident: Mount Cook AT72 near Invercargill on Sep 6th 2010, odour in cabin
A Mount Cook Airlines Aerospatiale ATR-72-500 on behalf of Air New Zealand,
flight NZ-5062 from Invercargill to Christchurch (New Zealand) with 43 passengers,
diverted to Dunedin (New Zealand) after a smell of fuel developed in the
cabin. The airplane landed safely. All occupants were checked by medical
services, one crew member was taken to a hospital as a precaution.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=43099f63
20100906222559:20100905000000
Incident: Jetblue E190 near Washington on Sep 5th 2010, burning odour and haze in cabin
A Jetblue Embraer ERJ-190, registration N266JB performing flight B6-331
from Washington Dulles,DC to Orlando,FL (USA), was in the initial climb
out of runway 30 when the crew reported a burning odour and haze in the
cabin. ATC cleared the aircraft to land on runway 01L or 01C, the crew selected
01L at first and explained they had some sort of a bleed air issue, then
decided to go for runway 01C. The airplane landed safely on runway 01C about
4 minutes after takeoff and was checked out by emergency services before
continuing to the apron.

The incident airplane was later able to perform the flight and reached Orlando
with a delay of 5:15 hours.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=43056a0a
20100831195041:20100827000000
Incident: Jazz DH8A near Timmins on Aug 27th 2010, smoke in cockpit
An Air Canada Jazz de Havilland Dash 8-100, registration C-GJIG performing
flight QK-7829 from Toronto,ON to Timmins,ON (Canada) with 38 people on
board, was enroute about 60nm from Timmins, when the crew observed smoke
coming from the #2 transponder panel. The crew pulled the circuit breaker,
the smoke dissipated, a toxic odour remained however. The crew declared
emergency and continued to Timmins for a safe landing.

The Canadian TSB reported, that an electronic circuit board was found burnt
in the #2 transponder. Maintenance replaced the #2 transponder and the TCAS
control panel, that was found adrift.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=42f438fb
20100806155614:20100805000000
Incident: Comair CRJ1 near Nashville on Aug 5th 2010, odour sickens passenger
A Comair Canadair CRJ-100 on behalf of Delta Airlines, flight OH-6399/DL-6399
from New York JFK,NY to Nashville,TN (USA) with 49 passengers, was on approach
to Nashville when a passenger became sick due to some pungent odour on board
of the aircraft. The crew continued for a safe landing in Nashville, where
the passenger recovered.

Delta Airlines said, the pungent odour was identified to come from another
passenger’s carry on-bag which contained some sort of a cactus.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=42f34582
20100805070106:20100804000000
Incident: American B762 near Albuquerque on Aug 4th 2010, unruly passenger
An American Airlines Boeing 767-200, registration N324AA performing flight
AA-117 from New York JFK,NY to Los Angeles,CA (USA) with 168 passengers
and 11 crew, was enroute at FL380 about 135nm northnorthwest of Albuquerque,NM
when the crew decided to divert to Albuquerque reporting a male unruly passenger
onboard. The airplane landed safely about 30 minutes later, the unruly passenger
was taken into custody by the FBI.

All passengers deboarded, the airplane was searched, no suspicious/hazardeous
items were found. The airplane reached Los Angeles with a delay of 5:40
hours.

The Transportation Security Administration said that the passenger was allegedly
smoking on board. As as abundance of caution sniffer dogs were searching
the airplane, no traces of explosives were found.

Passengers reported, that they smelled an odour like matches and then cigarettes
from a lavatory, cabin crew found a few burned matches and questioned the
man, who then was detained by police after landing in Albuquerque.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=42ee4168
20100728134701:20100727000000
Incident: United Airlines B752 near Charleston on Jul 27th 2010, smoke in cockpit
N564UA comes to a stop (Photo: Yeager Airport)A United Airlines Boeing 757-200,
registration N564UA performing flight UA-229 from Washington Dulles,DC to
San Diego,CA (USA) with 178 passengers, was enroute at FL360 about 25nm
north of Charleston,WV when the crew reported smoke in the cockpit and decided
to divert to Charleston’s Yeager Airport. The airplane landed safely 14
minutes later.

A replacement Boeing 757-200 registration N573UA was dispatched to Charleston,
continued the flight and reached San Diego via Chicago O’Hare,IL with a
delay of 6.5 hours.

The airport said, the crew declared emergency reporting smoke in the cockpit.

Passengers reported, that smell of smoke was noticed in the back of the
cabin.

The cause of the smoke is under investigation, initial findings suggest
a hydraulic leak submitted odour to the cabin through the air conditioning.

———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=42ee46d3
20100728151919:20100726000000
Incident: Lufthansa B744 near Bergen on Jul 26th 2010, strange odour in cabin
A Lufthansa Boeing 747-400, registration D-ABTB performing flight LH-454
from Frankfurt/Main (Germany) to San Francisco,CA (USA), was enroute at
FL330 off the coast of Norway near Bergen (Norway) when the crew decided
to return to Frankfurt due to a strange odour in the cabin. The airplane
landed safely back in Frankfurt about 130 minutes later (and about 4 hours
after departure).

A replacement Boeing 747-400 registration D-ABVY departed Frankfurt about
140 minutes after landing and reached San Francisco with a delay of 7 hours.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=42e35858
20100713071324:20100712000000
Incident: American B763 near Casper on Jul 12th 2010, smell of smoke in cockpit
An American Airlines Boeing 767-300, registration N343AN performing flight
AA-24 from San Francisco,CA to New York JFK,NY (USA) with 193 passengers
and 9 crew, was enroute at FL370 about 100nm southwest of Casper,WY when
the crew noticed an electrical smokey smell in the cockpit and decided to
divert to Casper. The airplane landed safely about 25 minutes later.

Maintenance identified one of the computer screens as source of the odour,
disabled the screen and released the aircraft to continue the flight after
about 5:20 hours on the ground. The airplane reached New York with a delay
of 6:15 hours.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=42ea6ff1
20100722195827:20100705000000
Incident: Porter DH8D near Newark on Jul 5th 2010, smoke in cockpit
A Porter Airlines de Havilland Dash 8-400, registration C-GLQJ performing
flight PD-122 from Newark,NJ (USA) to Toronto City,ON (Canada) with 67 people
on board, was climbing through 10000 feet when the crew noticed smoke and
a strong odour of burning plastic. The crew declared emergency and returned
to Newark for a safe landing, the aircraft was deplaned on an adjacent taxiway.
No injuries occured.

The Canadian TSB reported, that maintenance identified a recirculation fan
as source of the smoke.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=42dba325
20100706193747:20100701000000
Incident: Air Canada A320 near Toronto on Jul 1st 2010, smoke in cockpit
An Air Canada Airbus A320, registration C-FKCO performing flight AC-1153
from Toronto,ON to Calgary,AB (Canada), had just reached FL330 when the
crew reported smoke in the cockpit and returned to Toronto requesting runway
05. The airplane landed safely on runway 05 22 minutes later and stopped
on the runway.

After emergency services checked the aircraft the airplane vacated the runway
20 minutes after landing.

A replacement Airbus A320-200 registration C-FTJO reached Calgary with a
delay of 5:45 hours.

The Canadian TSB reported on Jul 6th, that the crew observed traces of smoke
in the cockpit while the airplane climbed through FL300 and actioned the
according checklists. The smoke dissipated somewhat but a residual odour
remained prompting the crew to return to Toronto. The cause of the smoke
is still under investigation.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=42d2e45c
20100620104623:20100620000000
Incident: Malev B737 at Budapest on Jun 20th 2010, smell of smoke on board
A Malev Hungarian Airlines Boeing 737-700, registration HA-LOR performing
flight MA-660 from Budapest (Hungary) to Amsterdam (Netherlands) with 102
passengers, departed Budapest’s runway 31L when the crew reported smell
of smoke in the cabin, levelled off at 3000 feet and returned to Budapest
for a safe landing on runway 31R about 12 minutes later.

The airline said, that passengers observed smell of smoke on board prompting
the crew to return to the airport. The source of the odour was identified
to be residual engine cleaning fluid. The flight was cancelled, the passengers
rebooked onto the next flight.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=42cd0326
20100612085753:20100611000000
Incident: Continental B764 near Boston on Jun 11th 2010, smell of smoke in cabin
A Continental Airlines Boeing 767-400, registration N76062 performing flight
CO-104 from Newark,NJ (USA) to Athens (Greece) with 220 passengers and 13
crew, was enroute at FL310 about 130nm east of Boston, when the crew reported
a bit developing smoke in the cabin, declared emergency and decided to dump
fuel, turn around and divert to Boston. The airplane landed safely 50 minutes
later.

A replacement Boeing 767-400 registration N68061 continued the flight and
is estimated to reach Athens with a total delay of 7 hours.

Continental Airlines said, that some odour of unknown origin had appeared
in the cabin.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=42c15682
20100527165832:20100527000000
Incident: Delta Airlines MD88 at Boston on May 27th 2010, burning odour
A Delta Airlines McDonnell Douglas MD-88, flight DL-1373 from Boston,MA
to New York La Guardia,NY (USA) with 83 people on board, was departing Boston
maintaining 14000 feet, when the crew reported a burning odour in the back
of the aircraft, declared emergency and requested to return to Boston. The
airplane returned to land on runway 04R 12 minutes after emergency was declared,
the airplane turned off the runway onto runway 33R where emergency services
checked the airplane.

Emergency services found no trace of fire, smoke or heat.

About one hour earlier another fire alert had kept Boston’s emergency services
busy, see: Incident: American B738 at Boston on May 27th 2010, fire alert.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=42c15318
20100527165807:20100527000000
Incident: American B738 at Boston on May 27th 2010, fire alert
An American Airlines Boeing 737-800, flight AA-1875 from Boston,MA to Chicago
O’Hare,IL (USA) with 166 people on board, was climbing from 8000 to 14000
feet out of Boston, when the crew (quite agitated) declared emergency due
to a possible fire on board and requested to return to one of Boston’s runways
22. The airplane levelled off at 10000 feet, the crew donned their oxygen
masks, a few minutes later the crew requested runway 04R. About 12 minutes
after the crew declared emergency the airplane landed safely on runway 04R
and stopped on the runway.

Emergency services found no trace of fire, smoke or heat. The runway was
closed.

About one hour later Boston had to handle another emergency, see Incident:
Delta Airlines MD88 at Boston on May 27th 2010, burning odour.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=42b9ab97/0000
20110315065805:20100516000000
Incident: United Airlines B752 near Washington on May 16th 2010, small fire in cockpit
The NTSB released their final report concluding the probable causes of the
incident were:

The ignition of the J5 power terminal located on the captainís No. 1 windshield
due to a loose electrical connection between the terminal connector lug
and its respective terminal block. The loose connection resulted from a
missing lock washer that allowed the resistance in the electrical path to
increase sufficiently to generate high enough temperatures to ignite the
terminal block.

Contributing to the probable cause was the lack of instructions to ensure
the lock washer was installed in the J5 power terminal block in the Boeing
757 aircraft maintenance manual (AMM).

Additionally, contributing to the incident was the deferral of the related
maintenance write-up before the incident, which resulted from information
in the United Airlines AMM that stated, ìWhen bus bar(s) show signs of blackening
or burning, the condition is acceptable for continued service, although
the window must be replaced within 50 flight-hours.

The captain’s windshield had been installed on Jan 29th 2007 according to
the maintenance manual by United Airlines, that was in agreement with the
Boeing manual. Both manuals lacked information to alert the maintenance
engineers that a lock washer must be installed at all power and sensor terminal
block installation. The information was added by Boeing on May 16th 2010,
United added the modification to their manual subsequently.

Sufficient clues about an electric anomaly were available to United maintenance
personnel. Electrical odours in the cockpit had been reported in two of
the three flights prior to the incident. The captain conducting the flight
immediately prior to the incident flight reported that his #1 windshield
lower outboard power connector appeared burnt and was hot on touching.

The lead mechanic thought the power terminal block was part of the bus bar
and referred to the United Airlines maintenance manual that stated that
the window should be replaced within 50 hours following the discolouration
of the bus bar. Following discussion with another maintenance engineer they
decided to defer the maintenance write up for 50 hours. While the United
Airlines manual showed that defer option, the Boeing manual did not, United
Airlines adapted their manual to clarify the troubleshooting instructions
and removed the deferral option.

