AVHERALD: SMELL

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http://avherald.com/h?article=4857e7ff
20150429220319:20150427000000
Incident: Inuit DH8A near Umiujaq on Apr 27th 2015, smoke in cabin
An Air Inuit de Havilland Dash 8-100, registration C-FAIV performing flight
3H-860 from La Grande,QC to Port Hope Simpson,NL (Canada) with no passengers,
3 crew and cargo, was enroute at FL250 about one third into the flight when
the flight attendant noticed a burning smell in the cabin between seat row
2 and 3. The crew donned their oxygen masks, advised ATC, initiated a diversion
to Kuujjuarapik,QC (Canada) and worked the “Emergency Fuselage Fire and
Smoke of unknown origin”. After completing the checklist the flight attendant
observed smoke in the cabin. The crew declared emergency and decided to
divert to Umiujaq,QC (Canada) which was closer. While descending towards
Umiujaq the flight attendant discovered that the smoke originated from the
cabin lighting system above the overhead lockers. The cabin lights were
turned off, the flight attendant discharged a Halon fire extinguisher into
the affected area. The aircraft landed safely in Umiujaq soon after.

The Canadian TSB reported that the plastics connector of neon light tubes
was identified as source of smell and smoke. The TSB annotated that the
use of the oxygen masks made communication between crew as well as communication
to ATC difficult, the use smoke goggles was also “obstructive”.
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http://avherald.com/h?article=484d2055
20150415221602:20150413000000
Incident: American B738 at New York on Apr 13th 2015, bird strike
An American Airlines Boeing 737-800, registration N955AN performing flight
AA-1696 from New York La Guardia,NY to Miami,FL (USA) with 152 people on
board, departed La Guardia’s runway 13 when shortly after contacting departure
the crew reported they had a burning smell, later smoke in the cabin, they
declared emergency and wanted to divert to JFK Airport. The crew stopped
the climb at 5000 feet, advised they were too busy to provide number of
people on board and fuel on board and received vectors to JFK’s runway 22R,
prompting a staccato of ATC instructions on JFK final approach to squeeze
the emergency aircraft into the already dense landing sequence with other
aircraft climbing and turning out of the way. The aircraft landed safely
on JFK’s runway 22R about 10 minutes after departure and vacated the runway.

A replacement Boeing 737-800 registration N805NN reached Miami with a delay
of 3.5 hours.

The airline reported the left hand engine ingested a bird on departure from
La Guardia causing the burning smell.
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http://avherald.com/h?article=485651ee
20150427210608:20150407000000
Incident: Rouge B763 enroute on Apr 7th 2015, food got flambeed
An Air Canada Rouge Boeing 767-300, registration C-FMWU performing flight
RV-1809/AC-1809 from Sint Maarten (Dutch Antilles) to Toronto,ON (Canada)
with 241 people on board, was enroute when cabin crew noticed a burning
smell in the aft galley. Upon examination the flight attendant discovered
that a number of food items had caught fire inside the oven, the fire was
extinguished. After assessing the situation and completing the related checklists
the flight crew decided to continue the flight to Toronto, where the aircraft
landed safely.

The Canadian TSB reported that the food items had been placed into the oven
without the use of oven racks.
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http://avherald.com/h?article=48417da7
20150401231834:20150401000000
Incident: Lingus A320 near Dublin on Apr 1st 2015, fumes on board
An Aer Lingus Airbus A320-200, registration EI-EDS performing flight EI-660
from Dublin (Ireland) to Vienna (Austria) with 120 passengers, was climbing
out of Dublin when the crew stopped the climb at FL270 reporting a strong
acrid smell in the cockpit and cabin and decided to return to Dublin requesting
emergency services on stand by. While descending towards Dublin the crew
advised the fumes had dissipated somewhat after working the checklists.
The aircraft landed safely about 35 minutes after departure.

The airline reported a technical issue prompted the captain to return to
Dublin.

A replacement Airbus A320-200 registration EI-DEJ reached Vienna with a
delay of 4.5 hours.
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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.
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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=48476624
20150408222645:20150323000000
Incident: Air Canada B773 near Toronto on Mar 23rd 2015, oven fumes over controller
An Air Canada Boeing 777-300, registration C-FIUW performing flight AC-872
from Toronto,ON (Canada) to Frankfurt/Main (Germany) with 264 people on
board, was climbing through FL260 out of Toronto when the crew stopped the
climb reporting an acrid smell from a galley oven that persisted even after
power had been removed. The crew returned to Toronto for a safe landing
about 45 minutes after departure.

The Canadian TSB reported maintenance replace the oven controller and returned
the aircraft to service.
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http://avherald.com/h?article=483783be
20150320220409:20150319000000
Incident: United B752 near Boston on Mar 19th 2015, smell of smoke in cabin
A United Airlines Boeing 757-200, registration N33103 performing flight
UA-23 from Newark,NJ (USA) to Dublin (Ireland) with 169 passengers and 8
crew, was enroute at FL350 about 15nm south of Boston,MA (USA) when the
crew reported smoke in the cabin and diverted to Boston for a safe landing
on runway 27 about 20 minutes later and taxied to the apron with emergency
services following the aircraft to the gate, the crew advised that flight
attendants reported it wasn’t smoke but smell of smoke.

A replacement Boeing 757-200 registration N58101 reached Dublin with a delay
of 3 hours.
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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=4826daba
20150227210757:20150226000000
Incident: Southwest B733 near Baltimore on Feb 26th 2015, electrical smell on board
A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-300, registration N652SW performing flight
WN-319 from Atlanta,GA to Boston,MA (USA) with 113 passengers and 5 crew,
was enroute at FL350 about 120nm southsouthwest of Baltimore,MD when an
electrical smell was detected in the cabin prompting the crew to divert
to Baltimore where the aircraft landed safely about 25 minutes later.

A replacement Boeing 737-300 reached Boston with a delay of 2.5 hours.

The airline confirmed an electrical smell, the aircraft was taken out of
service for examination.
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http://avherald.com/h?article=4822d1f7
20150222173735:20150221000000
Incident: Thomas Cook B753 near Budapest on Feb 21st 2015, smoke in the flightdeck
A Thomas Cook Boeing 757-300, registration G-JMAA performing flight MT-1125
from Sofia (Bulgaria) to London Gatwick,EN (UK) with 280 people on board,
was enroute at FL340 about 100nm south of Budapest when the crew declared
PAN reporting “smoke in the flight deck” and decided to divert to Budapest.
While descending towards Budapest the crew performed the smoke drills and
subsequently reported that the smoke and fumes in the flight deck had dissipated
but there was still a strong smell of burning in the cabin and some smoke.
The aircraft landed safely on Budapest’s runway 31R about 20 minutes after
leaving FL340. Emergency services checked the aircraft, which afterwards
taxied to the apron.

The passengers were taken to hotels.

The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground for about 17 hours, then
continued the flight and is estimated to reach Gatwick with a delay of 21
hours.
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http://avherald.com/h?article=48211b71
20150220145618:20150220000000
Incident: Loganair SF34 near Aberdeen on Feb 20th 2015, fumes in cockpit
A Loganair Saab 340B on behalf of Flybe, registration G-LGNF performing
flight BE-6891 from Edinburgh,SC to Kirkwall,SC (UK) with 21 passengers
and 3 crew, was enroute at FL190 about 10nm northwest of Aberdeen,SC (UK)
when the crew decided to divert to Aberdeen reporting fumes in the cockpit.
While descending towards Aberdeen the crew reported that the fumes were
intensifying. The aircraft landed safely in Aberdeen about 15 minutes later.
Following examination by emergency services the aircraft taxied to the apron
where passengers disembarked normally.

The airline confirmed the aircraft diverted to Aberdeen due to an unusual
smell in the cockpit.

A replacement Saab 340B registration G-LGNM reached Kirkwall with a delay
of 2 hours.
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http://avherald.com/h?article=481f160d
20150217235305:20150217000000
Incident: Delta B763 near London on Feb 17th 2015, burning smell on board
A Delta Airlines Boeing 767-300, registration N177DN performing flight DL-33
from Paris Charles de Gaulle (France) to Seattle,WA (USA), was enroute at
FL320 about 50nm north of London Heathrow,EN (UK) when the crew decided
to divert to Heathrow Airport reporting a burning smell of plastics on board.
The aircraft landed safely on Heathrow’s runway 27L about 25 minutes later.

A replacement Boeing 767-300 registration N176DZ is estimated to reach Seattle
with a delay of 4 hours.
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http://avherald.com/h?article=481f1108
20150217231746:20150217000000
Incident: Easyjet A319 near Manchester on Feb 17th 2015, smell of fumes
An Easyjet Airbus A319-100, registration G-EZFB performing flight U2-1877
from Manchester,EN (UK) to Bilbao,SP (Spain), was climbing out of Manchester
when the crew donned their oxygen masks and stopped the climb at about FL165
reporting a smell of fumes and returned to Manchester for a safe landing
on runway 23R about 20 minutes after departure.

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

The airline confirmed smell of fumes on board of the aircraft prompted the
return to Manchester.

Observer video (Video: World Aviation HD):

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http://avherald.com/h?article=481e3e3b
20150216222417:20150213000000
Incident: Egypt B738 at Cairo on Feb 13th 2015, rejected takeoff due to smoke
An Egypt Air Boeing 737-800, registration SU-GCM performing flight MS-757
from Cairo (Egypt) to Amsterdam (Netherlands) with 59 passengers, was accelerating
for takeoff from Cairo when a burning smell developed in the cabin followed
by light smoke. The crew rejected takeoff, slowed safely and returned the
aircraft to the apron. There were no injuries, emergency services did not
find any trace of fire or heat.

A replacement Boeing Boeing 737-800 registration SU-GEC reached Amsterdam
with a delay of 4 hours.

A passenger reported that during acceleration for takeoff “the cabin filled
with light smoke and a burning smell”, the takeoff was rejected and the
aircraft returned to the apron, where fire services checked the aircraft
and ambulances were ready.
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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=4811b8d0
20150131222216:20150130000000
Incident: Azul E195 at Sao Luis on Jan 30th 2015, bird strike
An Azul Linhas Aereas Embraer ERJ-195, flight AD-4235 from Sao Luis,MA to
Teresina,PI (Brazil), was struck by a Urubu on departure from Sao Luis,
the bird caused a large dent at the right hand engine inlet and subsequently
went through the engine causing the engine to fail as well as a burning
smell on board. The aircraft returned to Sao Luis for a safe landing.

The flight was cancelled.
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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.
———————————–
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=4802d596
20150112233706:20150112000000
Incident: REX SF34 near Orange on Jan 12th 2015, suspected fuel leak, smell of fuel on board
A REX Regional Express Saab 340B, registration VH-ZRJ performing flight
ZL-936 from Sydney,NS to Mildura,VI (Australia) with 28 people on board,
was enroute at FL180 about 25nm south of Orange,NS (Australia) when the
crew suspected a fuel leak and smell of fuel developed on board prompting
the crew to divert to Orange for a safe landing.

A replacement Saab 340B registration VH-ZRM reached Mildura with a delay
of 4 hours.
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http://avherald.com/h?article=4813d384
20150203160301:20150109000000
Incident: Germanwings A320 at Cologne on Jan 9th 2015, oil smell in cockpit
A Germanwings Airbus A320-200, registration D-AIQE performing flight 4U-603
from Lisbon (Portugal) to Cologne (Germany) with 129 people on board, was
on approach to Cologne when the crew donned their oxygen masks, declared
emergency reporting smell of oil in the cockpit, and continued for a safe
landing on Cologne’s runway 32R. Flight and cabin crew went to see a doctor
following the flight.