United Airlines had been aware of the Service Bulletin (SB) dated April
19th 2010, the actions mentioned in the SB however had not yet been implemented,
nor were they required to be implemented by the FAA. The NTSB annotated
that had the actions of the SB been performed it was likely the anomaly
on the terminal block would have been detected and the fire prevented.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=42a51965
20100419090347:20100419000000
Accident: Virgin Blue B738 near Adelaide on Apr 19th 2010, several passengers suffer from breathing difficulties
A Virgin Blue Boeing 737-800, registration VH-VOT performing flight DJ-558
from Perth,WA to Sydney,NS (Australia) with about 150 passengers, was enroute
near Adelaide, when a number of passengers started to complain about breathing
difficulties. A short time earlier cabin crew had noticed an unusual odour
on board. The flight crew decided to divert to Adelaide, where the airplane
landed safely. One female passenger (50) needed to be taken to hospital,
8 more passengers were treated by medical personnel at the airport, all
passengers were screened for possible carbon monoxide poisoning.

Adelaide Airport reported, that the cause of the illnesses has not yet been
established. Engineers checked the aircraft but found nothing unusual.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=4291a518
20100324102856:20100323000000
Incident: Jazz CRJ1 at Montreal on Mar 23rd 2010, unusual smell on board
An Air Canada Jazz Canadair CRJ-100, flight QK-8862 from Montreal,QC to
Halifax,NS (Canada) with 47 passengers and 3 crew, was climbing through
7000 feet when the crew decided to return to Montreal reporting an unusual
odour on board. The airplane landed safely 15 minutes after departure.

A replacement Canadair CRJ-200 registration C-GOJA reached Halifax with
a delay of 4:15 hours.

The airline reported, that the crew was advised to return to Montreal following
their report of the smell. Both flight crew and the flight attendant were
taken to a hospital as a precaution. In a subsequent inspection of the airplane
the source of the smell was identified as remains of a cleaning fluid in
the engines following an engine wash.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=429117e0/0000
20110411140318:20100323000000
Accident: Air Canada A320 at Toronto on Mar 23rd 2010, steering problem and smell of smoke
The Canadian TSB released their final report concluding:

Findings as to Causes and Contributing Factors

– A leak from the number 1 yaw damper caused fluid to be ingested into the
auxiliary power unit and sent through the air conditioning system, resulting
in smoke entering the cabin.

– When the crew ordered the evacuation as a result of the smoke, several
persons received minor injuries while exiting the aircraft via the emergency
slides.

Finding as to Risk

– Several passengers deplaned from the aircraft through the emergency exits
while in possession of their carry-on baggage. This has the potential to
increase evacuation time and risk of injuries, and possibly block emergency
exits.

Other Finding

– The extensive delay between Transport Canada’s acceptance of this Board
recommendation and actual regulatory change permits identified safety deficiencies
to persist.

In the overnight maintenance prior to the flight 6 liters of hydraulic fluid
had been added to the green hydraulic system, the tech log of the aircraft
contained an instruction to monitor the fluid level.

When the flight crew began their preflight preparations and started the
APU, an odour was noticed in the cabin. The crew used to such odours on
startup, which may result from engine washes or residue in the air conditioning
system, increased the air flow in the cabin and reduced the temperature,
the smell dissipated.

Shortly after takeoff the odour appeared again, the crew again increased
air flow and reduced cabin temperature, the smell again dissipated.

While approaching the top of climb the crew attempted to locate the source
of the smell, but soon received an ECAM message indicating a low fluid quantity
level for the green hydraulic system. The crew actioned the relevant checklists
and turned off the power transfer unit and the green engine driven hydraulic
pump. At that time the aircraft was about halfway into the flight, weather
conditions at Toronto were more favourable than in Montreal so that the
crew decided to continue to Toronto.

Due to the green hydraulic system being shut down a number of systems were
not available including nose gear steering, normal brakes, normal gear extension
and engine #1 thrust reverser. The crew advised ATC, emergency services
were put on standby. The crew alternatively extended the gear and performed
an otherwise normal landing on runway 05, stopped on the runway, started
the APU and shut down both engines and waited for maintenance personnel
and a tow truck to arrive.

When the tow truck arrived, the driver requested all doors to be closed
as required by company procedures. Due to the manual extension of the gear
the gear doors had remained open, the extension of the gear however had
returned some fluid to the green hydraulic reservoir which now showed normal
fluid level. In consultation with maintenance it was decided to re-energize
the green hydraulic system, the crew therefore turned the electric pump
and the power transfer unit on about 21 minutes after landing.

Almost immediately, smoke began to enter the cabin. The electric pump and
the power transfer unit were shut down again, both left forward doors (L1
and L2) were disarmed and opened in order to clear the smoke, the smoke
however did not dissipate and continued to enter the cabin through the air
vents. The passengers increasingly grew uneasy. After the flight attendants
informed the captain about the situation the captain ordered the evacuation.
Both L1 and L2 doors were closed and armed. All doors including the overwing
exits were subsequently opened. Although cabin crew instructed passengers
to leave the aircraft without any hand luggage, a number of passengers exited
with their luggage.

The evacuation was finished within 2 minutes, during the end of the evacaution
the slides became damp due to light rain causing higher speeds arriving
at the end of the slide. Two passengers, who exited with the luggage, received
minor injuries. Two cabin crew exiting last and carrying emergency equipment
also hurt their backs.

The TSB analysed that no leakage had been detected during maintenance the
night before the flight, however, it was possible that some fluid had accumulated
before the APU intake causing the odour upon starting the APU.

In flight the manual gear extension caused enough fluid to return to the
hydraulic reservoir that the fluid level appeared normal again. When the
crew re-assessed the system status and attempted to close the gear door
by re-energizing the green hydraulic system, high pressure fluid leaked
from the #1 yaw damper actuator. This fluid, with no airflow to drive it
away from the aircraft, flowed down along the side of the fuselage until
it reached the APU intake and caused the smoke in the cabin. When the crew
disabled the pump, the leak stopped, however sufficient fluid had already
exited and continued to be ingested by the APU.

The evacuation time was not significantly increased by the closing, arming
and re-opening the L1 and L2 (forward) doors.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=4288969b
20100312122308:20100311000000
Incident: Jetstar A320 enroute on Mar 11th 2010, chemical odour causes nausea
A Jetstar Airbus A320-200, registration VH-VQL performing flight JQ-882
from Brisbane,QL to Mackay,QL (Australia) with 182 people on board, was
enroute near top of descent when passengers started to complain about a
chemical chlorine like smell on board. Later six passengers and as well
as four cabin crew felt light headed and complained about nausea. Two doctors
on board monitored their health status. The flight crew continued to MacKay
for a safe landing, where medical services were awaiting the aircraft. Passengers
and cabin crew were checked by the medical services, however noone needed
treatment or hospitalization.

The airplane was removed from service, the airline reported, the cause of
the smell being a mystery and being under investigation.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=4285ed54
20100308230627:20100308000000
Incident: Thomas Cook A320 near Athens on Mar 8th 2010, unusual odour on board
A Thomas Cook Airlines Airbus A320-200, registration OO-TCN performing flight
FQ-1756 from Brussels (Belgium) to Taba (Egypt) with 180 passengers, was
enroute at FL350 overhead the Aegean Sea about 80nm northeast of Athens
(Greece), when passengers reported an unsual smell on board prompting the
crew suspecting a technical defect to divert to Athens. The airplane landed
safely.

A replacement Airbus A320-200 registration OO-TCI was dispatched to Athens
and is estimated to reach Taba with a delay of 10 hours.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=427d7ff6
20100226110051:20100225000000
Incident: Chautauqua E145 at New York on Feb 25th 2010, smokey odour on board
A Chautauqua Airlines Embraer ERJ-145 on behalf of Delta Airlines, flight
RP-6054/DL-6054 from New York La Guardia,NY to Columbus,OH (USA) with 35
passengers, was in the initial climb out of La Guardia Airport, when the
crew reported a smokey odour on board, levelled off at 2500 feet and returned
to La Guardia for a safe landing 7 minutes after departure.

An earlier flight, RP-6020 from La Guardia to Columbus, already had to be
cancelled because of a smokey odour on board while the aircraft taxied to
the runway for departure.

The airline reported, that both aircraft had been de-iced, the de-icing
fluid possibly playing a role in the odour on board of both aircraft. Both
aircraft have been removed from service and undergo an examination to determine
the cause of the smell.

The airline’s flight schedule between La Guardia and Columbus was seriously
disrupted for the remainder of the day.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=427de0b9
20100226223747:20100222000000
Incident: Air Canada A320 at Montreal on Feb 22nd 2010, glycol smell, then smoke alert
An Air Canada Airbus A320-200, registration C-FLSU performing flight AC-944
from Montreal,QC (Canada) to Orlando,FL (USA) with 158 people on board,
was climbing through 1000 feet out of Montreal, when a stronger than normal
smell of glycol (de-icing fluid) was observed on board. When the airplane
climbed through 2000 feet, the smoke detector for the aft cargo bay went
off. The crew carried out the according checklists, emptied both fire bottles
into the cargo bay, declared emergency and returned to Montreal. While on
approach, the crew cancelled the emergency, but continued back to Montreal
for a safe landing.

The Canadian TSB reported, that no traces of smoke or fire were detected
in the cargo area. Current assumption is, that the glycol fumes caused the
smoke detector to trigger. The fire bottles were replaced, the engines were
ground run to ensure no residual odour remained and the airplane was returned
to service.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=4277db4a
20100218233848:20100218000000
Incident: British Airways B752 near Barcelona on Feb 18th 2010, strange odour in cockpit
A British Airways Boeing 757-200, registration G-CPEO performing flight
BA-487 from Barcelona,SP (Spain) to London Heathrow,EN (UK), was climbing
out of Barcelona, when the crew donned their oxygen masks reporting fumes
in the cockpit and returned to Barcelona for a safe landing about 20 minutes
after departure.

A passenger reported, that shortly after liftoff the flight crew asked the
cabin purser to the cockpit, then all flight attendants got busy checking
the cabin. The captain finally announced, that they had an unusual smell
in the cockpit and were returning to Barcelona. Flight attendants indicated
that the cockpit crew were wearing their oxygen masks.

The flight was cancelled.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=4270ba32
20100209142222:20100209000000
Incident: TNT B733 near Liege on Feb 9th 2010, suspicious odour
A TNT Airways Boeing 737-300, registration OO-TNJ performing freight flight
3V-135R from Barcelona,SP (Spain) via Marseille (France) to Liege (Belgium),
was descending through FL310 in its intial descent towards Liege about 25
minutes prior to estimated arrival, when the crew donned their oxygen masks
and reported a suspicious odour causing irritations. The airplane landed
safely about 25 minutes later and taxied to the stand, where the crew immediately
exited the airplane.

The airport reported, that a first hazmat unit entered the aircraft and
confirmed presence of an unusual substance in the air leading to invocation
of the “red plan” 26 minutes after the airplane arrived at the stand. Medical
services arrived and checked the crew out with no abnormal findings. A special
chemical hazmat unit arrived about 40 minutes after the airplane arrived
at the stand, identified two leaking barrels of chemical canisters, put
them into intact containers and removed them from the aircraft. The other
freight proved intact, the hazmat unit exited the aircraft about 4 minutes
later. The red plan was terminated about 30 minutes later. Analysis of the
two leaking canisters revealed they contained apple powder for the cosmetics
industry.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=426af309
20100202092828:20100201000000
Incident: American B752 near Denver on Feb 1st 2010, acid odour
An American Airlines Boeing 757-200, flight AA-2229 from Dallas Ft. Worth,TX
to Hayden,CO (USA) with 49 passengers, was enroute at FL400 about 10nm southeast
of Denver International Airport,CO, when the crew reported an acid smell
on board and decided to divert to Denver for a safe landing 40 minutes later.

The airline reported, that no mechanical defects were found, the cause could
be oil producing the smell through the air conditioning system.

The remainder of the flight was cancelled, the passengers were bussed to
Hayden.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=42668a3d
20100127212524:20100127000000
Incident: Comair CRJ1 near Myrtle Beach on Jan 27th 2010, smell of smoke
A Comair Canadair CRJ-100 on behalf of Delta Airlines, flight OH-6435/DL-6435
from New York La Guardia,NY to Charleston,SC (USA) with 16 passengers and
3 crew, was enroute at FL320 about 110nm northnortheast of Myrtle Beach,SC
(USA), when the crew reported a smokey odour on board and decided to divert
to Myrtle Beach. The airplane landed safely in Myrtle Beach about 21 minutes
later. Attending emergency services found no trace of fire or heat.

The remaineder of the flight was cancelled. The airline offered ground transportation
like taxi or rental cars to the passengers.