The French BEA reported in their weekly bulletin that Germany’s BFU rated
the occurrence a serious incident and opened an investigation.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=48006785
20150109215826:20150108000000
Incident: Delta B752 near Detroit on Jan 8th 2015, smell of smoke in cabin
A Delta Airlines Boeing 757-200, registration N713TW performing flight DL-2275
from New York JFK,NY to Salt Lake City,UT (USA), was enroute at FL380 about
100nm northeast of Detroit,MI (USA) when the crew decided to divert to Detroit
reporting smell of smoke in the cabin. The aircraft landed safely on Detroit’s
runway 21L about 22 minutes later.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=480066dd
20150109215410:20150108000000
Incident: West Air A320 near Guangzhou on Jan 8th 2015, suspected bird strike
A West Air Airbus A320-200, registration B-1897 performing flight PN-6206
from Guangzhou to Chongqing (China) with 168 people on board, was climbing
out of Guangzhou when abnormal sounds and a burning smell were noticed in
the cabin prompting the crew to stop the climb at about 7200 meters (FL236)
and divert to Guilin about 200nm northnortheast of Guangzhou, where the
aircraft landed safely.

Passengers reported the aircraft was about 10 minutes into the flight when
abnormal sounds and a burning smell appeared in the cabin. The crew suspected
a bird strike on departure from Guangzhou.

The airline reported about 10 minutes into the flight the crew identified
a mechanical failure and diverted to Guilin. The passengers were taken to
hotels for the night and continued the journey the following morning reaching
Chongqing with a delay of 5:11 hours.
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http://avherald.com/h?article=47feda76
20150108071251:20150107000000
Incident: Fiji B738 at Nadi on Jan 7th 2015, fumes on board
A Fiji Airlines Boeing 737-800, registration DQ-FJG performing flight FJ-415
(sched dep Jan 6th, actual dep Jan 7th) from Nadi (Fiji) to Auckland (New
Zealand), was climbing out of Nadi’s runway 20 when the crew stopped the
climb at 4000 feet due to fumes on board. The aircraft returned to Nadi
for a safe landing about 20 minutes after departure.

The rotation FJ-415/FJ-414 was cancelled.

The airline confirmed there were fumes and smell of oil in the cabin prompting
the air return. The flight was cancelled, the passengers were rebooked onto
the next flight.

On Jan 8th 2015 the airline reported a failed check valve permitted hydraulic
oil to enter the air conditioning system. The minor fault is being repaired.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=47fd6040
20150105232403:20150105000000
Incident: Aeromexico B738 near Los Angeles on Jan 5th 2015, smell of smoke in cabin
An Aeromexico Boeing 737-800, registration N342AM performing flight AM-645
from Los Angeles,CA (USA) to Mexico City (Mexico) with 169 people on board,
had just reached cruise level 300 when the crew reported smoke in the cabin
and decided to return to Los Angeles for a safe landing about 45 minutes
after departure. The aircraft taxied to the apron where passengers disembarked
normally.
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http://avherald.com/h?article=47f66774
20141227230406:20141226000000
Incident: American B738 at Boston on Dec 26th 2014, smell of smoke in cabin
An American Airlines Boeing 737-800, registration N955NN performing flight
AA-165 from Boston,MA to Los Angeles,CA (USA) with 155 people on board,
was climbing out of Boston’s runway 33L when the crew levelled off at 4000
feet declaring emergency reporting smell of smoke in the cabin, nothing
was visible though. The aircraft landed safely back on runway 33L about
11 minutes after departure. Attending emergency services found no trace
of fire, heat or smoke.

A replacement Boeing 737-800 registration N848NN reached Los Angeles with
a delay of 3:45 hours.
———————————–
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.
———————————–
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=47f0c67e
20141220195130:20141218000000
Incident: WDL B462 at Cologne on Dec 18th 2014, autopilot failure and smoke in cockpit
A WDL Flugdienst British Aerospace BAe 146-200 on behalf of HOP!, registration
D-AWUE performing positioning flight A5-8212 from Cologne/Bonn (Germany)
to an unknown destination with 4 crew, was climbing through FL230 when smell
of smoke was noticed on the flight deck shortly followed by the autopilot
disconnecting by itself. Both flight crew donned their oxygen masks, the
aircraft stopped the climb and returned to Cologne for a safe landing about
45 minutes after departure. There were no injuries, the two flight attendants
were taken to a hospital however.

Germany’s BFU dispatched an investigator on site.

Preliminary examination suggests the computer of the autopilot, located
in the electronic compartment of the aircraft, suffered a technical fault.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=47e9c968
20141211232515:20141209000000
Incident: American A319 near Panama City on Dec 9th 2014, electrical smell in cabin
An American Airlines Airbus A319-100, registration N93003 performing flight
AA-1122 from Bogota (Colombia) to Dallas Ft. Worth,TX (USA), was enroute
at FL380 about 240nm southsoutheast of Panama City when the crew reported
an electrical smell in the cabin and decided to divert to Panama City. When
the aircraft was handed off to Panama Radar cleared to descend to FL200,
Panama Radar cleared flight AA-1123 to descend to 15,000 feet, which was
read back by AA-1122, then Panama Radar inquired 1122 or 1123, upon understanding
it was 1122 Radar re-issued the clearance to descend to FL200. Radar subsequently
issued a waypoint off the straight track to Panama City, the crew declined
stating they would not accept any clearance except straight to Panama City.
A few minutes later Panama Radar cleared the aircraft to descend to 11,000
feet on pilot’s discretion, after correct readback Panama Radar changed
mind and cleared the aircraft to descend to 11,000 on pilot’s discretion
in 20 miles, which prompted the sigh of the crew “so what else are we supposed
to maintain now for American one one two two”, Radar stated FL200, the aircraft
climbed back to FL200 before descending to 11,000 feet on pilot’s discretion
20nm further. After being handed off to Panama Approach the crew requested
and was cleared high speed, subsequently communication remained routine.
On final approach to crew provided weather information to flight UA-1006
also diverting to Panama City, see Incident: United B752 near Panama City
on Dec 9th 2014, engine vibrations, and the aircraft landed safely on Panama’s
runway 03R about 38 minutes after leaving FL380.

The aircraft was able to depart again after about 2:20 hours on the ground
and continued to Houston Intercontinental,TX (USA) where the aircraft landed
safely about 4:15 hours later. The aircraft continued to Dallas after another
4.5 hours on the ground in Houston and reached Dallas with a total delay
of 8 hours.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=47e41c51
20141204213545:20141203000000
Incident: American B763 over Atlantic on Dec 3rd 2014, wheel well fire indication
An American Airlines Boeing 767-300, registration N346AN performing flight
AA-974 (dep Dec 2nd) from Rio de Janeiro,RJ (Brazil) to New York JFK,NY
(USA) with 121 people on board, was enroute at FL380 over the Atlantic Ocean
about 300nm west of Bermuda (Bermuda) when the crew received a main wheel
well fire indication. The aircraft descended to FL200 and diverted to Bermuda.
While the aircraft was diverting, the tower controller in Bermuda was called
in and opened the tower for the emergency arrival. The crew advised that
there was no smoke or smell of smoke at all. The aicraft landed safely on
runway 12 one hour after the indication. The aircraft stopped at the end
of the runway for an inspection of the main wheel wells by emergency services,
emergency services did not detect any indication of fire, smoke or heat.
The aircraft subsequently taxied to the apron.

The aircraft was able to continue the flight after 9 hours on the ground
in Bermuda and reached New York with a delay of 11 hours.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=47e34faa
20141203215320:20141130000000
Incident: SriLankan A343 over Arabian Sea on Nov 30th 2014, smoking IFE
A SriLankan Airbus A340-300, registration 4R-ADC performing flight UL-230
(dep Nov 29th) from Kuwait (Kuwait) to Colombo (Sri Lanka), was enroute
over the Arabian Sea when a burning electrical smell developed shortly followed
by smoke rising from a seat in the forward passenger cabin. Cabin crew relocated
the passengers in the area to the aft cabin, disconnected power from the
inflight entertainment system, discharged a number of fire extinguishers
and stopped the smoke. The aircraft continued to Colombo for a safe landing
on schedule.

A passenger reported that a burning smell developed in the forward cabin,
a short time later smoke was noticed rising from a seat in row 10. Passengers
were moved from the forward to the aft cabin, 2 or 3 fire extinguishers
were discharged, the inflight entertainment was switched off. Passengers
were later told that an inflight entertainment box had been identified as
source of the smoke.

The occurrence aircraft did not continue its schedule but remained on the
ground in Colombo for about 13 hours before resuming service.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=47e0fdb0
20141130231524:20141129000000
Incident: Delta B752 near Pittsburgh on Nov 29th 2014, smell of smoke in cabin
A Delta Airlines Boeing 757-200, registration N717TW performing flight DL-434
from New York JFK,NY to San Francisco,CA (USA) with 169 people on board,
was enroute at FL360 about 75nm eastsoutheast of Pittsburgh when the crew
decided to divert to Pittsburgh due to smell of smoke near the aft galley.
The aircraft landed safely in Pittsburgh about 15 minutes later.

Following an examination the aircraft was able to continue the flight and
reached San Francisco with a delay of 2.5 hours.

The airline reported that the maintenance inspection in Pittsburgh did not
find any problem, the aircraft was able to continue the flight.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=47e1d232
20141202003757:20141122000000
Incident: Omni B772 over Atlantic on Nov 22nd 2014, burning smell and smoke in cockpit
An Omni Air Boeing 777-200 on behalf of Air Mobility Command, registration
N918AX performing flight MC-422 from Baltimore,MD (USA) to Ramstein (Germany),
was enroute at FL410 about 300nm east of St. John’s,NL (Canada) when the
crew detected a burning electrical smell followed by light smoke on the
flight deck. The crew declared emergency, worked the related checklists
removing galley power, turned around and diverted to St. John’s for a safe
landing about 45 minutes later.

The Canadian TSB reported maintenance identified the cooling fan was identified
as source of the smell and smoke. The fan was replaced.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=47d99946
20141121175840:20141121000000
Incident: ANA B763 at Manila on Nov 21st 2014, smoke in cockpit
An ANA All Nippon Airways Boeing 767-300, registration JA614A performing
flight NH-950 from Manila (Philippines) to Tokyo Narita (Japan) with 182
passengers and 10 crew, was climbing out of Manila when the crew reported
smoke in the cockpit and returned to Manila for a safe landing about 30
minutes after departure. Emergency services did not find any smoke but detected
smell of smoke in the cockpit area.

The flight is currently estimated to depart with a delay of 23 hours, the
passengers were rebooked onto other flights however.

The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines dispatched two investigators
on site.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=47d83878
20141119231648:20141116000000
Incident: Delta MD88 at Raleigh/Durham on Nov 16th 2014, bird strike
A Delta Airlines McDonnell Douglas MD-88, registration N967DL performing
flight DL-1774 from Raleigh/Durham,NC to Atlanta,GA (USA), was in the initial
climb out of Raleigh/Durham’s runway 23R when the aircraft flew through
a flock of geese and ingested a number of birds into an engine (JT8D). The
crew stopped the climb at 3000 feet and returned to Raleigh/Durham for a
safe landing on runway 23R about 9 minutes after departure.

Raleigh/Durham stopped all departures and approaches while the aircraft
was airborne, then reassigned all arrivals and departures to runway 23L
due to the right hand side being blocked by the emergency.

A passenger reported that shortly after becoming airborne a loud bang was
heard and the smell of burnt hair developed in the cabin. The captain announced
an air conditioning unit had failed which was met with disbelief by the
passengers. After landing the captain announced the aircraft had flown through
a flock of geese and lost an engine.

A replacement MD-88 reached Atlanta with a delay of 5 hours.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=47d2e8f1
20141118175058:20141110000000
Incident: China Southern A332 at Zhuhai on Nov 10th 2014, bird strike
A China Southern Airbus A330-200, registration B-6059 performing flight
CZ-3739 from Zhuhai to Beijing (China), departed Zhuhai’s runway 05 without
apparent problem and climbed to cruise level FL370, when the left hand engine
(Trent 772) emitted a loud bang and streaks of flames followed by a burning
smell developing in the cabin. The crew turned the aircraft around and diverted
to Ghuangzhou, about 60nm north of Zhuhai, for a safe landing about 45 minutes
after departure.

A replacement Airbus A330-200 registration B-6058 reached Beijing with a
delay of 4.5 hours.

The airline subsequently reported the engine surge was the result of a bird
strike on departure from Zhuhai.

On Nov 18th 2014 the French BEA reported in their weekly bulletin that the
aircraft was levelling at 11300 meters (approx. FL370) when a bang was heard
followed by vibrations. The crew subsequently also noticed scorching and
smoke. According to ECAM indications the left hand engine was shut down
and the aircraft diverted to Guangzhou for a safe landing about 31 minutes
later. The occurrence was rated a serious incident and is being investigated
by China’s Accident Investigation Board.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=47c8c0f9
20141030205941:20141022000000
Accident: American MD83 at Dallas on Oct 22nd 2014, engine problems after tyre damage on takeoff
An American Airlines McDonnell Douglas MD-83, registration N438AA performing
flight AA-1605 from Dallas Ft. Worth,TX to Ontario,CA (USA), suffered a
right hand engine (JT8D) compressor stall on departure. In the absence of
further abnormal engine indications the crew continued the flight until
cabin crew reported a smell of burning rubber and strange vibrations in
the cabin. The flight crew stopped the climb at about 16,000 feet and returned
to Dallas Ft. Worth for a safe landing.

A replacement MD-82 registration N7547A reached Ontario with a delay of
3 hours.

A post flight inspection revealed that the tyre cap of the outboard right
hand tyre had separated during takeoff with tyre debris going through the
right hand engine and causing additional substantial damage to the flaps
and right main gear door. The #2 engine needed to be replaced, the aircraft
is still on the ground for repairs of the damage on the underside of the
aircraft.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=47c664bd
20141027212230:20141021000000
Incident: Westjet B738 near Thunder Bay on Oct 21st 2014, soap ain’t insulating
A Westjet Boeing 737-800, registration C-FRWA performing flight WS-428 from
Edmonton,AB to Toronto,ON (Canada) with 96 people on board, was enroute
at FL390 about 90nm eastsoutheast of Thunder Bay,ON (Canada) when the crew
decided to turn around and divert to Thunder Bay due to a burning smell
and smoke from the aft lavatory. On approach the crew advised the smoke
appeared to be coming from a light in the aft lavatory and did not get any
worse, they would be able to taxi in. The aircraft landed safely in Thunder
Bay about 23 minutes later, attending emergency services did not need to
intervene, the passengers disembarked normally.

The Canadian TSB reported maintenance identified the source of the smoke
behind the aft lavatory mirror where a spare plastics soap container had
been placed but had fallen over leaking soap onto the electrical connectors
of the lavatory lights. The TSB said: “The operator actioned a fleet wide
campaign by disallowing cleaning services to locate the spare soap bottles
behind the mirror shelf until a solution could be developed to prevent this
type of event.”
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=47c26c9d
20141022210307:20141020000000
Incident: Rouge A319 near Philadelphia on Oct 20th 2014, loud noise and acrid smell in cockpit
An Air Canada Rouge Airbus A319-100, registration C-GSJB performing flight
RV-1786 from Toronto,ON (Canada) to St. George’s (Grenada) with 135 people
on board, was enroute at FL330 about 20nm south of Philadelphia,PA (USA)
when the crew heard a loud noise followed by an acrid smell on the flight
deck. The flight crew decided to turn around and return to Toronto, on the
way back two more encounters of that loud noise occurred. The aircraft landed
safely back in Toronto about one hour after turning around.

The Canadian TSB reported that maintenance found an Avionics Equipment Vent
Control (AEVC) exhaust fan bearing was worn and grinding during operation.
The fan was replaced.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=47bc2bfd
20141014175309:20141012000000
Incident: Qatar A320 at Doha on Oct 12th 2014, burning smell in cabin
A Qatar Airways Airbus A320-200, registration A7-AHY performing flight QR-1132
from Doha (Qatar) to Muscat (Oman), was climbing out of Doha when a burning
smell developed throughout the cabin prompting the crew to stop the climb
at 8000 feet and return to Doha for a safe landing about 12 minutes after
departure.

A replacement Airbus A320-200 registration A7-AHR reached Muscat with a
delay of 3 hours.

A passenger reported that during takeoff the inflight entertainment system
went blank, then a burning smell developed throughout the cabin. The captain
announced they were returning to Doha due to some cockpit indication. The
aircraft stopped on the runway, emergency services approached the aircraft
for checks, after about 10 minutes the aircraft taxied to the apron, the
captain indicated everything was under control. The passengers disembarked
normally.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=47b476da
20141004155111:20141001000000
Incident: Hawkair DH8C near Vancouver on Oct 1st 2014, electrical fire
A Hawkair de Havilland Dash 8-300, registration C-FIDL performing flight
BH-102 from Vancouver,BC to Terrace,BC (Canada) with 29 people on board,
was climbing out of Vancouver about 40nm northwest of the aerodrome when
the crew declared emergency reporting an electrical fire on board. The aircraft
returned to Vancouver, was offered and accepted runway 13 for landing. On
approach to Vancouver the crew advised that there was an electrical smell
remaining on the flight deck but no smoke. The aircraft landed safely on
runway 13 about 15 minutes after declaring emergency and taxied to the apron.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=47b17e51
20140930182818:20140929000000
Incident: American MD82 at Dallas on Sep 29th 2014, blew tyre on takeoff
An American Airlines McDonnell Douglas MD-82, registration N474 performing
flight AA-1654 from Dallas Ft. Worth,TX to Baltimore,MD (USA) with 140 passengers
and 5 crew, departed Dallas Ft. Worth’s runway 17R. After checking in with
departure the crew reported they had a smell of rubber and wondered whether
they possibly blew a nose tyre. The crew advised, they would lower the gear
and requested a runway inspection on 17R and a low approach to Dallas to
have tower have a look whether they could see any damage. The crew stopped
the climb at 3000 feet and positioned for a low approach to Ft. Worth’s
runway 17R. Following the overflight the crew climbed the aircraft to 6000
feet and entered a hold to burn off fuel. The aircraft landed safely back
about two hours after departure.

The FAA reported the aircraft involved was a MD-88 registration N973TW,
which blew a tyre on departure from Dallas Ft. Worth, that aircraft is actually
a MD-83, has been put into storage in March 2014 and has not flown since.
N474 showed in the radar data.

A replacement MD-82 registration N455AA reached Baltimore with a delay of
4:15 hours.

———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=47b250f2
20141001201242:20140921000000
Incident: British Airways A319 at Zurich on Sep 21st 2014, strong burning smell twice
A British Airways Airbus A319-100, registration G-EUPW performing flight
BA-716 from London Heathrow,EN (UK) to Zurich (Switzerland), was on final
approach to runway 14 when the crew requested emergency services to attend
the aircraft after landing, they would be able to vacate the runway, cabin
crew had just reported a strong burning smell in the aft of the cabin. The
aircraft landed safely on runway and vacated the runway, then stopped on
the adjacent taxiway advising the situation in the cabin appeared under
control while emergency services were on their way to the aircraft. After
arrival emergency services checked the aircraft but found no trace of fire,
heat or smoke, the aircraft subsequently taxied to the apron.

The aircraft departed for the return flight BA-717 on schedule about 2 hours
later, was cleared to climb to FL120 upon contacting departure but requested
FL100 due to a technical problem, then requested to join a holding advising
they were planning to return to Zurich. The crew subsequently requested
emergency services as before, they would vacate the runway and stop at the
holding point H1 for checks by emergency services as before, they had again
electrical fumes in the rear of the cabin as on the previous flight. Established
on ILS 14 the crew declared PAN. The aircraft landed safely on runway 14
about 30 minutes after departure.

The aircraft remained on the ground in Zurich for about 22 hours until a
defective toilet motor had been identified and replaced.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=47a9124a
20140919220853:20140919000000
Incident: Virgin America A320 near Las Vegas on Sep 19th 2014, smoke in cockpit
A Virgin America Airbus A320-200, registration N639VA performing flight
VX-174 from San Francisco,CA to Newark,NJ (USA) with 134 people on board,
was enroute at FL350 about 170nm north of Las Vegas,NV (USA) when the crew
reported smoke in the cockpit and diverted to Las Vegas for a safe landing
about 30 minutes later. Attending emergency services found no trace of fire,
heat or smoke.

The airline reported the crew detected smell of smoke and diverted to Las
Vegas.

A replacement Airbus A320-200 registration N623VA reached Newark with a
delay of 4:40 hours.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=47a8ee92
20140919180649:20140915000000
Accident: Sichuan A320 near Kunming on Sep 15th 2014, fuel leak
A Sichuan Airlines Airbus A320-200, registration B-1887 performing flight
3U-8853 from Kunming to Xuzhou (China) with 123 people on board, was climbing
through about FL230 when the aircraft experienced a jolt. A pilot left the
cockpit and looked at both wings from the cabin. Some time later the smell
of fuel became evident in the cabin increasing rapidly. The crew stopped
the climb and returned to Kunming for a safe landing. A passenger was taken
to hospital with heart problems.

The left hand engine’s (V2527) cowl showed a large gap after landing, which
appears similiar to the thrust reverser being open.

Passengers reported that the aircraft was climbing out of Kunming. After
climbing through a cloud layer the aircraft experienced a jolt, a short
time later a pilot came back to the cabin and looked through the windows
onto both wings. A smell of fuel, perceived by the passengers as smell of
Diesel, developed on board. The pilot returned to the cockpit, an announcement
indicated they were returning to Kunming followed by a safe landing about
20 minutes later.

The airline reported the crew received a number of fault indications prompting
them to return to Kunming as a precaution. A number of passengers, who did
not feel well, were treated at the airport, one passenger was taken to a
hospital with heart problems.

A replacement Airbus A320-200 registration B-6347 reached Xuzhou with a
delay of 4.5 hours.

B-1887 after landing, observe the left hand engine (Photo: High Fai Nest):

———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=47a50230
20140914195847:20140914000000
Incident: Swiss A319 at Amsterdam on Sep 14th 2014, burning smell in galley
A Swiss Airbus A319-100, registration HB-IPY performing flight LX-728 from
Zurich (Switzerland) to Amsterdam (Netherlands), was on approach to Amsterdam’s
runway 36R about 10 minutes prior to estimated landing when the crew reported
a burning smell in a galley. The aircraft continued for a safe landing on
runway 36R about 10 minutes later.

Amsterdam’s emergency services reported the problem was quickly solved.