A passenger reported, that there was a bit of smoke visible in the cabin.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=425f6a41
20100311144457:20100117000000
Incident: US Airways B762 near St. Thomas on Jan 17th 2010, odour on board
A US Airways Boeing 767-200, registration N255AY performing flight US-1041
from Saint Thomas (US Virgin Islands) to Charlotte,NC (USA) with 174 passengers,
was on approach to Charlotte, when the crew reported a number of passengers
and cabin crew had noticed some odour on board shortly after takeoff and
were now suffering from headache and nausea raising the alert of a possible
carbon monoxide poisoning. The airplane continued for a safe landing on
Charlotte’s runway 23 and was received by about a dozen ambulances at the
gate. 8 passengers were checked and treated on scene by medical staff, but
were able to catch their connecting flights, 7 crew members were taken to
a local hospital as a precaution.

US Airways reported, that the initial suspect of carbon monoxide did not
verify, the cause of the odour and nausea is under investigation. The airplane
has been taken out of service.

In March US Airways confirmed, that engine oil had leaked through a faulty
seal into the bleed air supplying the air conditioning system.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=4288e1ec/0000
20131227121321:20091217000000
Incident: Jett8 B742 at Singapore on Dec 17th 2009, uncontained engine failure
Singapore’s Air Accident Investigation Bureau (SAAIB) released their final
report concluding the probable causes of the serious incident was:

– The uncontained engine failure was a result of the circumferential fracture
of the S3 LPT disk forward spacer arm. The failure is consistent with the
engine having sustained vibration due to HP rotor imbalance.

– The operatorís documentation system, as regards its evaluation of its
EHM contractorís maintenance-related recommendations, was such that its
decision making process was not always clearly recorded.

– The operator did not update the engine manufacturer on changes to the
names and contact details of the persons within the operatorís organisation
responsible for liaising with the engine manufacturer on safety information.

– It was not a practice of the engine manufacturer to ascertain whether
the operators indeed received the pertinent safety information that it had
sent out to them.

The SAAIB reported the aircraft departed Singapore’s runway 02C and was
cleared to climb to FL240 when at about 7000 feet the crew heard a muffled
bang and noticed the odour of oil in the cockpit. The flight engineer (67,
FEL, 14,600 hours total, 11,500 hours on type) noticed the oil pressure
and oil quantity rapidly reduced on engine #4, the N1 and N2 rotor speeds
reduced but did not drop to zero, the EGT remained within permitted limits.
The crew decided to shut the engine down and advised ATC. The captain (56,
ATPL, 11,200 hours total, 2,450 hours on type), so far pilot monitoring,
assumed role as pilot flying, the first officer (37, ATPL, 3,495 hours total,
418 hours on type) became pilot monitoring. The aircraft returned to Singapore
for a safe landing on runway 02C. A post flight inspection revealed engine
#4 had suffered an uncontained failure, there was no evidence of fire.

Further examination showed engine inlet and low pressure compressor were
intact, there was no indication of foreign object damage/ingestion.

The high pressure compressor stage 1 to stage 8 showed damage consistent
with stator case rubbing. One blade at stage 9 was missing from about one
inch from the blade platform, two stage 10 blades were missing half of the
airfoil, too. Heavy impact damage was observed on stage 10 to stage 14 high
pressure compressor blades.

The combustion chambers appeared intact.

2 of the high pressure turbine stage 1 blades were missing more than half
of their airfoils, thirteen other stage 1 blades were found with nicks,
oxidation and cracks. 79 stage 2 blades were found broken.

The low pressure turbine’s stage 3 nozzle guide vane was exposed, the whole
of the low pressure turbine rotor, all blade sections and the aft of the
turbine rotor were missing from the engine. The stage 1 and 2 blades showed
damage consistent with stator case outer shroud rubbing.

A number of turbine blade debris was recovered from both halves of the engine
cowl and engine pylon, the bulk cargo door and the right side of the vertical
stabilizer was punctured, there were multiple dents and punctures on the
underside of the right hand wing, an underwing fuel tank control panel was
punctured causing some fuel leakage.

The SAAIB analyzed that a circumferential fracture of the stage 3 low pressure
turbine disk forward spacer arm led to the uncontained failure of the engine
and continued: “A number of previous S3 LPT disk failures were attributed
to vibration due to HP rotor imbalance caused by HPT rotor blade airfoil
material loss. The investigation team believes that the S3 LPT disk failure
in the 17 December 2009 occurrence is consistent with the engine having
sustained vibration due to HP rotor imbalance. The vibration and rotor imbalance
aspects of this and other similar S3 LPT disk failure cases are being investigated
in detail by the engine manufacturer and the NTSB.”

With respect to engine health monitoring the SAAIB analyzed that increasing
exhaust gas temperatures and fuel flow were typical indications of deterioration
and performance loss of the high pressure rotor, e.g. loss of air blade
material or blade surface contamination. The SAAIB stated: “The initial
shifting of No.4 engine EGT upwards without increase in fuel flow had probably
led the operator to believe that it could be a case of EGT indication fault.
However, one would expect that the repeated recommendations by the EHM contractor
for a BSI made on 3, 5 and 10 December 2009 should be sufficient to alert
the operator that there was an engine problem. Although the operator eventually
scheduled for the EGT indication check and BSI as recommended by its EHM
contractor and engineering handling agent, these maintenance actions were
postponed subsequently. The operator considered that the EHM contractorís
recommendations were not mandatory. However, it is unclear how the operator
evaluated the risk of engine-related failures if the EHM contractorís recommendations
were not carried out.”

The SAAIB continued: “The operator said it was in compliance with the procedures
approved by the regulatory authority. However, in the course of the investigation,
the investigation team had asked the operator for information pertaining
to its system of reviews of maintenance action recommendations made by the
EHM contractor, i.e. its system defining how and by whom the recommendations
were processed and the follow-up decisions made. The investigation team
was not provided with clear documented evidence pertaining to the operatorís
review system. With the current emphasis on safety management system, an
air operator is expected to have a robust safety management system, including
comprehensive documentation on its various maintenance programmes (including,
for example, EHM).”

As safety action the NTSB issued an urgent safety recommendation in May
2010, see NTSB issues urgent safety recommendations regarding CF6 engines,
the engine manufacturer introduced a new design stage 3 low pressure turbine
disk, the FAA followed up with Airworthiness Directives in March 2010, June
2010, February 2011, August 2011 and January 2012 introducing increased
monitoring and inspection as well as reducing life limits of the old design
low pressure turbine stage 3 rotor and introduced a draw plan to remove
old design disks from service.

3 additional safety recommendations to improve documentation and information
flow were issued as result of the investigation.

The damaged engine, intact engine in overlay (Photos: SAAIB):
The puncture of the vertical stabilizer (Photo: SAAIB):

———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=424322d8
20091214224641:20091214000000
Incident: Avianca F100 near Bucaramanga on Dec 14th 2009, chemical odour
An Avianca Fokker 100, registration HK-4443X performing flight AV-8455 from
Cucuta to Bogota (Colombia) with 70 passengers, diverted to Bucaramanga
60nm southwest of Cucuta when passengers started to complain about a strange
smell and irritation of their eyes and mucous membranes. Several passengers
felt dizzy. The airplane landed safely about 20 minutes after departure
with emergency services including 4 ambulances on stand by.

Police reported, that a passenger carried 3 gallons of a chemical fluid
on board in his hand luggage without reporting the chemical. Within a few
minutes after takeoff the first passengers started to feel dizzy. Emergency
services treated the passengers at the airport, no actual injuries occured.
Two plastic cans containing the chemical were recovered by trained personnel.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=4230992c
20091120231322:20091013000000
Incident: Delta Airlines B763 near Atlanta on Oct 13th 2009, odour prompts return
A Delta Airlines Boeing 767-300, flight DL-101 from Atlanta,GA to Buenos
Aires,BA (Argentine), was enroute at FL310 about 120nm south of Atlanta
30 minutes into the flight, when the crew reported smoke in the cabin and
decided to return to Atlanta. The airplane landed safely in Atlanta about
20 minutes later.

A replacement Boeing 767-300 registration N154DL reached Buenos Aires with
a delay of 5 hours.

Passengers on board reported, that following a normal departure – dinner
service was just about to commence – the cabin went dark, the inflight entertainment
system stopped working and just the emergency lights at the floor illuminated
about 30 minutes into the flight. A flight attendant was observed reporting
“smoke in the cabin” via phone obviously to the flight deck. Other flight
attendants later claimed when asked, however, that the passenger had misheard
and there was no mention of smoke. The airplane turned around and started
to descend in a hurry, when the captain announced they had experienced an
electrical failure and needed to return to Atlanta. The passengers and cabin
were prepared for an emergency landing, however no brace position was ordered.
The airplane landed safely and stopped on the runway to have the brakes
inspected, a lot of emergency services surrounded the airplane. Later the
captain told the passengers in private talks, that he viewed the events
similiar to Swissair flight 111 (editorial note: which crashed near Halifax,
Canada on Sep 2nd 1998 following an electrical short circuit igniting insulation
material) mentioning Swissair several times and he added the incident would
certainly make the headlines in all US newspapers. Delta Airlines and the
FAA did not respond to the passengers’ inquiries over the next month, when
they tried to clarify what had really happened.

The NTSB told The Aviation Herald, that an unusual odour was detected on
board which prompted the crew to return to Atlanta. Maintenance identified
a problem in the air conditioning system, serviced the system and returned
the airplane to service. The occurrence is not reportable to the NTSB and
is therefore not being investigated by the NTSB, the FAA may however conduct
their own investigation.

The Aviation Herald did not receive any replies from Delta Airlines and
the FAA within 24 hours after sending inquiries.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=41d11ef0
20090722202826:20090717000000
Incident: Air Canada A320 near Toronto on Jul 17th 2009, strong ammonia odour
An Air Canada Airbus A320-200, registration C-FDQQ performing flight AC-1172
from Calgary,AB to Toronto,ON (Canada) with 155 people on board, was on
approach to Toronto, when a strong noxious ammonia smell developed causing
nausea to some cabin crew and passengers. The airplane landed safely about
30 minutes later.

The Canadian TSB reported, that maintenance replaced both recirculating
filters and carried out other checks without finding the source of the ammonia
fumes. A flight test was carried out with multiple climbs and descents without
odours, so that the airplane was returned to service.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=41c45529
20090706192526:20090706000000
Incident: American MD83 near Lafayette on Jul 6th 2009, smoke in cabin
An American Airlines McDonnell Douglas MD-83, flight AA-1243 from Fort Lauderdale,FL
to Dallas Ft. Worth,TX (USA) with 151 passengers, diverted to Lafayette’s
Regional Airport,LA when a smokey odour was noticed in the cabin. The airplane
landed safely about 35 minutes later after the crew considered to divert
to New Orleans,LA or Houston,TX.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=41c1cd60
20090707143716:20090703000000
Incident: Tatarstan B734 near Volgograd on Jul 3rd 2009, smell of smoke in cabin
A Tatarstan Boeing 737-400, registration VQ-BDB performing flight U9-? from
Kazan (Russia) to Antalya (Turkey) with 150 passengers and 8 crew, diverted
to Volgograd (Russia) due to smell of smoke in the cabin. The airplane landed
safely about one hour after departure from Kazan.

Attending emergency services did not find any source of heat or fire. The
airline suspected, that somebody smoked on the toilet causing the smell.
An investigation has been initiated by Russian Authorities.

A replacement Orenburg Airlines Boeing 737 has been dispatched to continue
the flight as flight R2-9455.

The airline reported on Monday (Jul 6th), that the electronics controlling
the cockpit door lock mechanism was identified to have been the origin of
the odour.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=41b6a977
20090619201915:20090617000000
Incident: Chautauqua E145 at Toronto on Jun 17th 2009, smoke in cockpit
A Chautauqua Airlines Embraer ERJ-145, registration N292SK performing flight
RP-7860 from Washington,DC (USA) to Toronto Pearson,ON (Canada) with 53
people on board, was on final approach to Toronto’s runway 06L about 8nm
before touchdown, when the crew declared emergency reporting a smokey odour
in the cockpit. The crew continued the approach for a safe landing and taxied
to the gate.

The Canadian TSB reported, that the #1 windshield heat system was the source
of the smell of smoke, no smoke or flames were present.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=41b11361
20090613131716:20090612000000
Incident: Northwest A333 over Atlantic on Jun 12th 2009, smoke in cabin, later second diversion due to weather
The crew of a Northwest Airlines Airbus A330-300, registration N811NW performing
flight NW-821/DL-821 from Rome Fiumicino (Italy) to Atlanta,GA (USA) with
285 people on board, reported smoke in the cabin about 10 minutes after
passing south of the southwest corner of Ireland at FL360, declared emergency
and diverted to Shannon, where the airplane landed safely on runway 06 30
minutes later. Attending fire services sprayed the right hand main gear
after landing.