The occurrence aircraft was able to depart for the return flight LX-729
and reached Zurich with a delay of 95 minutes.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=47a423c6
20140913161354:20140912000000
Incident: Air France A343 near Shannon on Sep 12th 2014, overheat indication in IFE
An Air France Airbus A340-300, registration F-GLZM performing flight AF-344
from Paris Charles de Gaulle (France) to Montreal,QC (Canada) with 265 passengers
and 12 crew, was enroute at FL360 about 160nm west of Shannon (Ireland)
about to enter Oceanic Airspace when the crew decided to turn back due to
problems with the inflight entertainment system. The aircraft descended
to FL250 for the way back and landed safely back in Paris about 190 minutes
after departure.

The airline reported the crew received an overheat indication for the inflight
entertainment system, however no smell, no haze or smoke was observed.

A replacement Airbus A340-300 registration F-GLZK reached Montreal with
a delay of 8:45 hours.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=479df923
20140905213740:20140905000000
Incident: Thomas Cook A320 near Brussels on Sep 5th 2014, strange smell in cockpit and cabin
A Thomas Cook Belgium Airbus A320-200, registration OO-TCI performing flight
HQ-5508 from Brussels (Belgium) to Tenerife Sur Sofia Reina,CI (Spain) with
180 passengers and 6 crew, was climbing out of Brussels when the crew donned
their oxygen masks, declared PAN, stopped the climb at FL080 requesting
to enter a hold and reported they had a strange smell in cockpit and cabin,
they were investigating. The aircraft returned to Brussels for a safe landing
on runway 25R about 50 minutes after departure.

A replacement Airbus A320-200 registration CS-TKP is estimated to reach
Tenerife with a delay of 4.5 hours.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=479ce9f1
20140904165759:20140903000000
Incident: Jet2 B733 at East Midlands on Sep 3rd 2014, electrical problems resulting in smoke in cabin
A Jet2.com Boeing 737-300, registration G-GDFT performing flight LS-644
from Ibiza,SP (Spain) to East Midlands,EN (UK) with 147 people on board,
was on final approach to East Midlands’ runway 09 when the crew initiated
a go-around from below 700 feet MSL due to electrical problems, positioned
the aircraft for another approach to runway 09 and landed safely about 15
minutes later. While the aircraft taxied to the apron, a burning smell developed
on board followed by smoke. After the aircraft had arrived at the stand,
the crew initiated an evacuation of the aircraft. No injuries are being
reported.

Passengers reported the aircraft went around just prior to touch down and
landed on its second round, it appeared however the (public) audio system
had failed during the second approach. While taxiing towards the terminal
a burning smell became obvious and smoke appeared in the cabin.

The airline reported electrical problems resulted in smoke in the cabin
and a precautionary evacuation.

The United Kingdom’s Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) reported a
serious incident at East Midlands by an airliner in the evening of Sep 3rd
2014 and dispatched an investigation team on site.

In the evening of Sep 4th 2014 The Aviation Herald received information
indicating first preliminary examination of the aircraft suggests the electrical
problem was related to relay R1. That relay R1, connecting the Battery Busbar,
had already caused two incidents on Boeing 737-300 G-EZYN on Mar 22nd 2005,
AAIB investigation report and on Boeing 737-300 G-THOJ on Aug 13th 2006,
AAIB investigation report. In both occurrences the crew had noticed progressive
abnormal announciator indications, one crew up to and including the loss
of the DC Battery Bus and loss of standby ADI. As result of the investigation
into G-EZYN a safety recommendation 2005-65 had been issued which was also
directly relevant to G-THOJ according to AAIB findings and may, according
to current information, also be relevant to G-GDFT. Safety recommendation
2005-65 reads: “It is recommended that the Federal Aviation Administration
require that the Boeing Airplane Company examine the various electrical
configurations of in-service Boeing 737 aircraft with the intention of providing
operators with an Operations Manual Procedure that deals with loss of power
from the Battery Busbar.” The AAIB had analysed for G-EZYN: “The loss of
the Battery Bus on Boeing 737-300/400/500 aircraft results in the loss of
a number of significant systems which, on some aircraft, can include the
Standby Attitude Indicator. The integrity of the main attitude displays
on EFIS equipped aircraft can also be compromised due to the loss of cooling.”
and stated: “Checklist procedures for electrical system malfunctions cannot
reasonably be expected to cater for failures of individual components down
to relay level, so the crew were left to conduct their own diagnosis. This
they did successfully, to the extent that they identified zero volts on
the Battery Bus and the static inverter. However, there were no drills for
this condition so they took no additional action, although normal operation,
at least on this aircraft, could have been restored by moving the Standby
Power switch to the ëBATí position.”
———————————–
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=479b5f82
20140908130153:20140827000000
Incident: White AT72 at Lisbon on Aug 27th 2014, smoke in cabin
A White Avions de Transport Regional ATR-72-212A on behalf of TAP Air Portugal,
registration OY-EBW performing flight TP-1078 from Lisbon (Portugal) to
Malaga,SP (Spain) with 38 passengers and 4 crew, was in the initial climb
out of Lisbon’s runway 03 when the crew declared “Mayday, Mayday, Mayday,
smoke in the cockpit”, the departure controller replied “blocked, I’ll call
you shortly” and continued to issue instructions to other aircraft until
TP-1078 repeated their Mayday Call about 30 seconds later again blocking
another radio transmission, departure then called TP-1078 who now could
transmit their call clearly declaring emergency due to smoke on the flight
deck. The crew requested an immediate return to Lisbon but advised they
would be able to vacate the runway. The aircraft positioned for an ILS approach
to runway 03 and landed safely about 12 minutes after departure.

The French BEA reported in their weekly bulletin that smoke with a strong
burning smell was detected in the aircraft cabin, the crew declared emergency
and performed a normal landing. The runway returned to service about 10
minutes after landing.

On Sep 8th 2014 Portugal’s GPIAA reported the crew decided to declare Mayday
due to the presence of a burning smell and smoke in the cockpit, the origin
of which was unknown. Following landing emergency services and crew assessed
that there was no risk to the safety of the aircraft, the aircraft taxied
to a stand with emergency services in trail, the passengers disembarked
normally at the stand. The occurrence was rated a serious incident and an
investigation has been opened.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=4792e70e
20140822154742:20140821000000
Incident: Trans States E145 near Indianapolis on Aug 21st 2014, smoke in cabin
A Trans States Airlines Embraer ERJ-145 on behalf of United, registration
N855HK performing flight AX-3398/UA-3398 from Columbus,OH to Chicago O’Hare,IL
(USA) with 48 people on board, was climbing out of Columbus when the crew
stopped the climb at FL240 reporting smoke in the cabin and diverted to
Indianapolis,IN (USA) for a safe landing about 18 minutes later. The passengers
disembarked rapidly onto the runway.

Passengers reported a smell of smoke occurred in the cabin about 15 minutes
after departure, shortly after the crew announced the aircraft would divert
to Indianapolis because of smoke in the cabin.

The remainder of the flight was cancelled, the passengers were rebooked
onto other flights.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=479602e0
20140826175539:20140820000000
Incident: Air Canada B763 over Pacific on Aug 20th 2014, hot pot
An Air Canada Boeing 767-300, registration C-GHLT performing flight AC-47
from Vancouver,BC (Canada) to Honolulu,HI (USA), was enroute at FL340 over
the Pacific Ocean about 500nm southwest of Vancouver when the crew decided
to return to Vancouver due to a burning smell and smoke in the cabin. The
aircraft landed safely on Vancouver’s runway 26L about 90 minutes later.

The Canadian TSB reported the runway was closed for 9 minutes while emergency
services checked the aircraft. The source of smell and smoke was identified
to be a coffee pot.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=4791856a
20140820201650:20140819000000
Incident: Novair A321 near Belgrade on Aug 19th 2014, burning smell in cockpit
A Novair Airbus A321-200, registration SE-RDP performing flight 1I-352 from
Zakinthos (Greece) to Stockholm (Sweden) with 210 people on board, was enroute
at FL340 about 150nm south of Belgrade (Serbia) still in Albanian Airspace
when the crew initiated a rapid descent reporting a burning smell in the
cockpit. The aircraft levelled off at FL120 and diverted to Belgrade where
the aircraft landed safely about 25 minutes later.

Passengers reported that the burning smell also developed into the cabin.

The airline reported that the crew felt some vibration, then the circuit
breaker for a fan popped and a burning smell developed in the cockpit convincing
the crew to not continue the flight. The aircraft was examined and found
fit to continue the flight, a replacement crew flew was flown to Belgrade.

The occurrence aircraft departed Belgrade about 13 hours after landing and
reached Stockholm with a delay of 13 hours.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=47917846
20141111205611:20140818000000
Incident: CSA AT72 at Frankfurt on Aug 18th 2014, smoke in cargo hold and cabin
A CSA Czech Airlines Avions de Transport Regional ATR-72-212A, registration
OK-GFS performing flight OK-534 from Prague (Czech Republic) to Frankfurt/Main
(Germany) with 59 passengers and 4 crew, was on approach to Frankfurt when
the crew declared emergency reporting a smoke indication in the cargo hold
and smoke in the cabin. The aircraft continued for a safe landing at Frankfurt.
Emergency services identified a piece of luggage in the hold as source of
the smoke, that contained a bottle of Acetone and a hair dryer packed too
close together.

The return flight was cancelled.

The aircraft was able to position out of Frankfurt about 7.5 hours after
landing.

On Aug 26th 2014 the French BEA reported in their weekly bulletin that a
small fire and smoke developed in one piece of luggage in the forward luggage
compartment. The occurrence was rated a serious incident by Germany’s BFU
and is being investigated.

On Nov 11th 2014 Germany’s BFU reported in their monthly bulletin, that
the aircraft was descending towards Frankfurt when the flight crew observed
smell of smoke and asked cabin crew to investigate. A short time later the
crew received an ELEC SMOKE and FWD SMOKE indication on their CCAS, both
flight crew donned their oxygen masks and declared Mayday, Mayday, Mayday.
In the meantime cabin crew opened the door to the forward cargo compartment
and with the help of passengers brought pieces of luggage into the aisle
of the cabin and identified a particular piece of luggage as source of smoke.
The suitcase was taken to the galley, cut open with scissors and a halogen
fire extinguisher was discharged into the suitcase. The suitcase remained
under permanent supervision by one cabin crew while the other cabin crew
member returned to prepare the cabin for landing. Shortly after the cabin
crew had discharged the fire extinguisher, the aircraft received clearance
for the ILS approach runway 25L, the crew cancelled Mayday at that point.
The aircraft landed safely about 12 minutes later, the suitcase was taken
off the aircraft through door L2, subsequently the passengers disembarked
normally.

Police examined the suitcase and determined that there had been smouldering
within the suitcase without open flames, substantial heat developed. Two
more pieces of luggage showed traces of heat. Two one-way glass bottles
with screw cap holding one liter of fluid additionally secured with adhesive
tapes were found inside the suitcase, one bottle however had broken up and
the content had spilled into the suitcase. The female owner of the suitcase
reported it was a fluid to make the hair lighter. The suitcase had been
checked in.

The suitcase (Photo: BFU/Frankfurt Airport Fire Brigades):

———————————–
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=4789f125
20140811142615:20140810000000
Incident: Emirates B773 at Boston on Aug 10th 2014, engine fire after landing
An Emirates Boeing 777-300, registration A6-ECW performing flight EK-237
from Dubai (United Arab Emirates) to Boston,MA (USA) with 374 people, had
safely and normally landed on runway 04R and was taxiing across runway 04L,
15L holding short of runway 15R when the crew reported a fire indication
for the left hand engine. Tower advised there were no visible flames and
queried whether the crew wanted to hold right there or continue taxi, the
crew indicated they wanted to cross the runway, tower instructed to turn
left onto runway 33L and advised emergency services were on their way. While
taxiing along runway 33L tower advised there were flames visible from the
left hand engine. When the emergency services arrived they couldn’t see
any fire, tower advised flames were no longer visible, they had been visible
from the back of the engine. The crew advised they never had a fire indication,
but could see some flames on the camera, which stopped after the engine
was shut down. Emergency service subsequently reported they were seeing
an active fuel leak, the crew shut down the aircraft and reported they had
a strong smell of fuel on board. The passengers were kept on board until
the aircraft could be towed to the apron.