Shannon Airport reported, that there was a smokey odour in the forward galley
prompting the diversion. The passengers disembarked normally at the gate.

The airplane was examined and declared airworthy, so that the aircraft resumed
the journey after 6.5 hours on the ground in Shannon. While approaching
Atlanta still at FL350 about 120nm before Atlanta around 20:58L (0:58Z),
the flight was sent into a holding due to weather related traffic congestion
at Atlanta prompting the crew to divert to Cincinnati Northern Kentucky,KY
about 250nm from their present position, where the crew performed a safe
automatic landing onto runway 36R.

No landings had occured at Atlanta between 19:57L (23:57Z) and 20:49L (00:49Z)
and no departures from 19:56L (23:56Z) to 20:20 (00:20Z) due to weather.

Metars Atlanta:
KATL 130452Z 27006KT 6SM -RA BR BKN055 BKN100 OVC150 22/21 A2997 RMK AO2
TSE18RAB13 SLP137 FRQ LTG DSNT SE TS DSIPTD P0002 T02170206 403170206
KATL 130419Z 30013G25KT 6SM -RA BR FEW030 BKN050 OVC080 22/20 A2999 RMK
AO2 TSE18RAB13 FRQ LTG DSNT S-SW TS DSIPTD P0000
KATL 130352Z 33003KT 10SM TS FEW030CB SCT070 BKN150 OVC200 22/21 A2997 RMK
AO2 TSE07B52RAE14 SLP139 OCNL LTGICCG W-NW CONS LTG DSNT SW TS W-NW AND
DSNT SW MOV SE P0010 T02170206
KATL 130307Z 03006KT 9SM -RA SCT035 BKN050 BKN070 OVC150 22/20 A2997 RMK
AO2 TSE07 FRQ LTGICCGCA DSNT NE-SE TS MOV SE P0010
KATL 130252Z 34003KT 10SM -TSRA FEW030CB BKN045 BKN070 OVC150 22/19 A2997
RMK AO2 PK WND 35034/0209 RAB00 SLP139 CONS LTGICCGCA NE-SE TS NE-SE MOV
SE P0022 60087 T02170194 53011
KATL 130221Z 36012G31KT 7SM -TSRA FEW020 SCT035CB BKN070 OVC150 22/18 A2995
RMKAO2 PK WND 35034/0209 RAB00 FRQ LTGICCGCA NE-SE-S TS NE-SE-S MOV SE P0022
KATL 130214Z 01022G34KT 2 1/2SM +TSRA BR FEW020 BKN035CB OVC070 21/18 A2995
RMKAO2 PK WND 35034/0209 RAB00 FRQ LTGICCGCA OHD-ALQDS TS OHD-ALQDS MOV
SE P0016
KATL 130210Z 35026G34KT 3/4SM R09R/4000VP6000FT +TSRA BR SCT020 OVC035CB
22/20 A2994 RMK AO2 PK WND 35034/0209 RAB00 FRQ LTGICCGCA OHD-ALQDS TS OHD-ALQDS
MOV SE
KATL 130208Z 35017G29KT 1SM R09R/4500VP6000FT +TSRA BR FEW020 BKN035CB OVC070
22/21 A2996 RMK AO2 PK WND 01029/0208 RAB00 FRQ LTGICCGCA OHD-ALQDS TS OHD-ALQDS
M
KATL 130152Z VRB03KT 10SM TS BKN035CB BKN070 OVC150 24/21 A2994 RMK AO2
RAE21 SLP129 FRQ LTGICCGCA N-NE AND W-N TS N-NE AND W-N MOV SE P0026 T02440206

KATL 130052Z 24021G29KT 4SM R09R/4500VP6000FT TSRA SCT030CB BKN045 BKN080
OVC150 23/20 A2993 RMK AO2 PK WND 04032/2354 WSHFT 2348 PRESRR SLP126 FRQ
LTGICCG S-SW-NW AND DSNT NE TS S-SW-NW AND DSNT NE MOV SE P
KATL 130007Z 08011G31KT 8SM -TSRA FEW020 SCT040CB BKN070 OVC150 24/20 A2990
RMKAO2 PK WND 04032/2354 WSHFT 2348 PRESFR FRQ LTGCGIC NE-OHD-S TS NE-OHD-S
MOV SE
KATL 122352Z COR 03028G34KT 3/4SM R09R/P6000FT +TSRA SQ FEW020 BKN040CB
OVC060 26/21 A2994 RMK AO2 PK WND 03034/2351 TSB39RAB41 PRESRR SLP128 FRQ
LTGCGIC OHD-ALQDS TS OHD-ALQDS MOV SE P0020 60020 T02610206 1
KATL 122349Z 03020G27KT 3/4SM R09R/P6000FT +TSRA FEW020 BKN040CB OVC060
28/21 A2993 RMK AO2 PK WND 04027/2349 TSB39RAB41 PRESRR FRQ LTGCG OHD-ALQDS
TS OHD-ALQDS
KATL 122339Z 27006KT 10SM TS SCT045CB BKN060 BKN110 BKN250 29/20 A2989 RMK
AO2 TSB39 FRQ LTGCG W-NW TS W-NW MOV SE
KATL 122252Z 27010KT 10SM SCT045 SCT060 BKN250 31/19 A2989 RMK AO2 SLP110
CB DSNT NE AND S-SW TCU DSNT NW T03060194
KATL 122152Z 28012G17KT 10SM SCT045 BKN060 BKN250 31/21 A2988 RMK AO2 SLP108
CB DSNT NE TCU DSNT E AND NW T03110206
KATL 122052Z 26011G17KT 10SM SCT045 SCT200 31/21 A2989 RMK AO2 SLP108 CB
DSNT NE TCU DSNT W & N T03110206 58010

———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=41aebf88/0000
20100629122947:20090605000000
Accident: Virgin Blue B737 near Gold Coast on Jun 5th 2009, fumes sicken 4 flight attendants
The ATSB released their final report stating, that it was impossible to
identify the source of the fumes.

The aircraft was about 40 minutes into the flight, when cabin crew working
in the rear section of the cabin noticed an intermittent strong smell similiar
to acetane, butane or liquid petroleum gas in the last 5 seat rows, the
smell apparently coming from the air conditioning vents above seats 24D,E
and F. The captain was informed of the smell by the purser, the passengers
in the last seat rows did not report any dangerous goods when asked, an
inspection by cabin crew did not detect any dangerous goods or source of
smell. The first officer was sent back to the cabin in the later stage of
the cruise but could not detect any smell.

One rear cabine flight attendant, who had not smelled anything, became momentarily
debilitated upon entering the rear cabin area. Both rear cabin flight attendants
subsequently showed symptoms like stinging red eyes, distended lips, bright
red face, red blotchy
skin on the upper chest with white spots, rash, dizziness, tightness in
chest, tiredness, nausea, and headaches. Both were administered oxygen by
one of the forward cabin flight attendants and recovered.

About 15 minutes prior to touch down the flight crew informed the airport
of the smell in the cabin and the two flight attendants feeling unwell,
oxygen had been used and requested emergency services on stand by.

On descent through 5000 feet one of the forward cabin crew members briefly
smelled the odour, both forward flight attendants began to also show symptoms
like the other two flight attendants.

The four flight attendants and the flight crew were taken to a hospital
for examination, which however could not identify the source of the symptoms.

Ground crew had been advised of the medical issues on board however not
of the possibility of fumes. A luggage handler noticed strong fumes from
an air vent in the forward cargo hold while unloading the luggage and reported
his observation to one member of the emergency services, the information
however was not immediately relayed to the captain or emergency services
supervisor. Emergency services were sweeping the aircraft from the back
to the front using a gas detector but came up with no findings. By the time
the airport finally realised that the fumes report could also impede the
safety/health of ground staff, the airplane had already been completely
unloaded. The luggage handlers did not detect any smell from passenger luggage.

The airplane had not undergone any recent maintenance activity which could
explain the fumes.

The filters of the air conditioning system were removed and analysed with
no findings.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=41a81ef1/0071
20120705171830:20090601000000
Crash: Air France A332 over Atlantic on Jun 1st 2009, aircraft entered high altitude stall and impacted ocean
The BEA have released their third preliminary report in French, on Aug 4th
2011 the BEA released their English translation.

While it doesn’t appear there have been additions to the factual part already
released in report #2, report number #3 contains first analysis of the crash.

In there the BEA reported, that the aircraft departed Rio de Janeiro with
the captain in the left hand seat, the first first officer in the right
hand seat and the second first officer in the observer seat.

At 01:55Z the captain left his seat in order to take his rest, the second
first officer took the captain’s seat. The first first officer (in the right
hand seat) became pilot flying (PF), the second first officer pilot monitoring
(PNF).

The captain was observing the briefing the two first officers conducted.
The PF pointed out there was a little bit of turbulence ahead according
to weather radar’s image but they couldn’t climb, pointing out the FMS indication
of maximum possible cruise level of 375. Subsequently the captain left without
leaving any instructions with the first officers, especially not assigning
tasks. This absence of formal framework later led to a breakdown of optimal
crew cooperation between the two first officers.

The turbulence increased, at 02:08Z the PF decided to turn left by 12 degrees
selecting heading mode into the autopilot. The PF remarked he would prefer
to climb to FL360. Intensive weather radar observations followed however
were interrupted by a sensation of quick temperature increase and the appearance
of an odour that distracted the crew for more than a minute. The PNF finally
identified the smell as ozone.

Discussions in the cockpit did not suggest any malfunctions.

At 02:09:46Z the background noise on the cockpit voice recorder significantly
changed, the BEA analysed the sound was consistent with the characteristics
of presence of ice crystals, the change in sounds getting the attention
of the first officers who had not experienced this before. The PNF takes
action and suggests to slow down to Mach 0.8 and engages engine anti-ice
on.

At 02:10:05Z a sharp drop of airspeed indications occurred likely due to
obstruction of the pitot probes by ice crystals. The autopilot and autothrust
systems disengaged as result. The presence of turbulence led to the aircraft
rolling right to a bank angle of 8 degrees, the nose pitches up to 11 degrees
nose up within 10 seconds. The PF announces “I have control” and makes a
quick left nose up input almost to the mechanical stops of the side stick.
The nose pitches further up and at 02:10:10Z the stall warning activates.

Between 02:10:18Z and 02:10:25Z the PNF reads various ECAM messages, then
attracts the attention of the PF to the loss of speed. At that time both
left hand and ISIS airspeeds were below 100 knots, the aircraft was climbing
by 7000 feet/min and the aircraft rolls left and right, with the bank angle
remaining between -10 and +10 degrees of bank, as result of PF inputs. Both
first officer recognized the loss of airspeed indications, however none
called for the unreliable airspeed procedures. Comparing the three airspeed
indications the PNF urges the PF multiple times to lower the nose. The aircraft
was climbing through FL370 and continued to climb.

At 02:10:34Z the left airspeed sharply rose to 215 KIAS and became valid
again, the speed indication of the stand by instrument (ISIS) remained wrong.
The BEA analysed that the loss of speed was 60 knots from the point of autopilot
disengaging until that time, the 60 knots loss of speed being consistent
with the aircraft climbing 2000 feet in that configuration.

At 02:10:47Z the thrust levers were moved to about 2/3 of travel resulting
in 85% N1. The climb rate reduced to 100 feet/min, the angle of attack reduced
to about 3 degrees and the roll is controlled. The first officers now attempt
to call the captain back to the cockpit. The BEA analyses that after a quick
trim and levelling off as result of PF inputs the trajectory of the aircraft
appeared controlled again, however the initial increase in altitude was
excessive and should have been pointed out by the PNF. However, none of
the pilots called out speeds, vertical speeds, pitch angles or altitude.

At 02:10:51Z the stall warning activated again, the pitch angle had increased
to about 6 degrees nose up. As result of PF inputs the pitch angle increased
from 6 to 13 degrees and the angle of attack increased to 10 degrees. Rapid
onset of buffeting occurred. 5 seconds later the thrust levers are placed
into the TOGA detent. The BEA analysed that was about the point where the
aircraft went out of control.

The PF maintains inputs to keep the nose up between 11 and 23 degrees nose
up with the angle of attack being betwen +11 and +18 degrees.

At 02:11:07Z the ISIS airspeed becomes valid at 183 KIAS, and all three
indicated airspeeds agree. The PF selected ADR3 as input for his primary
flight display. The vertical speed drops through 0 and becomes highly negative
(around 4000 feet/minute sink rate), the airspeed reduces further to 160
KIAS.

At 02:11:20Z the PF states twice he has lost control of the aircraft.

At 02:11:37Z the PNF pushes the priority button and provides a large left
input in reaction to a high right bank, calling “controls on the left”.
He almost instantly released the priority button and ceased control inputs
again without required calls.

At 02:11:42Z the captain entered the cockpit, just before the stall warning
stops, the airplane was at 35800 feet MSL, 9100 feet/min sink rate, airspeeds
below 100 KIAS, pitch 12 degrees nose up and engines at 102% N1. Neither
first officer provides an account to the captain what is happening. The
BEA analysed that when the stall warning stopped all three AoA computations
had become invalid due to too low an airspeed. Airspeeds are no longer displayed
on both PFDs.

At 02:12:04Z the PF remarked he believed they were in overspeed, the BEA
assumes because of the excessive background noise in the cockpit. None of
the two other pilots supported that hypothesis which was in contradiction
to instrument indications, high pitch angle and high rate of descent.

Until impact now the stall warning activates when the nose is lowered and
silences when the pitch angle increases. FDR data suggest that as soon as
the stall warning activates the pilots react with nose up inputs which cause
the stall warning to silence again.

The BEA analysed that none of the three pilots ever worked out which indications
to trust and which not.

The BEA analysed that both first officers had been trained unreliable airspeed
emergency maneouvers at low altitude which required them to disengage flight
directors and autoflight systems, then adopt an attitude between 10 and
15 degrees nose up. At altitude however the stall warning would activate
at an angle of attack just above +4 degrees.

The BEA listed following findings:

– The Captainís departure occurred without clear operational instructions

– The crew composition was in accordance with the operatorís procedures

– There was no explicit task-sharing between the two copilots

– The weight and balance of the airplane were within operational limits

– The crew had noticed returns on the weather radar

– The crew made a heading change of 12∞ to the left of its route

– The AP disconnected while the airplane was flying at upper limit of a
slightly turbulent cloud layer

– There was an inconsistency between the measured speeds, likely as a result
of the obstruction of the Pitot probes in an ice crystal environment

– At the time of the autopilot disconnection, the Captain was resting

– Even though they identified and announced the loss of the speed indications,
neither of the two copilots called the procedure “Unreliable IAS”

– The copilots had received no high altitude training for the “Unreliable
IAS” procedure and manual aircraft handling

– No standard callouts regarding the differences in pitch attitude and vertical
speed were made

– There is no CRM training for a crew made up of two copilots in a situation
with a relief Captain

– The speed displayed on the left PFD remained invalid for 29 seconds

– The approach to stall was characterised by the triggering of the warning,
then the appearance of buffet

– A short time after the triggering of the stall warning, the PF applied
TO/GA thrust and made a nose-up input

– In less than one minute after the disconnection of the autopilot, the
airplane was outside its flight envelope following the manual inputs that
were mainly nose-up

– Until the airplane was outside its flight envelope, the airplaneís longitudinal
movements were consistent with the position of the flight control surfaces

– Neither of the pilots made any reference to the stall warning

– Neither of the pilots formally identified the stall situation

– The invalidity of the speed displayed on the ISIS lasted 54 seconds

– The Captain came back into the cockpit about 1 min 30 after the autopilot
disconnection

– The angle of attack is the parameter that enables the stall warning to
be triggered; if the angle of attack values become invalid, the stall warning
stops

– By design, when the speed measurements were lower than 60 kts, the 3 angle
of attack values became invalid

– Each time the stall warning was triggered, the angle of attack exceeded
its theoretical trigger value

– The stall warning was triggered continuously for 54 seconds

– The airplaneís angle of attack was not directly displayed to the pilots

– Throughout the flight, the movements of the elevator and the THS were
consistent with the pilotís inputs

– The engines were working and always responded to the crewís inputs

– No announcement was made to the passengers

Air France commented: “It should be noted that the misleading stopping and
starting of the stall warning alarm, contradicting the actual state of the
aircraft, greatly contributed to the crewís difficulty in analyzing the
situation. During this time, the crew, comprising both First Officers and
the Captain, showed an unfailing professional attitude, remaining committed
to their task to the very end. Air France pays tribute to the courage and
determination they showed in such extreme conditions. At this stage, there
is no reason to question the crewís technical skills.”

The French BEA released new safety recommendations mainly recommending to
introduce an AoA indication on the cockpit instruments, introducing additional
training for manual aircraft control at altitude, additional definitions
for the role of a relief captain to ensure proper task sharing in the cockpit
as well as recommendations regarding flight data recorders.

Translated Transcript (PIC: Captain, PF: Pilot Flying, PNF: Pilot monitoring):
TimeSource 02:00:33PF Well a bt of turbulence which you just sawÖ
we will Ö we should find it again before, in fact we are in the cloud layer
unfortunately as we can not climb too much for the moment because of the
temperatue which is sinking less than expected. This is reducing the REC
MAX for us a little lower to go for 37 (FL370)02:06:44PFThe ITC, there it
is between SALPU and TASIL02:06:54PFMinus 42, we are not going to use the
anti ice it is still there02:07PFYou see we are really on the limit of the
cloud layer.02:08:07PNFCan you maybe turn a bit to the left? I agree that
we are in manual, right?02:08:19PNFWhat I call manual means we are not in
managed mode (Nav)02:09:54PNFHere, Iíll reduce the speed a bit for you.
02:10:03PFDo you want to switch to Ignition Start?02:10:06PFI have control02:10:09PFIgnition
Start02:10:11PNFWhat is this? 02:10:14PFWe donít have a goodÖ We donít have
a good indication of Ö.02:10:17PNFWe have lost the speeds, engine thrust
A T H R engine lever thrust02:10:18PFÖ speed02:10:22PNFAlternate Law Protections02:10:24PNFWait,
we are about to loose02:10:25PNFWing Anti-Ice02:10:27PNFWatch your speed,
Watch your speed PFOk, ok, I will descend back PNFYou are stabilizing PFYeah PNFYou
are descending back02:10:33PNFAccording to the three you are climbing, now
you are descending. 02:10:35PFAgreed02:10:36PNFYou are atÖ descend back PFIt
is going, we are descending back02:10:39PNFIíll put you on A T T (*) (Selecteur
ATT /HDG is put in position F/O on 3)02:10:42PFWe are, yes we are in climb02:10:49PNFWhere
is he, eh?02:10:56PFTOGA02:11PNFTry to use the lateral controls as few as
possible hey!02:11:03PFI am in TOGA02:11:06PNFÖ is he coming or not02:11:21PNFWe
have certainly the engines, what is happening?02:11:32PFI donít have control
of the aircraft, I donít have control of the aircraft at all02:11:38PNFCommand
to the left (taking control)02:11:41PFI have the impression that we have
speedÖ. (we are in speed)02:11:43PICHey, what are you doing? PNFWhat
is happening, I donít know, I donít know what is happening02:11:53PICOk,
take, take this02:11:58PFhave a problem, I have no more vertical speed
here PICAgreed PFI have no indication at all. 02:12:04PFI have
the impression that we have a crazy speed, no, what do you think?  [Speedbrakes
are deployed]02:12:07PNFNO, donít extend them! Certainly not.02:12:13PNFWhat
do you think, what doyou think, what do we have to do?02:12:15PICI donít
know, it descends. 02:12:10PFHere, that is good, we have wings level, no
it doesnít want.  PICWings to level, the horizon, the backup horizon.
 PNFThe horizon (secondary)02:12:26PNFThe speed?02:12:27PNFYou are
climbing,  VSStall Stall PNFYou are descending, descending descending02:12:30PFI
am descending? PNFDescend!02:12:32PICNo, you are climbing02:12:33PFHere,
I am climbing, okay, right so lets descend (or okay we are descending) (unclear)02:12:42PFOK,
we are in TOGA02:12:42PFOn the altitude where are we? 02:12:44PICthis is
not possible02:12:45PFOn alti(tude) we are where?02:12:45PNFWhat do you
mean on altitude? PFYes, yes, yes, I am descending there, no?  PNFYes,
you are descending.  PICHey, you are inÖ. put the wings level,  PNFPut
the wings level! PFThat is what I am trying to do PICPut the wings
level02:12:59PFI am at the limit of, with the warping PICThe rudder02:13:25PFWhat,
how is it that we are continuing to descend at the limit there?02:13:28PNFTry
to find what you can do with the controls up there, The primaries e.t.c.02:13:32PFAt
level 10002:13:36PF9000 ft02:13:38PICCarefull with the rudder!02:13:39PNFClimb,
climb. Climb, climb02:13:40PFBut I am at the limit of the nose since a while PICNo,
no, no, donít climb PNFSo descend02:13:45PNFSo, give me the controls,
to me the controls.  PFGo ahead, you have the controls, we are still
on TOGA 02:14:05PICCareful, you are nose high (cabres? ) PNFI am nose
high? PFWell, we need to, we are at 4000 ft02:14:18PICGo, Pull PFGo,
Pull pullpull02:14:26PICTen degrees pitch
Editorial note: at 02:12:04Z the transcript mentions the speedbrakes have
been deployed, the FDR graphics as well as the remainder of the report do
not mention at all whether the speedbrakes have been extended or not.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=416108fb
20090306173117:20090306000000
Incident: Emirates A345 near Perth on Mar 6th 2009, false report of smoke in cabin
According to Australian media and French aviation sources an Emirates Airbus
A340-500, registration A6-ERH performing flight EK-425 from Perth,WA (Australia)
to Dubai (United Arab Emirates) with 120 passengers, returned to Perth because
of supposed smoke in the cabin. The media say, that witnesses on the ground
saw smoke escape the cabin when the doors opened around 8:45 local (Mar
5th 23:45Z), a radio station however reports, that passengers calling in
said no smoke was observed on board. A leading Australian newspaper reports
a massive deployment of emergency services. According to the reports the
airplane had taken off on schedule around 7:00 local (Mar 5th 22:00Z), the
crew declared emergency at 07:50 local and landed safely back to Perth at
08:45 local.

However, radar track, Emirates’ flight status, both airports’ live flight
information as well as independent sources show the airplane arrived in
Dubai on time. Actually, all flights of Emirates from Perth to Dubai during
the last 7 days reached their destination on time. Aviation sources in Perth
are entirely silent on any such incident at Perth Airport as well.

The source of this seems to be an article published by the Sydney Morning
Herald (or of its sources), which was published on October 16h 2008, see
This report reappeared today with exactly the same wording all around the
Australian Media and French Aviation Sources. The Aviation Herald had reported
the real incident at Incident: Emirates A345 near Learmonth on Oct 16th
2008, chemical odour in cabin.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=4148321e
20090204215703:20090131000000
Incident: Jazz CRJ9 near Vancouver on Jan 31st 2009, smoke in lavatory
An Air Canada Jazz Canadair CRJ-705, registration C-GJAZ performing flight
QK-8320 from Vancouver,BC to Calgary,AB (Canada) with 45 people on board,
had just taken off Vancouver, when the crew smelled an odour and received
a smoke indication for the aft lavatory. Flight attendants told the flight
crew, that the smoke detector in the aft lavatory had activated, they could
smell smoke and could see smoke. The pilots decided to return to Vancouver,
where the airplane landed safely about 10 minutes after departure. The crew
did not declare emergency, however emergency services met the aircraft
after landing.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=4373dc36
20110203162949:20090127000000
Report: HiFly A333 near Darwin on Jan 27th 2009, smoke alert on board
A HiFly Airbus A330-300 on behalf of the Australian Defense Force, registration
CS-TMT performing a flight from Darwin,NT (Australia) to Male (Maldives)
with 64 passengers and 11 crew, had just reached FL370 when the crew received
a smoke alert for a lavatory, then a failure message for the right air conditioning
system (PACK #2) and a fault message for the cabin pressure controller #1
(CPC, left hand air conditioning system). The crew was able to reset the
CPC, but needed to turn PACK #2 off. The smell became stronger nonetheless
prompting the crew to return to Darwin for a safe landing about 2 hours
later. After landing 3 cabin crew and a number of passengers reported feeling
unwell and were administered oxygen, medical staff considering the symptoms
common and non-serious. The three crew members were taken to a hospital
for further checks and quickly released.