The engine observed during taxi (Photo: Gene Delaney):

———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=47879e9f
20140807203804:20140806000000
Incident: American MD82 at Dallas and Sacramento on Aug 6th 2014, burst tyre on departure
An American Airlines McDonnell Douglas MD-82, registration N480AA performing
flight AA-2275 from Dallas Ft. Worth,TX to Sacramento,CA (USA), departed
DFW’s runway 18L. While enroute the crew was informed that tyre debris had
been found on the departure runway that was identified to belong to their
aircraft. A return to Dallas was considered, in the end the crew decided
to continue to Sacramento. The aircraft performed two low approaches to
Sacramento’s runway 18L to have the gear inspected from the ground, then
landed safely on runway 18L about 4 hours after departure from Dallas.

Passengers reported a burning smell of rubber was noticed right after takeoff,
the reasons remained unclear. Enroute the captain announced that fragments
of a tyre belonging to their aircraft had been found in Dallas. Cabin crew
began to prepare the passengers for an emergency landing. Just prior to
landing cabin crew instructed the passengers to brace. The aircraft experienced
strong vibrations and shook a number of times during roll out but came to
a safe stop. The aircraft was subsequently towed to the apron where the
passengers disembarked.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=478864ac
20140808204222:20140731000000
Incident: Air Canada A321 near Des Moines on Jul 31st 2014, hot brakes in cruise flight
An Air Canada Airbus A321-200, registration C-GITY performing flight AC-793
from Toronto,ON (Canada) to Los Angeles,CA (USA) with 180 people on board,
was enroute at FL320 about 95nm east of Des Moines,IA (USA) about 90 minutes
into the flight when the crew received a “BRAKES HOT” ECAM message. The
crew declared emergency, descended the aircraft to 8000 feet and worked
the related checklists. The aircraft subsequently diverted to Des Moines
for a safe landing about 50 minutes later.

The Canadian TSB reported that an acrid smell was observed in the cabin.
The airline’s maintenance is investigating.
———————————–
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=47816e7b
20140730190151:20140730000000
Incident: China Southern A319 at Guangzhou on Jul 30th 2014, smoke in cockpit
A China Southern Airlines Airbus A319-100, flight CZ-6059 from Guangzhou
(China) to Phnom Penh (Cambodia), was climbing through 5000 feet out of
Guangzhou when the crew donned their oxygen masks, declared emergency reporting
smoke in the cockpit and returned to Guangzhou for a safe landing about
19 minutes after departure.

Passengers reported there was a burning electrical smell.

The airline confirmed a mechanical problem.

A replacement aircraft reached Phnom Penh with a delay of 4 hours.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=47817558
20140730195515:20140729000000
Incident: Skywest CRJ9 at Phoenix on Jul 29th 2014, pack overheated
A Skywest Canadair CRJ-900 on behalf of US-Airways, registration N897SK
performing flight OO-2948/US-2948 from Albuquerque,NM to Phoenix,AZ (USA)
with 64 passengers, was on final approach to Phoenix when one of the air
conditioning systems overheated. The crew continued for a safe landing.
While the aircraft was taxiing towards the apron, passengers began to smell
smoke, apparently from a lavatory, the smoke detector of the lavatory triggered
prompting the crew to stop on the taxiway and have the passengers disembark
via the aircraft’s airstairs.

The aircraft was subsequently towed to the apron.

Passengers reported they smelled burning rubber.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=4782b5f1
20141010144436:20140728000000
Accident: Lufthansa A321 at Barcelona on Jul 28th 2014, fumes in cockpit
A Lufthansa Airbus A321-200, registration D-AIRE performing flight LH-1132
from Frankfurt/Main (Germany) to Barcelona,SP (Spain), was descending towards
Barcelona when a smell of old socks was detected in cabin and cockpit prompting
the crew to don their oxygen masks at about FL180. Without declaring emergency
or requesting priority in a seriously congested airspace around Barcelona,
approach control issuing instructions almost without catching breath in
between, the crew continued for a safe landing on Barcelona’s runway 07L
about 30 minutes later, still using oxygen masks until after landing. There
were no injuries.

The return flight LH-1133 was postponed to the next day to facilitate examination
and repairs over night, the return flight experienced another fumes event
however.

The Spanish CIAIAC did not respond to inquiries by The Aviation Herald submitted
since Jul 29th.

Germany’s BFU reported they are aware of the two occurrences on LH-1132
of Jul 28th 2014 and LH-1133 departing Barcelona on Jul 29th 2014. The report
concerning LH-1132 was forwarded to Spain’s CIAIAC.

According to information The Aviation Herald received, the crew went to
a hotel following the flight and performed the return flight the following
day. The information further suggests that 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.

On Oct 10th 2014 the German BFU reported in their (delayed) July Bulletin,
that there was highly intense fumes in the cockpit and forward cabin during
the approach to Barcelona affecting all crew members including the pilots.
Both pilots donned their oxygen masks. The return flight was postponed to
perform a “Pack Burn” over night. During the return flight the next day
there was again highly noticeable fumes throughout the entire aircraft though
weaker than the day before. Again all crew members showed symptoms like
head ache, nausea and dizziness. The BFU reported, that the occurrences
at Barcelona and on the return flight are both being investigated by the
BFU rated a serious incident.
———————————–
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=477e478e
20140726191315:20140726000000
Incident: Tiger A320 near Sydney on Jul 26th 2014, oil fumes in cabin
A Tiger Airways Airbus A320-200, registration VH-VNG performing flight TT-517
from Brisbane,QL to Melbourne,VI (Australia), was enroute at FL360 about
150nm northwest of Sydney,NS (Australia) when both crew donned their oxygen
masks reporting they had constant suspected oil smell in the cabin, they
were both on oxygen, and decided to divert to Sydney. The crew continued
to use their oxygen masks until after vacating runway 34L about 30 minutes
after reporting the fumes.

The airline confirmed an engineering issue. The passengers were rebooked
onto other flights.
———————————–
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=47735887
20140712210822:20140711000000
Incident: Jetblue A321 over Atlantic on Jul 11th 2014, cargo smoke indication
A Jetblue Airbus A321-200, registration N907JB performing flight B6-409
from New York JFK,NY (USA) to Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic) with 173
passengers and 6 crew, was enroute at FL330 about 240nm west of Bermuda
(Bermuda) when the crew received a smoke indication in the aft luggage compartment,
no smell or haze was observed on board, and decided to divert to Bermuda.
Upon checking in with Bermuda Approach the crew reported no change, the
indication was still active. Upon contacting the tower the crew advised
the situation was still unchanged. The aircraft continued for a safe landing
on Bermuda’s runway 12. The aircraft vacated the runway and stopped on an
adjacent taxiway for an inspection by emergency services advising emergency
services they had no APU and could not shut down both engines, the right
hand engine was shut down for the inspection. Emergency services reported
no traces of fire, heat or smoke, thereafter the aircraft taxied to the
apron with emergency services in trail.

A replacement Airbus A320-200 registration N625JB reached Santo Domingo
with a delay of 10 hours.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=47729f02
20140715180506:20140711000000
Incident: United B772 over Pacific on Jul 11th 2014, haze on board
A United Boeing 777-200, registration N210UA performing flight UA-201 (dep
Jul 10th) from Honolulu,HI (USA) to Guam,GU (USA) with 335 passengers and
13 crew, was enroute at FL350 over the Pacific Ocean about 300nm southsouthwest
of Midway Islands,UM (USA) and about 850nm west of Honolulu when the crew
decided to return to Honolulu due to smell of smoke on board. The aircraft
descended to FL300 for the way back. About 10 minutes later haze was observed
in the cabin prompting the crew to turn north and divert to Midway Islands.
The aircraft dumped fuel and landed safely in Midway about one hour after
turning around.

A passenger reported there was a “problem with one of the wings” and the
cabin became smokey. Multiple passengers reported the aircraft had suffered
technical problems involving a burning smell in the cockpit prior to departure
and departed Honolulu with a delay of about 4 hours as result. Passengers
tweeted that the aircraft dumped fuel on the way to Midway.

There is a report on the Internet telling that the aircraft lost transponder,
radios and other systems one by one, however, radar data indicate the transponder
worked until touchdown.

Another passenger reported that there had been a burning smell prior to
departure. In flight the smell returned becoming stronger and stronger,
the smoke detectors in the aft cabin triggered. The captain announced there
were electrical problems and the (weather) radar had ceased functioning.
The replacement aircraft returned them to Honolulu, however, without the
luggage that could not be unloaded from the occurrence aircraft at Midway.

A replacement Boeing 777-200 registration N779UA positioned to Midway as
flight UA-2068 and returned the passengers to Honolulu as flight UA-2104
delivering the passengers back to Honolulu about 14 hours after their departure
from Honolulu.

The FAA reported there was an electrical smell in the cockpit.

The airline reported: “United flight 201 from Honolulu to Guam diverted
to Midway Island Thursday because of a mechanical issue. We sent another
aircraft to Midway Island to fly our customers back to Honolulu, where we
are accommodating them to their final destinations.”

On Jul 14th 2014 the airline reported that a defective equipment cooling
fan was identified as source of the problem. The fan was replaced and the
aircraft returned to service.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=476c3752
20140703152059:20140703000000
Incident: British Airways B763 near London on Jul 3rd 2014, burning smell in cockpit
A British Airways Boeing 767-300, registration G-BNWX performing flight
BA-676 from London Heathrow,EN (UK) to Istanbul (Turkey) with 185 passengers,
was climbing out of London when the crew stopped the climb at FL230 reporting
a burning smell in the cockpit and returned to Heathrow Airport for a safe
landing on runway 27R about 35 minutes after departure (20 minutes after
stopping the climb). The aircraft taxied to the apron after inspection by
emergency services.

The airline reported the aircraft encountered a minor technical problem,
the problem is being resolved and the aircraft is about to resume the flight.

Emergency services reported they were alerted due to smoke in the cockpit.
———————————–
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=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=4749c91b
20140519222720:20140518000000
Incident: American B738 at Boston on May 18th 2014, smoked bread crumbs
An American Airlines Boeing 737-800, registration N840NN performing flight
AA-1532 from Boston,MA to Miami,FL (USA) with 160 people on board, was climbing
out of Boston when passengers noticed a smell of smoke prompting the crew
to return to Boston for a safe landing about 25 minutes after departure.

The aircraft was able to depart again about 80 minutes after landing and
reached Miami with a delay of 75 minutes.

The airline reported the source of the smell was identified to be bread
crumbs in a galley oven. The oven was cleaned and the aircraft departed
again.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=4737f000
20140426185442:20140424000000
Incident: Envoy E145 near Tampa on Apr 24th 2014, smoke on board
An Envoy Air (former American Eagle) Embraer ERJ-145, registration N935AE
performing flight MQ-3454 from Tallahassee,FL to Miami,FL (USA) with 47
passengers and 3 crew, was climbing out of Tallahassee when the crew stopped
the climb at FL250, donned their oxygen masks and decided to divert to Tampa,FL
(USA) reporting smoke on board. The aircraft landed safely on Tampa’s runway
01L about 11 minutes later. After landing the crew advised that the smoke
on board had gone, the aircraft vacated the runway and taxied to the apron.

A passenger reported there had been a loud boom in the back of the aircraft
immediately followed by smell of smoke.

The airline confirmed there was smell of smoke on board, however, the airline
was not aware of any explosion.

N935AE is powered by AE3007 engines.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=4734cf9f
20140422161706:20140421000000
Incident: Thomson B738 at Cardiff on Apr 21st 2014, bird strike
A Thomson Airways Boeing 737-800, registration G-TAWG performing flight
BY-532 from Cardiff,WL (UK) to Sharm el Sheikh (Egypt), departed Cardiff’s
runway 12 when an engine ingested a number of sea gulls. In the absence
of abnormal engine indications the crew continued the climb. The aircraft
was enroute at FL370 near the French-German border about one hour into the
flight when the crew decided to turn around and divert to London Gatwick,EN
(UK) due to an abnormal smell of “roast chicken” developing in the cabin.
The aircraft landed safely on Gatwick’s runway 08R about 2 hours after departure.

A replacement Boeing 737-800 registration G-FDZT reached Sharm el Sheikh
with a delay of 4.5 hours.

A passenger reported that the captain announced that passengers perhaps
noticed there was a smell of roast chicken in the cabin, this was because
of sea gulls, that had been ingested into one of the engines during the
departure out of Cardiff. They were diverting to Gatwick.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=4734da77
20140422173811:20140420000000
Incident: Qatar A333 at Doha on Apr 20th 2014, smoke in cabin
A Qatar Airbus A330-300, registration A7-AEA performing flight QR-1 from
Doha (Qatar) to London Heathrow,EN (UK), was in the initial climb out of
Doha’s runway 33 when the crew stopped the climb at 2500 feet due to smoke
in the cabin and returned to Doha for a safe landing on runway 33 about
13 minutes after departure.

A replacement Airbus A330-200 registration A7-ACB reached London with a
delay of 4:15 hours.

Passengers reported that there was a strong burning smell, then visible
haze and smoke about mid cabin. Cabin crew fetched portable fire extinguishers
and checked the cabin including walls and overhead bins for possible sources
of heat or fire but without finding any. The cabin was prepared for an evacuation,
however, the smoke began to dissipate and was gone by the time of touch
down. Emergency services met the aircraft upon landing. The passengers disembarked
normally.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=473141ab
20140417233026:20140415000000
Incident: American B752 near Dallas on Apr 15th 2014, electrical smell on board
An American Airlines Boeing 757-200, registration N622AA performing flight
AA-205 from Orlando,FL to Los Angeles,CA (USA), was enroute at FL380 about
150nm southeast of Dallas Ft. Worth,TX (USA) when the crew decided to divert
to Dallas for a safe landing on Dallas’ runway 35R about 30 minutes later.

A passenger reported the flight diverted to Dallas due to an electrical
fire. There was an electrical smell in the cabin, the flight attendants
were walking around the cabin with handheld fire extinguishers.

The FAA initially reported, they had no records of such an occurrence, on
a follow up by The Aviation Herald the FAA then stated: “We are investigating,
but we don’t have a report ready that would get into the detail that you’re
looking for.”

A replacement Boeing 757-200 registration N628AA reached Los Angeles with
a delay of 2.5 hours.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=4731d084
20140418172015:20140414000000
Incident: Allegiant MD82 at Las Vegas on Apr 14th 2014, bee strike
An Allegiant Airlines McDonnell Douglas MD-82, registration N407NV performing
flight G4-448 from Las Vegas,NV to Duluth,MN (USA) with 160 people on board,
was climbing out of Las Vegas’ runway 07L when upon contacting departure
the crew reported hitting a bird and requested vectors, they needed to monitor
and check their gauges. The aircraft stopped the climb at 10,000 feet. After
about 7 minutes, after consulting with dispatch, the crew decided to return
to Las Vegas and advised they were doing an overweight landing and needed
the longest runway available, runway 07L was assigned for the landing (runways
01 were active for landings). The crew advised they were on normal operations,
had the airfield in sight and were cleared for a visual approach to runway
07L. The aircraft landed safely on runway 07L about 25 minutes after departure,
vacated the runway and stopped on the adjacent taxiway for an inspection
by emergency services.

A post flight inspection revealed that the aircraft had flown through a
swarm of bees with a large quantity of bees impacting and obscuring the
windshield and parts of the swarm being ingested into the engines.

Passengers reported a burning smell developed in the cabin when the aircraft
climbed out.

A replacement MD-82 reached Duluth with a delay of 2:15 hours.

The airline confirmed bees clouded the windshield and were ingested into
the engines.
———————————–
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=472ee7d0
20140414210436:20140411000000
Incident: Canadian North B732 near Yellowknife on Apr 11th 2014, smell of smoke and haze in cabin
A Canadian North Boeing 737-200, registration C-GNDU performing flight 5T-447
from Cambridge Bay,NU to Yellowknife,NT (Canada) with 36 people on board,
was enroute at FL330 about 160nm north of Yellowknife when the crew reported
the smell of smoke as well as haze on board. The flight crew received a
#2 air conditioning system trip off indication, shut the system down, the
haze and smell dissipated thereafter. The aircraft landed safely in Yellowknife.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=472d3aeb
20140412174556:20140411000000
Incident: Caribbean B738 over Atlantic on Apr 11th 2014, smell of smoke
A Caribbean Airlines Boeing 737-800, registration 9Y-JMA performing flight
BW-425 from New York JFK,NY (USA) to Port of Spain (Trinidad and Tobago)
with 106 people on board, was enroute at FL350 about 120nm southwest of
Bermuda (Bermuda) when the crew reported the smell of smoke on board and
decided to divert to Bermuda, however without declaring emergency. The aircraft
landed safely on Bermuda’s runway 12 about 30 minutes later.

The incident aircraft was able to continue the flight as flight BW-3425
the following day and reached Port of Spain with a delay of 26.5 hours.

Police reported the aircraft diverted after an electrical burning smell
was observed in the cabin.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=4729f1e9
20140408123903:20140407000000
Incident: Lufthansa A343 at Frankfurt on Apr 7th 2014, rejected takeoff
A Lufthansa Airbus A340-300, registration D-AIGU performing flight LH-630
from Frankfurt/Main (Germany) to Dubai (United Arab Emirates), was accelerating
for takeoff from Frankfurt’s runway 18 when the crew rejected takeoff at
high speed due to a #4 engine (CFM56, outboard right hand) fire indication.
The aircraft slowed safely and stopped on the runway, emergency services
responded, checked the engine and cooled the brakes. The aircraft subsequently
returned to the gate.

A replacement Airbus A340-300 registration D-AIFA reached Dubai with a delay
of 3:40 hours.

A passenger reported the aircraft was accelerating for takeoff normally,
when the brakes came on at high speed. After the aircraft had come to a
full stop the captain announced an engine #4 fire indication, a smell of
overheated brakes became apparent in the cabin, emergency services arrived
and checked the engine and brakes. There had been no unusual noises, vibrations
or smells prior to the brakes coming on, there was no visible smoke or fire.

The incident aircraft is still on the ground in Frankfurt 24 hours later.

Engine #4 being checked by emergency services:
Emergency service line up:

———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=47287cb2
20140406171230:20140406000000
Incident: Jetstar A320 near Rockhampton on Apr 6th 2014, fumes in forward cabin
A Jetstar Airbus A320-200, registration VH-VQW performing flight JQ-959
from Cairns,QL to Sydney,NS (Australia) with 132 passengers, was enroute
at FL370 about 130nm southwest of Rockhampton,QL (Australia) when the crew
reported smoke in the cockpit and decided to divert to Rockhampton where
the aircraft landed safely on runway 33 about 22 minutes later.

The airline reported passengers in the forward cabin noticed a strong smell
prompting the diversion. The passengers were taken to hotels overnight while
the aircraft is being examined for the cause of the fumes.
———————————–
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=4726ab38
20140404104729:20140404000000
Incident: Qantas A332 near Adelaide on Apr 4th 2014, cargo fire indication
A Qantas Airbus A330-200, registration VH-EBQ performing flight QF-581 from
Sydney,NS to Perth,WA (Australia) with 266 people on board, was enroute
at FL380 about 150nm westsouthwest of Adelaide,SA (Australia) when the crew
received an aft cargo fire indication and activated the fire suppression
system which stopped the fire indication. The aircraft turned around and
diverted to Adelaide for a safe landing on Adelaide’s runway 05 about 23
minutes later. Attending emergency services found no trace of fire, heat
or smoke.

Qantas said the crew received a warning indication indicating a possible
technical problem, the crew diverted to Adelaide as a safety precaution.
The passengers disembarked normally via the aerobridge.

Passengers reported that apart from the aircraft turning back to Adelaide
and the crew announcements they did not notice anything abnormal, in particular
there were no unusual smells. Other passengers tweeted however there was
smoke in the cabin.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=4724695a
20140401214130:20140331000000
Accident: Jetblue E190 at Kingston on Mar 31st 2014, smoke in cockpit
A Jetblue Embraer ERJ-190, registration N267JB performing flight B6-876
from Kingston (Jamaica) to Fort Lauderdale,FL (USA) with 98 passengers,
was climbing out of KIngston when smoke in the cockpit prompted the crew
to return to Kingston, where the aircraft landed safely about 15 minutes
after departure. 6 passengers received injuries.

The airline confirmed smell of smoke on board of the aircraft, 6 passengers
received medical assistance after landing.

The FAA reported 6 passengers received injuries following smoke in the cockpit.

The source of the smoke is under investigation.

Jamaica’s Airport Authority reported they are investigating whether the
smoke came from one of the engines or air conditioning systems. One of the
passengers received a leg fracture while exiting the aircraft.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=472382dd
20140331142004:20140330000000
Incident: United B753 at Honolulu on Mar 30th 2014, smell on board
A United Boeing 757-300, registration N75854 performing flight UA-1221 from
Honolulu,HI to Los Angeles,CA (USA), was climbing out of Honolulu’s runway
08L when the crew stopped the climb at 11,000 feet reporting an unidentified
smell on board and requesting emergency services on standby for an overweight
landing. The aircraft returned to Honolulu for a safe overweight landing
on runway 08L about 20 minutes after departure, indicated normal operation
and released emergency vehicles after rollout.

A replacement Boeing 757-300 registration N57855 reached Los Angeles with
a delay of 5 hours.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=471beded
20140321210227:20140315000000
Incident: Air Canada B763 over Japan on Mar 15th 2014, acrid smell in aft lavatory
An Air Canada Boeing 767-300, registration C-FCAE performing flight AC-64
from Seoul (South Korea) to Vancouver,BC (Canada) with 169 people on board,
was enroute at FL310 about 110nm north of Osaka (Japan) when the crew descended
the aircraft to FL300, turned around and returned to Seoul due to an acrid
smell in an aft lavatory. The aircraft landed safely in Seoul about 90 minutes
later.

The aircraft was able to depart Seoul again after about 90 minutes on the
ground and reached Vancouver with a delay of 4 hours.

The Canadian TSB reported the L2 lavatory light socket was replaced.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=4713a733
20140311155143:20140306000000
Incident: Jazz DH8C at Vancouver on Mar 6th 2014, heated cabin
A Jazz de Havilland Dash 8-300, registration C-GMTA performing flight QK-8416
from Vancouver,BC to Kelowna,BC (Canada) with 52 people on board, was climbing
out of Vancouver when the crew stopped the climb reporting an unusual cabin
heat and requesting emergency services on stand by for the arrival. The
aircraft returned to Vancouver for a safe landing about 20 minutes after
departure.