Portugal’s Gabinete de Prevencao e Investigacao de Acidentes com Aeronaves
(GPIAA) released their final report concluding:

– Lavatory Smoke Detection Warning, as well the strong odor felt by crew
and pax, was caused by oil particles vaporization vented through the Bleed
ducts from the APU to the Packs and, thus, to the passenger cabin.
– “PACK #2 OVERHEAT” was caused by defective two duct sections sealing downstream
Pack #2), which allowed inducing air leak;
– “CPC1 FAULT” warning was triggered by pack #1 instability originated by
the absence of the related plenum.

The GPIAA reported that prior to departure the occupants already noticed
a foul odour on board similiar to a dead animal rotting. An examination
of the airframe concluded the smell was caused by external atmosphere pollution.

When the aircraft had just reached FL370 the crew received a “SMOKE LAV”
indication with a visual inspection of the lavatory finding everything normal.
The smell on board however became stronger, 10 minutes after the “SMOKE
LAV” the crew received a “PACK #2 OVERHEAT” message prompting the crew to
shut the right hand air conditioning system down for the remainder of the
flight shortly followed by a “CPC #1 FAULT” indication. The CPC was successfully
reset. The smell still became stronger although no cause, no smoke and no
burning or toxic fumes were discovered by an extensive search of cabin crew.
An engineer on board inspected the cargo holds finding nothing unusual.
The flight crew decided to return to Darwin where the aircraft burned off
fuel in the vicinity of the airport before landing safely.

The aircraft had just undergone maintenance in Jordan and was performing
its first revenue flight following that C-check and positioning flight to
Darwin. Following the incident flight HiFly engineers discovered oil at
the APU intake and inside the pneumatic ducts to both packs. An APU oil
leak was discovered above the bleed duct and APU air intake leading the
maintenance personnel to suspect an APU oil overfill.

Maintenance further discovered an incorrectly placed seal connecting two
duct sections of pack #2. A partially broken plenum was found on pack #1,
the missing part was not found.

Following repairs of these issues normal system performance was found, and
the smell disappeared.

The GPIAA analysed that the oil at the APU intake travelled to the packs
and thus caused the lavatory smoke indication, the smell and the dizziness
of a number of occupants. The deficient seal between the two ducts of pack
#2 permitted hot air to escape and caused the duct overheat indication.
The missing part of the plenum of pack #1 caused instability of the pack
and resulted in the CPC #1 fault.

The broken plenum (Photo: GPIAA):
The deficient seal (Photo: GPIAA):

———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=413ed69f
20090124214135:20090124000000
Incident: Air Malta A319 on Jan 24th 2009, unusual odour
The crew of an Air Malta Airbus A319-100, registration 9H-AEG performing
flight KM-398 from Luqa (Malta) to Amsterdam (Netherlands), requested priority
due to an unusual odour while on approach to Amsterdam. The subsequent landing
was safe.

The aircraft was examined by engineers and signed off for the return flight
KM-399, which could depart with just 30 minutes delay and reached Malta
on time.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=413b63af
20090120203050:20090114000000
Incident: Air Canada A321 near Calgary on Jan 14th 2009, smell of smoke in cockpit
An Air Canada Airbus A321-200, registration C-GITY performing flight AC-133
from Toronto Pearson,ON to Calgary,AB (Canada) with 179 people on board,
was about 30 minutes before Calgary, when the crew noticed an avionics smoke
odour in the cockpit. No emergency was declared and no priority requested.
The airplane landed safely.

Maintenance replaced the audio management unit and returned the aircraft
to service.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=4120fdbd
20081221075634:20081219000000
Incident: Westjet B736 near Vancouver on Dec 19th 2008, electrical fire odour in cabin
A Westjet Airlines Boeing 737-600, registration C-GPWS performing flight
WS-432 from Vancouver,BC to Edmonton,AB (Canada), returned to Vancouver
after an electrical fire odour developed in the passenger cabin. The overweight
landing was safe.

After technical examinations the airplane could resume the flight and reached
Edmonton with a delay of 5 hours.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=41192c2c
20081220205239:20081211000000
Incident: Delta Airlines MD88 near Greenville on Dec 11th 2008, smoke in cockpit
The crew of a Delta Airlines McDonnell Douglas MD-88, registration N924DL
flight performing DL1102 from Washington Dulles,DC to Atlanta,GA (USA) with
140 passengers and 5 crew, declared emergency reporting smoke in the cockpit
while enroute close to Greenville/Spartanburg. The airplane diverted to
Greenville Aiport for an emergency landing on runway 22. The two right main
gear tyres blew on landing. The airplane exited the runway near the threshold
of runway 04 onto the taxiway, where the airplane was evacuated using slides.
Fire services started to foam the right hand main gear while the evacuation
was in progress.

A replacement MD-88 resumed the flight and reached Atlanta with a delay
of 4 hours.

The FAA reported, that two tyres had blown on landing.

Passengers reported they were alerted by a smell of smoke about 10 minutes
prior to landing.

Maintenance found an electrical component (a relais underneath the cockpit
floor) had overheated and gone up in smoke. Earlier the day tyre spacer
work had been done on the aircraft.

The NTSB reported in their preliminary statement (Dec 20th), that the crew
noticed smoke apparently coming from the first officer’s glareshield and
noticed an electrical odour while about 150-170nm north of Atlanta. The
flight crew donned oxygen masks and goggles, executed the smoke/fumes checklist,
declared emergency and diverted to Greenville/Spartanburg, where an emergency
evacuation was performed.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=40ec6f5f
20081023155320:20081023000000
Incident: Meridiana MD83 at Olbia on Oct 23rd 2008, odour in cabin
The crew of a Meridiana McDonnell Douglas MD-83, registration EI-CRH performing
flight IG1112 from Rome Fuimicino to Olbia (Italy) with 65 passengers and
6 crew, reported a pungent odour in the cabin while on approach to Olbia
and requested priority. The airplane landed safely, no injuries have been
reported.

Local sources reported, that the airport was closed for 30 minutes to handle
the emergency and that 118 emergency staff were dispatched at and to the
airport.

Meridiana confirmed, that the crew requested priority because of a sharp
odour in the cabin, also stating, that the airport was not closed due to
the incident. Maintenance engineers were looking into venting ducts as source
of the odour, but later reported, that no technical fault has been found
with the airplane.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=40e636dc
20081016145057:20081016000000
Incident: Emirates A345 near Learmonth on Oct 16th 2008, chemical odour in cabin
An Emirates Airbus A340-500, registration A6-ERB performing flight EK425
from Perth,WA (Australia) to Dubai (United Arab Emirates) with 122 passengers,
returned to Perth after a chemical odour, also described as burning smell,
was detected in the cabin about 90 minutes into the flight. The crew declared
emergency and returned to Perth, where the airplane landed safely 2 hours
45 minutes after takeoff.

Passengers reported, that no smoke or haze was visible inside the cabin.
A flight attendant had smelled the odour in the back of the cabin.

The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) have indicated to open an investigation
into the incident.

The passengers were rebooked onto the later Emirates flight today.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=43054420
20100831143248:20080914000000
Report: Cathay A333 near Taipei on Sep 14th 2008, loss of cabin pressure
A Cathay Pacific Airbus A330-300, registration B-HLH performing flight CX-251
from Tokyo Narita (Japan) to Hong Kong (China) with 59 (fifty nine) passengers
and 13 crew, diverted to Taipei (Taiwan) due to a typhoon. The airplane
left FL400 to descend towards Taipei, when the bleed air system became intermittent
and the cabin began to climb until the master caution activated. The crew
donned their oxygen masks and initiated an emergency descent, the passenger
oxygen masks deployed. Cabin crew subsequently reported a strong burning
smell in the cabin. The airplane landed safely on Taipei’s runway 24 about
30 minutes later and stopped on the adjacent taxiway, where the first officer
checked the cabin and confirmed the burning smell was produced by the chemical
oxygen generators supplying the passenger oxygen masks. Attending emergency
services did not find any trace of smoke, heat or fire.

Taiwan’s Aviation Safety Council (ASC) released their final report concluding:

3.1 Findings related to probable causes

1. Giving the de-activated of the No.1 engine bleed air valve per MEL 36-11-02,
the no.2 engine bleed air was the only one compressed air source for the
two air conditioning systems. The no.2 engine bleed air valve operated in
a high demand status. During aircraft descent, the compressed air automatically
bled from high pressure stage which provided the compressed air with higher
pressure and higher temperature. This led the pre-cooler downstream temperature
air getting higher. Due to the THCís grid filter contaminated from which
to reduce the muscle air pressure to control fan air valve that resulted
in the fan air valve could not open properly to provide sufficient cooling
air to pre-cooler. The no.2 engine bleed air valve was shut down automatically
due to bleed air overheat. Both air conditioning systems lost the compressed
air source and thereby aircraft lost its pressurization capability. (2.5)

3.2 Findings related to risk

1. The repeated defects of the numerous dual bleed air system and number
one engine bleed air defects prior to the occurrence revealed the deficiency
of the bleed air systemí reliability and potential operation risk. (2.6)
2. The flight crew might have confused the similar call signs on the same
control frequency. The crew were distracted by the system failure when they
did not adhere to company communication procedures by inadvertently omitting
the CX521 flight number at the end of one of the transmissions, which contributed
to the premature change of frequency. (2.1.1)
3. The flight crew omission of the CX521 flight number the fact that the
transmission was stepped on resulted in a lost opportunity for the pilot
and the controller to correct the mistake and prevent the premature change
of frequency. (2.1.1)
4. Approach controller should be aware the existing similar call sign situation
and follow the ATMP regulation for pilotí distinguishing when the CX521
acknowledged instruction and read back frequency change incorrectly for
other aircraft. (2.1.1, 2.8.2)
5. The ATMP English version and Chinese version 2-4-15 regarding emphasizing
to aid in distinguishing between similar sounding aircraft are inconsistent:
English version is mandatory while the Chinese version is not. (2.782)
6. Approach controller did not acknowledge the CX521 distress message immediately
on Guard frequency until the second one one minute latter. (2.8.3.1)
7. The ATMP request controllers to provide maximum assistance and first
priority to distress aircraft; consider pilot workload and human factor
of radio communication. The late information handling, frequent frequency
change instructions and instructed distress aircraft to follow speed restriction
were not in accordance with ATMP. (2.8.3.2)
8. Duplicated questions asking regarding ground assistance showed lack of
coordination and information exchange internally from both the TPE Tower
and the Approach controllers. (2.8.3.2)
9. All TACC controllers selected Mekong radio station which resulted in
TACC controllers failed to receive the CX521 ?Mayday? call at 1859:56 on
121.5 Frequency until 1900:52. (2.8.3.3)
10. Guard frequency 121.5 stations situated at Datum Mt and Mekong. The
two frequencies unable to cover each other due to the 140NM distance and
geographic influence. (2.8.3.3)
11. TACC North Sector guard frequency test omitted the occurrence neighbor
area waypoint SALMI. The omitted way point test may have resulted in TACC
controllers missing Mayday call from CX521. (2.8.4)
12. Some cabin crew members whose oxygen mask did not drop down, did not
try to open their access panels or using portable oxygen bottle around their
seats. (2.9)
13. Some cabin crew members may not be familiar with the cabin masks design
features and operation with regard to pulling down on the cord to activate
oxygen flow and not be fully aware of the normal operation of the cabin
masks. (2.9)
14. Some cabin crew members who were not to or not able to use their oxygen
masks may have misled passengers into thinking that wearing the mask was
not required. (2.9)
15. These side effects of the chemical oxygen generators did not list in
any cabin related manual and training course. This may have increased the
injury risk if cabin crews unfastened their seat belt and tried to find
out the suspected fire source. (2.9)

3.3 Other findings

1. Both flight crew members were certified and qualified in accordance with
Hong Kong Civil Aviation Regulations. (2.1)
2. There was neither evidence indicate the crew have any physical or psychological
problems, nor usage of alcohol or drugs. (2.1)
3. The crew did not select the APU after interrupting the AIR DUAL BLEED
FAULT checklist to initiate the EMERG DESCENT checklist in response to the
CAB PR EXCESS CAB ALT message. (2.1.2.1)
4. The FDR data indicated that the cabin altitude never exceeded 14,000ft
during the occurrence, there was no requirement for the crew to manually
deploy the cabin masks. (2.1.2.2)
5. The ?CAB PR EXCESS CAB ALT? and ?EMER DESCENT? procedures were inconsistent
regarding the selection of 7700. (2.1.2.2)
6. According to ATC radar control video play back, there was no evidence
indicating that the flight crew had selected 7700 SSR on the transponder.
(2.1.2, 2.7)
7. It was deem necessary that the flight crew took the immediate action
and performed the emergency descent to a safer altitude when dual bleed
system fail. (2.2)
8. The highest cabin altitude aircraft experienced was within the airworthiness
standard during the emergency descent operation. (2.3)
9. The leakage rate of B-HLH was within the Aircraft Maintenance Manual
specification. (2.3)
10. The Operator complied with the MEL 36-11-02 prescriptions. (2.4)
11. Refer to the tear down inspection result of the no.1 PRV; the shop findings
also could not confirm the indication problem. (2.6)
12. The CVR revealed there were temporary communication, poor radio signal
quality, poor readability and difficulties during the 1903 to 1907 period.
No evidence showed the TACC VHF system had anomaly at the time of occurrence.
(2.7)
13. Some passengers were not wearing their oxygen masks revealed that some
passengers either not fully understand the instructions from the automatic
announcement or they did not follow the instructions. (2.9)

The airplane had been dispatched with the #1 (left hand) engine bleed air
system inoperative in accordance with Minimum Equipment List (MEL) requirements.
The #1 bleed air valve was secured closed.