The Canadian TSB reported the crew received a cabin duct temperature warning
with temperatures above 100 degrees C. The cabin temperature could not be
controlled, a blue hue and oil smell was observed in the cabin. The crew
donned their oxygen masks and returned to Vancouver.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=470be1bb
20140301220041:20140227000000
Incident: Delta B763 at New York on Feb 27th 2014, flaps did not retract
A Delta Airlines Boeing 767-300, registration N188DN performing flight DL-408
from New York JFK,NY (USA) to Brussels (Belgium) with 186 people on board,
was climbing out of New York’s runway 31L when the crew reported they had
flaps disagree message and wanted to maintain present speed and level off
at 9000 feet. While working the relevant checklists the crew advised there
was a distinct possibility they might have blown a tyre on departure and
requested a runway inspection, they did have a smell of burned rubber and
now were having a problem with the trailing edge flaps. While being vectored
within the departure controller’s airspace at 9000 feet the crew indicated
that the smell in the back of the cabin was increasing. ATC subsequently
advised nothing had been found on the runway. The crew advised they needed
to burn off some fuel and would probably land overweight, no fuel dump possible.
The crew subsequently returned to JFK Airport for a safe landing on runway
31L.

The rotation DL-408/DL-409 was cancelled.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=4704c8e5
20140220202509:20140220000000
Incident: ANA B763 near Akita on Feb 20th 2014, smoke in cabin
An ANA All Nippon Airways Boeing 767-300, registration JA8569 performing
flight NH-874 from Akita to Tokyo Haneda (Japan) with 155 passengers and
8 crew, was climbing out of Akita about 5 minutes into the flight when a
burning smell and white smoke appeared in the cabin. A short time later
the fire detectors in the lavatories raised alert prompting the crew to
stop the climb and return to Akita for a safe landing. Emergency services
checked the right hand engine (CF6) after landing.

Japan’s Ministry of Transport reported that there was no fire. A minor oil
leak from the right hand engine was identified as source of the smell and
smoke, the oil vaporized, got into the air conditioning system and thus
was transported into the cabin.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=46fec5c7
20140219160459:20140211000000
Incident: Kuwait A306 near London on Feb 11th 2014, hydraulic failure
A Kuwait Airways Airbus A300-600, registration 9K-AMA performing flight
KU-104 from London Heathrow,EN (UK) to Kuwait (Kuwait), was climbing through
FL160 out of London when the crew decided to return to London due to a hydraulic
failure. The aircraft landed safely at Heathrow Airport about 20 minutes
later.

The aircraft was able to depart again 5 hours after landing and reached
Kuwait with a delay of 5:45 hours.

On Feb 19th 2014 the airline told The Aviation Herald: “The Event occurred
due to Cabin smoke smell/fumes due to which diversion was considered. On
the ground, inspection was carried out on all the related systems including
engine, air conditioning, hydraulics etc and all found satisfactory. Few
feathers were found on Engine 1 and BirdStrike Inspection was also carried
out. Note that the same aircraft departed and landed without incident few
hours later. Still we cannot confirm the exact source of Smoke/Smell and
Investigation is still under progress.”
———————————–
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=46f7ef8a
20140204001045:20140131000000
Incident: United B772 near Newark on Jan 31st 2014, smell of smoke
A United Boeing 777-200, registration N791UA performing flight UA-932 from
Washington Dulles,DC (USA) to Frankfurt/Main (Germany), was enroute at FL350
about 23nm east of Newark,NJ (USA) when the crew reported the smell of smoke
on board of the aircraft and decided to divert to Newark. The aircraft landed
safely on runway 22L about 32 minutes later. Three passengers were taken
to a hospital for checks after possible smoke inhalation.

A replacement Boeing 777-200 registration N783UA departed the following
day as flight UA-1755 and reached Frankfurt with a delay of 23:15 hours.

The airport reported three passengers were taken to a hospital as a precaution
due to smoke inhalation.

The airline confirmed the smell of smoke on board.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=46f4c8ba
20140130225441:20140129000000
Incident: Air France A388 over Canada on Jan 29th 2014, special inflight "entertainment"
An Air France Airbus A380-800, registration F-HPJD performing flight AF-6
from Paris Charles de Gaulle (France) to New York JFK,NY (USA), was enroute
at FL400 over north east Canada when a strong burning smell developed around
the aft of the upper deck cabin. Cabin crew rushed to locate the source
of the smell, moved passengers out of the seats and removed the seat cushions
and finally identified a short circuit in one of the seats’ inflight entertainment
system. The smell dissipated afterwards, the crew continued the flight to
New York – ATC remained unaware – for a safe landing.

Several passengers reported a strong smell of electrical smoke developed
near the rear of the upper deck cabin, cabin crew reacted rapidly, moved
passengers out of their seats and removed seat cushions. The flight crew
indicated they were considering a diversion to Gander,NL (Canada). Cabin
crew obviously identified the source of the smell and did something to a
seat about mid premium economy class, possibly disconnecting electrical
supply, after which the smell dissipated. The flight was continued to New
York without diversion. It later emerged an inflight entertainment system
had developed a short circuit.

A passenger commented: “Very impressed with the reaction time and teamwork
of the cabin crew.”

Seats without cushion (Photo: passenger):

———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=46f4c0d2
20140130215613:20140128000000
Incident: Southwest B737 near South Bend on Jan 28th 2014, loss of cabin pressure
A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-700, flight WN-4202 from Milwaukee,WI to
Baltimore,MD (USA) with 65 passengers and 5 crew, was enroute at FL410 about
30nm east of South Bend,IN (USA) when the crew initiated an emergency descent
due to the loss of cabin pressure, the passenger oxygen masks were released.
The aircraft diverted to South Bend for a safe landing about 25 minutes
later.

Passengers reported smell of smoke on board.

The airline reported the aircraft had pressurization problems, the passenger
oxygen masks were released and the oxygen generators activated.

The oxygen generators are known to get quite hot due to the chemical reaction
to generate oxygen, it is not unusual to get a smell of smoke as well as
light haze from the oxygen generators.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=46ed05e5
20140120234100:20140120000000
Incident: Condor B763 at Mombasa on Jan 20th 2014, rejected takeoff
A Condor Boeing 767-300, registration D-ABUB performing flight DE-7264 from
Mombasa (Kenya) to Zanzibar (Tanzania), rejected takeoff from Mombasa at
high speed (approx 90 knots) after a heron was ingested into the left hand
engine (PW4060). The aircraft slowed safely and returned to the apron.

A subsequent engine inspection determined that the engine was not damaged
and the heron had not entered the engine core. Following engine run ups
the aircraft was released to continue the flight about 2.5 hours after rejecting
takeoff.

The aircraft completed the leg to Tanzania, an occupant commented “inclusive
smell of a chicken coop”, and returned to Frankfurt as flight DE-7265 arriving
in Frankfurt with a delay of 2 hours.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=46e840e6
20140114221759:20140114000000
Incident: SAS CRJ9 at Copenhagen on Jan 14th 2014, rejected takeoff
A SAS Scandinavian Airlines Canadair CRJ-900, registration LN-RNL performing
flight SK-436 from Copenhagen (Denmark) to Gothenburg (Sweden) with 24 passengers
and 4 crew, was accelerating for takeoff from Copenhagen’s Kastrup Airport
when the crew rejected takeoff at low speed, about 10 seconds after applying
takeoff thrust, after the captain smelled smoke in the cockpit. The aircraft
stopped on the runway, flight and cabin crew established there was smoke
in cockpit and cabin, the occupants rapidly deplaned onto the runway while
emergency services responded.

Passengers reported that the engines had spooled up and the aircraft was
accelerating on the runway for about 10 seconds when the brakes came on
and the aircraft stopped, the flight crew had donned their oxygen masks.
About a minute after coming to a stop cabion crew initiated the evacuation
of the aircraft.

The cause of the smoke is being investigated.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=46e5e24c
20140111212137:20140108000000
Incident: Southwest B733 at Detroit on Jan 8th 2014, fire indication in cabin
A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-300, flight WN-685 from Detroit,MI to Baltimore,MD
(USA), was climbing out of Detroit’s runway 22L when the crew stopped the
climb at 6000 feet reporting smoke on board. The aircraft positioned for
a return to runway 22L and landed safely about 11 minutes after departure.
Emergency services found no trace of fire, heat or smoke, the aircraft taxied
to the gate with emergency services following the aircraft.

A passenger reported a strange smell developed on board shortly followed
by a fire alarm sounding from the back of the aircraft. The crew subsequently
announced there was smoke on the aircraft. Fire fighters entered the aircraft
after reaching the gate.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=46e5242d
20140110221705:20140107000000
Incident: Delta MD88 near Charlotte on Jan 7th 2014, engine surges
A Delta Airlines McDonnell Douglas MD-88, registration N927DA performing
flight DL-781 from New York La Guardia,NY to Atlanta,GA (USA), was enroute
at FL300 about 60nm north of Charlotte,NC (USA) when an engine emitted a
bang for the second time prompting the crew to divert to Charlotte for a
safe landing about 20 minutes later. The crew shut the left hand engine
down after landing, emergency services checked the engine before the aircraft
proceeded to the apron.

A passenger reported that the aircraft was enroute at FL340 about 170nm
north of Charlotte when an engine emitted a bang, a smell of smoke developed
shortly after. The crew descended the aircraft to FL300 and announced there
had been an aircraft fault, the smell of smoke dissipated again. About 25
minutes later a second bang occurred after which the crew decided to divert
to Charlotte. The crew announced that there were problems with the pressure
on the left hand engine.

A replacement MD-88 reached Atlanta with a delay of 9 hours.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=46d72bd2
20131223223939:20131211000000
Incident: Delta A333 near Val d’Or on Dec 11th 2013, smoke indication
A Delta Airlines Airbus A330-300, registration N820NW performing flight
DL-258 from Minneapolis,MN (USA) to Amsterdam (Netherlands) with 278 passengers
and 13 crew, was enroute at FL350 about 75nm southwest of Val d’Or,QC (Canada)
and 350nm northeast of Detroit,MI (USA) when the crew received a smoke indication
for the crew rest area. The crew worked the relevant checklist, the crew
rest was checked with no smoke or haze found however an electric smell detected.
The crew decided to divert to Detroit where the aircraft landed safely about
65 minutes later.

The Canadian TSB reported that checks after landing did not detect any trace
of smoke or fumes.

A replacement Airbus A330-300 registration N812NW reached Amsterdam with
a delay of 4:45 hours.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=46c135d1
20131126224238:20131125000000
Incident: Delta A320 at San Diego on Nov 25th 2013, bird strike
A Delta Airlines Airbus A320-200, registration N364NW performing flight
DL-2078 from San Diego,CA to Salt Lake City,UT (USA), was in the initial
climb out of San Diego’s runway 27 when the crew reported a bird strike
into one of the engines (CFM56), levelled off at 4000 feet and returned
to San Diego for a safe landing on runway 27 about 20 minutes after departure.