The airplane climbed to FL400 enroute. Due to a typhoon affecting Hong Kong
the aircraft headed to Taipei and had received descent clearance to FL140.
While descending through FL380 the crew received a “AIR ENG 2 BLEED FAULT”.
The crew attempted to reset the #2 bleed switch without success, the cabin
began to climb (lose pressure). The pilot flying (first officer) selected
open descent into the flight management and guidance system and deployed
spoilers to increase descent. At that time Air Traffic Control handed another
flight CI5321 (“Dynasty five three two one”) off to Taipei approach, the
captain of CX521 however acknowledged the call and selected the frequency.
A minute later the master caution activated with the ECAM message “EXCESS
CAB ALT”, the cabin climbed through 9700 feet at that point, the aircraft
was descending through FL300. The crew donned their oxygen masks and initiated
an emergency descent. The passenger oxygen masks were deployed automatically,
the cabin reached a maximum altitude of 13400 feet. The captain, pilot monitoring,
transmitted three Mayday Calls on the Taipei Approach Frequency and one
on the guard frequency, then Taipei confirmed received the emergency call
and cleared CX-521 down to FL100.

5 minutes later cabin crew reported a strong burning smell in the cabin
prompting the airport to deploy all available emergency services. Following
the landing on runway 24 the airplane turned off the runway and stopped
on adjacent taxiway SP, where emergency services attended the aircraft without
finding any smoke. The first officer went to the cabin and checked the odour
near door #4 finding that the smell was produced by the passenger oxygen
generators.

The ASC found repeated entries regarding “ENG 1 BLEED PRESSURE LOW” in the
maintenance logs since Jul 29th 2008 as well as repeated entries of “ENG
1 BLEED NOT CLOSED” since Aug 19th 2008. on Sep 13th 2008 another maintenance
entry said, that engine #1 bleed air valve had not closed during engine
run down after the engine had been shut down. Following this entry maintenance
recorded, that the engine #1 bleed air valve was secured shut according
to MEL. Following this entry the airplane was dispatched for 6 more sectors
including the occurrence flight. None of these 6 sectors were ETOPS sectors.

Maintenance reported following the occurrence flight, that the engine #2
bleed air system had suffered a fault related to “THRM (5HA2)/FAN AIR-V”
(thermostat filter in the fan air valve control).

The ASC found that 56 of the 59 passenger oxygen masks had been activated,
several passengers however did not don their oxygen masks according to cabin
reports. Three oxygen masks for cabin crew did not deploy due to stuck panels,
and out of the remaining 8 cabin crew 3 thought their oxygen masks were
not working.

Examination of the #2 engine bleed air system showed the grid filter had
collected significant contamination causing a pressure reduction, that prevented
the valve to completely open and thus caused an overtemperature condition
of the #2 engine bleed air. The source of contamination was expected atmosperic
pollution going past the primary filter.

Tests of the #1 engine bleed air valve releaved some leakage and corrosion
degrading the actuator piston seal. The corrosion could be explained by
the humidity environment on the airline’s Asian routes.

Air Traffic Control was struggeling with radar transmissions from CX-521
after the crew had switched to Taipei Approach prematurely due to mistaking
the call sign, the captain had read back the frequency but omitted the call
sign in the read back. The aircraft was more than 100nm outside the area
of responsibility of Taipei Approach, the aircraft was not visible on the
radar screen, and another Cathay CX-531 was on approach to Taipai in their
area of responsibility, controllers did not understand however why that
airplane at 5000 feet should call Mayday due to an emergency descent. Once
Taipei Approach identified the aircraft and its position, attempts to return
them to the correct frequency proved unsuccessful, Area Control completed
the hand off to Approach with Approach coordinating the clearance with Area
Control. 15 minutes after the crew had switched to the wrong frequency,
ATC was able complete the hand off to a discrete frequency dedicated to
flight CX-521. 18 minutes later the airplane touched down on runway 24.

The ASC identified three occasions during which call signs CI-5321, CX-521
and CX-531 were mixed up by either crew or air traffic controllers. CX-521
mistook instructions for CI-5321 twice, the first mistake was caught by
the air traffic controller who corrected the wrong readback. The second,
the frequency change, was not caught by air traffic control due to the missing
call sign in the read back. Later the controller mistook the emergency call
of CX-521 as coming from CX-531.

The occurrence crew, the ASC analysed, was distracted with the anomalies
on hand and did not pick up the wrong call sign as well as the premature
hand off.

The ASC analysed, that the operator should dispatch the aircraft with care
if one bleed air system is inoperative.

The ASC released a number of safety recommendations regarding the Minimum
Equipment List with one bleed air system inoperative and also recommended
to rework the depressurization checklist in case of dual bleed air failure
to activate the APU which could have prevented the cabin pressure to drop
to an altitude of 13400 feet. The ASC also issued a number of safety recommendations
to Taiwan’s Civil Aviation Authority regarding response of Air Traffic Control
to emergency calls, especially also to prevent frequency changes for distress
aircraft.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=40c6c93b
20080908102949:20080907000000
Incident: China Southern A320 at Shenzhen on Sep 7th 2008, hydraulics leak, odour
The crew of a China Southern Airlines Airbus A320-200, flight CZ3953 from
Shenzhen to Wuhan (China) with 114 passengers, noticed an hydraulics leak
shortly after takeoff from Shenzhen and decided to return to Shenzhen. While
the airplane burned off fuel, an oily smell developed in the cabin. The
airplane landed safely about 50 minutes after takeoff and had to be towed
off the runway.

Passengers reported, that fluid (“like a child urinating”) was dripping
down from the wings and engines.

The airline confirmed a hydraulics leak, the fluid of which entered engines
and air conditioning systems causing the smell on board.

A replacement aircraft resumed the flight and reached Wuhan with a delay
of 2 hours.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=40c1cb38
20080902175814:20080902000000
Incident: Jetblue Airways E190 at New York on Sep 2nd 2008, strange odour prompts return
A Jetblue Airways Embraer ERJ-190, flight B6-68 from New York JFK,NY to
Syracuse,NY (USA) with 59 passengers, returned to New York JFK due to a
strange odour in the cabin. The airplane landed safely 20 minutes after
takeoff.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=40c1d826
20080902190634:20080831000000
Incident: Westjet B73G at Toronto on Aug 31st 2008, bird strike in both engines on landing
The crew of a Westjet Boeing 737-700, registration C-GWCN performing flight
WS1115 from Nassau (Bahamas) to Toronto,ON (Canada), was approaching runway
24R at Toronto, when the crew reported a bird strike at 200 feet AGL. The
landing was safe. A runway inspection was performed, which found 15 or more
starlings on the runway. Arriving aircraft sidestepped to 24L until 24R
was cleaned up.

Patrick Greenslade was passenger on the aircraft. He told The Aviation Herald,
that the aircraft was on final approach when it suffered bird strikes in
both engines. “There was a ‘whump’ sound, followed by a foul odour in the
cabin.” The landing was normal and the airplane taxied to the gate under
its own power. “There were clearly visible blood stains on the left wing
and engine nacelle, and on the right nacelle.”
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=40ac2c53
20080806132421:20080805000000
Incident: United Airlines B752 near Detroit on Aug 5th 2008, strong electrical odour
An United Airlines Boeing 757-200, registration N501UA performing flight
UA824 from San Francisco,CA to Boston,MA (USA), diverted to Detroit,MI due
to a strong electrical odour on board. The airplane landed safely.

A replacement aircraft resumed the flight and reached Boston with a delay
of 4 hours.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=40a840b3/0002
20100610125023:20080801000000
Accident: Flybe E195 near Isle of Man on Aug 1st 2008, smell of smoke in cockpit, evacuation
The British Air Accident Investigation Board (AAIB) released their bulletin
stating, that the airplane had been dispatched with the #2 (right hand)
air conditioning system inoperative according to Minimum Equipment List
requirements.

When the airplane climbed through FL240 both pilots smelled a sulphurous
burning odour similiar to a match being lit leading the flight crew to believe
a passenger might be smoking in the forward lavatory. Cabin crew was contacted
however found noone in the lavatory. Cabin crew reported haze was visible
at the rear of the cabin and some smell was noticeable in the cabin.

The intensity of the odour increased on the flight deck prompting the crew
to don their oxygen masks at about mid way between Manchester and Isle of
Man, winds made Isle of Man favourable. Communication with oxygen masks
proved so difficult, that the flight crew had to resort to shouting amongst
them while radio transmissions had to be repeated several times until air
traffic control was able to understand the messages.

Cabin crew tried to contact the flight crew through intercom. While the
flight crew heard the cabin crew, the flight attendants could not hear the
pilots. The purser therefore used the emergency procedure to enter the flight
deck, where the captain indicated the intention to evacuate the aircraft
after landing, but did not indicate they were diverting to Isle of Man.
Due to the communication trouble the crew did not tell their intention to
evacuate the aircraft to air traffic control.

The crew performed a Surveillance Radar Approach (SRA) to Ronaldsway Airport
on the Isle of Man and established visual contact with the runway at about
700 feet. The crew completed a visual approach and landing on runway 26
and stopped on the runway. The captain ordered an evacuation.

Passengers found the evacuation slides very steep and lacking a round out
delivering the passengers onto the runway at a high speed. This and the
attempts by passengers to slow their slide were the prime reason for the
injuries in the evacuation. The right hand overwing exit could not be opened.

Inspection of the aircraft revealed, that the #1 (left hand) air cycle machine’s
rotor had seized, a further detailed analysis confirmed a turbine stage
2 blade failure similiar to the failure of the #2 air conditioning system
that had failed 4 days earlier. The imbalance of the rotor led to contact
between the blade tips and the housing producing hot fine metallic particles
that were released into the cabin air. Metallurgic examination of the failed
blades confirmed the blades suffered a fatigue crack close to the blade
root in an area known for high stress in turbine blade resonance.

The captain’s microphone in the oxygen mask was found inoperative. Inspection
of other aircraft in the fleet found another captain’s microphone inoperative,
that microphone however could be woken up by tapping it.

A consistent pattern was found with all oxygen mask’s microphones, which
feature a cut out during breath inhalation. The microphone would correctly
mask out during inhalation, however remained in the cut out. Tapping the
microphone would then bring the microphone live again until the next inhalation.
With oxygen supply mode switch to purge, the microphone tended to hunt between
cut-out and live during speech producing a pattern similiar to that recorded
and heard by ATC.

Product acceptance testers accustomed with the mask and speaking with the
mask on produced clear speech. Any user with less experience however produced
garbled sound as heard during the occurrence. Using the microphones required
training. The operator was advised, the manufacturer of the masks reviewed
and modified the design.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=40a0edd2
20080723063835:20080722000000
Incident: Westjet B736 at Calgary on Jul 22nd 2008, strange odour on board
A Westjet Airlines Boeing 737-600, flight WS208 from Calgary,AB to Winnipeg,MB
(Canada), declared emergency and returned to Calgary shortly after takeoff,
when the crew reported smelling smoke in the cockpit. The airplane landed
safely, passengers disembarked normally.

The passengers were rebooked onto other flights.

Westjet said, the problem was a strange odour, not smoke. The airplane is
now being thoroughly checked to identify the source of the smell.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=402d4d58
20080229132906:20080227000000
Incident: Jazz DH8A near Ottawa on Feb 27th 2008, strange odour
An Air Canada Jazz Dash8-100, flight JZA8048 from Ottawa to Boston with
30 people on board, returned to Ottawa about 20 minutes into the flight
after a strange smell developed in the airplane.

———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=41a59ae7
20090529094932:20080225000000
Report: Qantas B743 near Sydney on Feb 25th 2008, electrical smell in cockpit
A Qantas Boeing 747-300, registration VH-EBY performing flight QF-566 from
Perth,WA to Sydney,NS (Australia) with 374 passengers, was enroute at FL370
about 150nm westsouthwest of Sydney, when the flight crew detected a smell
that slowly increased in intensity. The crew donned their oxygen masks as
they could not identify the nature of the smell. The crew executed the flight
deck smoke/fumes evacuation and landing preparation checklists and confirmed,
that all aircraft systems were working correctly. Cabin crew reported no
smoke or smell in the cabin. The copilot declared PAN indicating, that the
crew expected a normal approach and landing, Sydney Airport invoked their
emergency plans. About 5 minutes later the crew initiated the descent to
Sydney, the captain announced the possibility of an emergency evacuation
to the passengers. The aircraft touched down safely about 30 minutes after
the onset of the smell, the flight crew requested an external inspection
of the airplane immediately after vacating the runway and requested the
fire trucks to follow the airplane to the gate, where the passengers disembarked
normally.

The Australian Transportation Safety Board (ATSB) released their final report
stating, that maintenance could not find anything and could not reproduce
the odour, so that the operator decided to carry out an assessment flight.
While the aircraft taxied out for that flight, a faint smell became noticeable
on the flight deck. With the help of a particle counter it was established,
that the fume came from the lower left corner of the captain’s windshield.
Subsequent examination revealed loose windshield heat element terminal
connections causing electrical arcing resulting in fumes.

The left windshield and the heat element were replaced and a second assessment
flight carried out without incident. The airplane was returned to service.

Due to previous similiar incidents Qantas as well as Boeing had developed
engineering instructions in 2006 calling for recurring inspection of the
connectors of the heat elements. The airframe had 751 hours to fly until
the next recurring inspection was required by the Boeing engineering instruction.
Boeing had also released a redesign of the windshield with a different electrical
connection, that removed the requirement for the recurring inspection.

About 17 flight hours prior to the incident the airplane underwent maintenance
at a contracted licensed facility during which the crash pad at the left
hand windshield had been removed and refitted.

The ATSB concluded, that the loose terminal connections to the left windshield
heat element increased the electrical resistance and resulted in electrical
arcing and fumes on the flight deck. Another safety factor was the inadvertent
disconnection of the captain’s intercommunication system when the crew donned
their oxygen masks. The potential of the recent maintenance work in the
vicinity of the left windshield/crash pad/to have contributed to the insecurity
of the left windshield terminal connections could not be determined. The
redesign of the windshield by the manufacturer to improve the security of
the windshield heater wiring connection should address the risk of electrical
arcing in that component.

Windshield heat terminal block (Photo: ATSB):

———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=402a7ba8/0000
20080226091311:20080225000000
Incident: Qantas B744 at Sydney on Feb 25th 2008, cockpit odour speeds landing
ATSB report:
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=402a7ba8
20080225230750:20080225000000
Incident: Qantas B744 at Sydney on Feb 25th 2008, cockpit odour speeds landing
A Qantas B747-400, registration VH-EBY performing flight QF566 from Perth
to Sydney with 374 passengers, was given priority on landing after the crew
reported an unknown odour in the cockpit. ATSB is investigating.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=40253501
20080219141743:20080218000000
Incident: Qantas B763 at Perth on Feb 18th 2008, bad odour cancels flight
A Qantas B767-300, flight QF566 from Perth to Sydney, could not depart from
Perth after a strong foul smell was noticed on board, the source of which
could not be determined. The smell could also not be stopped with all variations
of ventilation.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=40d59a54
20080926135035:20071123000000
Report: Qantas B763 near Sydney on Nov 23rd 2007, fumes in cabin, passenger unconscious
A passengers on board of a Qantas Boeing 767-300, registration VH-OGG performing
flight QF439 from Sydney,NS to Melbourne,VI (Australia) with 255 passengers
and 9 crew, reported about 30 minutes into the flight, that he smelled fumes,
presumably from jet fuel, coming out of the air conditioning vent above
his seat 55E. The passenger fell unconscious and was administered oxygen.
He regained consciousness within seconds after receiving oxygen. A second
passenger seated in the area also reported nauseous.

The crew declared urgency and performed the “smoke or fumes air conditioning”
checklist. The aircraft continued to Melbourne, where the airplane landed
35 minutes later.

The final report by the Australian Transportation Safety Board into the
“serious incident” reveals, that the passenger reported the fumes to a flight
attendant and noted, that the smell made him “feel sick”. The flight attendant
could not smell any odour despite putting her nose directly to the vent.
She turned the vent off and notified the customer service manager (CSM),
who in turn notified the flight crew.

About 5 minutes later the flight attendant checked the passenger again,
who reported that he felt much worse, sick and fuzzy headed, but no problems
with the stomach. The CSM perceived the passenger as “ashen”, but could
again not perceive any odour while sticking the nose to the vent. The CSM
suggested the use of oxygen, to which the passenger agreed. While the CSM
went to the rear of the airplane to fetch the portable oxygen kit, the passenger
became unconscious, but recovered within second after oxygen was supplied.
Passengers in 55 D,E and F were moved to other seats. The passenger in 55F,
the sick passenger’s wife, reported to feel nauseous as well, but did not
improve after supply of oxygen.

The airplane began descend towards Melbourne about 12 minutes after the
onset, at which point the flight attendant originally attending the sick
passenger noticed a burning oil smell in the overwing area and notified
the flight crew. The crew declared PAN PAN and performed the “smoke or fumes
air conditioning” checklist.

The investigation could not determine, whether the impact on the two passengers
was caused by fumes from the aircraft or whether other unknown medical conditions
existed, that may have contributed to the symptoms exhibited by the two
passengers.

The full report by the ATSB is available at:
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=40d32216
20080923110317:20070805000000
Report: Rex SF34 at Sydney on Aug 5th 2007, curry fumes in cabin and cockpit
The Australian Transportation Safety Board (ATSB) considered the following
incident to be serious.

The crew of a REX Regional Express Saab 340B, registration VH-RXX performing
flight ZL777 from Sydney,NS to Albury,NS (Australia) with 20 passengers
and 3 crew, noticed a light smell of curry on board, when they entered the
aircraft, started the engines and during taxi for takeoff. It was the first
flight of the aircraft that day and the first after a compressor wash. The
flight crew assumed, that the smell came from residual compressor wash fluid.

The subsequent takeoff was normal, however the odour became stronger and
pungent just before rotation until about 2 minutes after takeoff. The flight
crew reported, that all engine and propeller indications were normal. The
crew activated the autopilot as soon as possible and donned their oxygen
masks.

The flight attendant reported, that the fumes appeared in the cabin about
30-45 seconds after liftoff.

Approximately 60km from Sydney the fumes had diminished considerably but
was still present, the flight attendant confirming the smell had reduced
in the cabin as well, so that the flight crew decided to continue the flight.
The crew remained on oxygen as a precaution.

At about overhead Canberra the flight crew decided to divert to Wagga Wagga,NS,
as the airline had engineering facilities there and the oxygen system could
be replenished. The aircraft landed without incident at Wagga Wagga.

On the next sector from Wagga Wagga to Albury the airplane experienced icing
conditions while descending towards Albury, prompting the crew to turn on
the high pressure engine bleed valves as part of the standard operating
procedure. The odour intensified again, although it did not become as strong
as after departure from Sydney.

The airplane was examined again after its return to Sydney, where engineers
reported a strong odour of compressor wash fluid in the right engine air
inlet.

Compressor wash, scheduled to occur every 200 hours of engine operation,
would normally be executed by introducing a cleaning solution into the engine,
left to soak to remove contaminants, and washed out with a hot water rinsing
solution followed by a second water rinse. The engine would then be run
at 80% of power during a “drying run”.

The high power run was not possible at Sydney due to the night curfew. The
operator had therefore opted to do extended drying runs at ground idle.
The regular use of that procedure had not resulted in any previous problem
including fumes.

The ATSB concluded, that an odour like happened on this flight are a potential
distraction from the task of flying the aircraft during takeoff.

The fumes were very likely linked to the compressor wash the previous evening,
and the fumes very likely originated in the right hand engine. “A strong
influence on the pilotsí decision to continue the flight was their belief
that the fumes were from compressor wash fluid and were likely to dissipate.
Their monitoring of the situation, including aircraft systems indications,
cockpit air quality, and the flight attendantís reports of conditions in
the cabin confirmed that to be the case.”

No safety recommendations have been made.

The full report is available at:
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=41b405b5
20090616123553:20070714000000
Report: Air Atlanta Icelandic B742 over Romania on Jul 14th 2007, strong odour in cockpit
An Air Atlanta Icelandic Boeing 747-200 freighter on behalf of Malaysia
Airlines, registration TF-ATX performing freight flight MH-6151 from Milan
Linate (Italy) to Dubai (United Arab Emirates) with 2 passengers and 3 crew,
was enroute overhead Romania, when an odour in the cabin appearing shortly
after takeoff became so strong, that the passengers complained about the
smell. The captain, who was aware the airplane carried some level 9 hazardeous
material (hazard to environment) sent the flight engineer to the cargo bay
to inspect the cargo. When the flight engineer returned to the cockpit,
he immediately donned his oxygen mask, then reported a piece of cargo just
underneath the cockpit, that leaked vapour or fumes. The flight engineer
felt dizzy and said, he was about to pass out. At this point the captain
noticed, that the first officer acted strangely and showed signs of hypoxia.
The first officer donned his oxygen mask, the captain used his oxygen mask
only occasionally as he did not feel any symptom other than the odour. Without
declaring emergency the captain decided to divert to the closest available
airport at Budapest and requested a technical landing reporting the odour
at 21:16LT (19:16Z). He decided to land as quickly as possible and opted
to not dump fuel, but perform an overweight landing. The aircraft landed
safely 25 minutes later.

The Hungarian Transportation Safety Board reported in their English report
released via the Icelandic “RannsÛknarnefnd flugslysa” (RNF), that the material
was a synthetic pharmaceutic raw material. That material was solid below
5 degrees Centigrade, at higher temperatures the material becomes fluid
and then intensively evaporates. During loading in Linate, which took several
hours, the outside temperature had been around 30 degrees Centigrade, the
temperature in the cargo bay had become even higher. Due to lack of cooling
in the cargo bay the material evaporated during the flight and leaked through
the non-airtight plastic barrels. The vapor caused nausea, the use of the
oxygen masks prevented a deterioration of the situation.

The Hungarian TSB concluded:

3.1 Direct causes of the occurrence

– The company that prepared the hazardous material BAL5287 for shipping
(Antibioticos S.P.A.) did not indicate on the shipping documentation and
on the storage containers the required temperature while in storage and
during shipping, and did not provide airtight containers.
– The cargo loader ñ while being aware of the fact that they were handling
dangerous goods ñ did not check the MSDS upon receipt (they did not open
the envelope containing the document) therefore the required storage temperature
of +5 C∞ was neither ensured nor noted on the NOTOC.
– The required temperature of +2Ö+8 C∞ in the aircraft’s cargo bay was not
provided for the 149 kgs of vaccination that was listed in the NOTOC and
was transported in JL position.
– The required cooling in the aircraftís cargo bay was not provided for
the 90 kgs of chocolate that was listed in the NOTOC and was transported
in QL position.
– Due to lack of cooling, the crystallization of the material that could
have prevented evaporation of dangerous vapours could not take place.
– The cargo load inspector did not sign the NOTOC and the captain accepted
it without the signature.

3.2 Indirect causes of the occurrence

– The captain was aware of the procedures of the emergency manual for Category
Nine dangerous goods but he did not consider the use of oxygen mask mandatory
for himself.

3.3 Risk factors that cannot be linked to the occurrence

– There were several packages where the UN sign, the UN number, the PSN
number, or the sender’s data were covered or otherwise not clearly visible.
– The ULD identification tags contained the three-letter cargo IMP code,
in contradiction with the IATA DGR which requires the usage of Class/Division
Numbers.
– There were simultaneously Air Malaysia and Air France package ID labels
on the packages which is not allowed.
– The form for listing the non-radioactive dangerous goods was a 2006 edition,
and the answers given to questions No. 37 and No. 51 were incorrect.
– The medical check in the captain’s pilot licence expired on 2 June 2007.

toxin free travel on toxin free aircraft