Passengers reported a loud bang and the aircraft jolted when the bird was
ingested into the engine. Subsequently a smell of burning rubber developed
in the cabin.
———————————–
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=46c02bfa
20131125171109:20131124000000
Incident: Virgin America A320 at New York on Nov 24th 2013, bird strike
A Virgin America Airbus A320-200, registration N640VA performing flight
VX-22 from San Francisco,CA to New York JFK,NY (USA) with 153 people on
board, was on approach to JFK Airport approximate on the base leg at about
2000 feet when the crew declared emergency reporting they hit a bird, the
airplane was flying fine but they had some smoking smell on board. The aircraft
continued for a safe landing on runway 31L, vacated the runway onto the
parallel taxiway and stopped requesting emergency services to take a look
at them, they still had a “pretty good smoking smell” on board, subsequently
advising emergency services they still had a “nice smoking smell” entering
the cockpit. Emergency services reported damage to the right hand engine’s
(CFM56) cowling and requested the engine to be shut down for further examination.
The aircraft subsequently was cleared to continue taxi to the apron.

The FAA reported the aircraft received damage to the engine cowl and gear
door as result of a bird strike.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=46b85227
20131115153633:20131114000000
Incident: British Airways B772 over Atlantic on Nov 14th 2013, burning smell in cabin
A British Airways Boeing 777-200, registration G-VIIS performing flight
BA-173 from London Heathrow,EN (UK) to New York JFK,NY (USA), was enroute
at FL380 over the Atlantic about one hour into the crossing when the crew
declared PAN reporting a burning smell in the cabin and requested to turn
around and divert to Shannon (Ireland). The aircraft initially maintained
FL380 and set course towards Shannon later descending to FL360. Already
on VHF about 120nm from Shannon the crew indicated they didn’t need assistance
by emergency services at Shannon, they expected a normal landing below max
landing weight and expected to directly taxi to the apron. The aircraft
landed safely on Shannon’s runway 24 about 90 minutes after declaring PAN.

A replacement Boeing 777-200 registration G-YMMG reached New York with a
delay of 7:40 hours.

G-VIIS at the gate in Shannon:

———————————–
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=46b05d37
20131112165257:20131103000000
Incident: Easyjet A319 at Milan on Nov 3rd 2013, smoke in cabin
An Easyjet Airbus A319-100, registration G-EJAR performing positioning flight
U2-9002 from Milan Malpensa (Italy) to Lyon (France) with 6 crew, was climbing
out of Milan’s Malpensa Airport when the crew donned their oxygen masks,
stopped the climb at FL260 and returned to Malpensa for a safe landing on
runway 35R about 25 minutes after departure.

Italy’s ANSV rated the occurrence a serious incident and opened an investigation
reporting that the aircraft was performing a positioning flight without
passengers when smoke in the cabin forced the crew to use their oxygen masks.

On Nov 12th 2013 the French BEA reported in their weekly bulletin that during
initial climb just after thrust reduction the crew activated the air conditioning
systems (packs). The first officer immediately noticed bad fumes and smell
prompting the crew to don their oxygen masks and execute the initial smoke
drill. The captain requested a priority landing at Malpensa where the aircraft
landed without further event. After landing all 6 crew members went to hospital
for blood testing. Italy’s ANSV is investigating the serious incident.

The aircraft had landed at Milan Malpensa’s Airport as flight U2-2788 on
Nov 2nd 2013 arriving from Paris Charles de Gaulle (France).
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=46adc879
20131102160114:20131101000000
Incident: Air France B773 near Saint Denis on Nov 1st 2013, smell of smoke in cabin
An Air France Boeing 777-300, registration F-GSQR performing flight AF-645
from Saint Denis (Reunion) to Paris Orly (France), was climbing out of Saint
Denis when the crew stopped the climb at FL180 reporting a strong smell
of smoke in the cabin. The aircraft subsequently entered a hold to dump
fuel before returning to Saint Denis for a safe landing about 95 minutes
after departure.

A replacement Boeing 777-300 registration F-GSQO reached Paris with a delay
of 4:45 hours.

The incident aircraft was able to depart for flight AF-643 about 10 hours
after landing back.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=46afb75d
20131104230405:20131029000000
Incident: Lufthansa A343 at Newark on Oct 29th 2013, unidentifyable burning smell
A Lufthansa Airbus A340-300, registration D-AIGV performing flight LH-408
from Dusseldorf (Germany) to Newark,NJ (USA) with 192 people on board, was
on approach frequency to Newark descending through about 6000 feet when
the crew requested priority due to an unidentifyable smell in the cockpit,
possibly burning rubber or burning plastics. The captain donned his oxygen
mask for the remainder of the approach and landing, the crew requested high
speed up to 280 knots. There was no smoke or haze visible, they lost the
flight management system #1 about 5 minutes prior to the fumes and did not
know whether there was a link between that failure and the smell. The aircraft
landed safely on runway 04R about 18 minutes later.

The aircraft was on the ground in Newark for about 3 hours then departed
for the return flight LH-409 about 40 minutes behind schedule and reached
Dusseldorf on schedule.
———————————–
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=46a689fa
20131024213538:20131023000000
Incident: American B738 at Miami on Oct 23rd 2013, bird strikes
An American Airlines Boeing 737-800, registration N901NN performing flight
AA-1303 from Mexico City (Mexico) to Miami,FL (USA), was on final approach
to Miami’s runway 09. While being handed off to tower the aircraft encountered
a number of bird strikes while flying through a flock of birds, the crew
reported both engines were operating stable though they believed the right
hand engine took a bird and they were smelling it. The aircraft continued
for a safe landing on runway 09 about 2 minutes later.

A borescopic examination revealed no damage to the core of the right hand
engine, the aircraft received dents to the right hand engine inlet requiring
replacement of the inlet and dents at the right hand slats and flaps requiring
replacement of those slats and flaps. The aircraft is estimated to return
to service on Oct 26th.
———————————–
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=46a5b367
20140814152258:20131022000000
Incident: American B752 near Providenciales on Oct 22nd 2013, engine oil leak
An American Airlines Boeing 757-200, registration N605AA performing flight
AA-2282 from Port of Spain (Trinidad and Tobago) to Miami,FL (USA) with
169 passengers and 6 crew, was enroute at FL360 about 110nm southeast of
Providenciales (Turks and Caicos) when the crew noticed smell of smoke in
the cockpit and declared emergency reporting smoke in the cockpit. Shortly
afterwards the left hand engine’s (RB211) oil temperature rose to above
170 degrees C into the red zone, the engine was reduced to idle, the oil
pressure dropped and the temperature returned to within operational values.
The aircraft diverted to Providenciales for a safe landing about 17 minutes
after leaving FL360.

Maintenance found engine oil in the fan duct, the quantity in the oil reservoir
had reduced by about 1/3.

A replacement Boeing 737-800 registration N838NN was dispatched to Providenciales,
continued the flight and reached Miami with a delay of 7 hours.

The airline reported there was no fire, the aircraft diverted due to a mechanical
problem with an engine causing a low oil indication.

Turks and Caicos Emergency Department reported the crew indicated a fire
on board, the left engine was smoking and dripping fuel.

On Aug 14th 2014 the British AAIB released their bulletin reporting a seal
in the low pressure fuel pump had failed permitting fuel to enter the oil
system and the bleed air system. The aircraft was about 100nm southeast
of Providenciales when smoke began to fill the cockpit, the crew donned
their oxygen masks and diverted to Providenciales, cabin crew informed the
cockpit of smoke from the left hand engine but no signs of fire. The crew
completed the smoke, fumes and fire as well as the smoke removal checklists,
at FL100 the smoke had dissipated sufficiently that the crew was able to
remove the oxygen masks and smoke goggles.

Following landing the left engine was removed from the airframe, its oil
level was found low, there was a strong smell of fuel in the oil system,
and a large amount of debris was on the magnetic chip detectors, in particular
on the detector at the high speed gearbox. A seal in the low pressure fuel
pump was found heavily damaged, the fuel pump had a maintenance interval
of 12,000 hours and had accumulated 11,600 hours.

The AAIB discussed: “This is believed to be the fifth occasion on this engine
type of a fuel pump fault that has resulted in smoke entering the bleed
air system. The engine manufacturer is conducting a detailed inspection
of the fuel pump to determine the cause of failure, in accordance with its
established continued airworthiness procedures.”
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=46cb128d
20140410161948:20131014000000
Incident: British Airways B744 over Atlantic on Oct 14th 2013, electrical fire on board
A British Airways Boeing 747-400, registration G-BNLW performing flight
BA-192 (Dep Oct 13th) from Dallas Ft. Worth,TX (USA) to London Heathrow,EN
(UK) with 275 passengers, was enroute over the Atlantic Ocean, breakfast
was about to be served, when an burning electrical smell was noticed and
fire detectors went off. An actual fire was detected in the cabinet containing
the control center of the inflight entertaiment center, cabin crew managed
to extinguish the fire. The aircraft continued to London for a safe landing.

The airline confirmed the incident reporting it took about 5 minutes from
detecting the first fumes to the ultimately small fire being extinguished
using several, possibly 5, fire extinguishers.

The occurrence has been rated as serious incident, an investigation has
been opened into the occurrence.

Passengers reported that they noticed the inflight entertainment system
went offline and there was some accumulation of flight attendants. It was
only later that some of the passengers were quietly told about a fire, that
had taken out part of the inflight entertainment system.

On Apr 10th 2014 the British AAIB released a preliminary report within their
monthly bulletin reporting that the aircraft was enroute about 2 hours before
landing when both pilots noticed a smell reminding them of desinfectant,
they checked the cockpit door surveillance system to find out whether the
forward lavatory was being cleaned. The upper deck forward flight attendant
called the flight deck reporting a “funny smell”, during the call the pilots
noticed the smell turned into a strong, acrid electrical burning smell.
The call was termined when a lavatory smoke EICAS message was received indicating
the smoke was either in a lavatory or the cooling duct of the inflight entertainment
system. The captain handed control to the first officer and worked the related
checklist which did not require any action from the flight deck, the crew
decided not to don their oxygen masks and did not transmit a distress call.

In the meantime two flight attendants had located an open fire in galley
4 between doors 2L and 2R and began to fight the fire with BCF extinguishers
reporting to the flight deck open flames in galley 4 emanating from the
Video Demodulator (VMOD) of the inflight entertainment system, which was
located in the service director’s office in Galley 4. The communication
channels were kept open. The fire appeared to keep relighting several times,
a total of five fire extinguishers were discharged until the fire could
be reported out. The VMOD was removed and secured.

The AAIB analysed: “The VMOD unit was sent to its manufacturer for investigation
but, at the time of preparation of this account, their report has not been
received. However it was noted that the unit is certified to self-extinguish
when electrically isolated. An internal investigation by the operator concluded
that it was likely the VMOD had remained powered during the incident and
this was the reason it continued to re-ignite. One of the cabin crew described
how he believed he had isolated the IFE, but his description of events suggested
that he had only actioned the ëseat/pc electrics isolationí part of the
ëSafety Equipment and Procedures Manualí and that this had been done from
memory.”

The Video Demodulator and related switches (Photo: AAIB):

———————————–
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=46966402
20131003212853:20131003000000
Incident: Eagle B190 near Nelson on Oct 3rd 2013, electrical smell in cockpit
An Eagle Airways Beech 1900D on behalf of Air New Zealand, registration
ZK-EAP performing flight NZ-2195 from Wellington to Nelson (New Zealand)
with 17 passengers and 2 crew, was descending towards Nelson when the crew
declared emergency reporting an electrical smell in the cockpit. The aircraft
continued for a safe landing on Nelson’s runway 02 and stopped after vacating
the runway at the last exit.

Emergency services reported that after landing there was light haze visible
in the cockpit. The crew shut down both engines and rapidly disembarked
the passengers. The source of the smoke is under investigation.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=46958d5c
20131002194504:20131002000000
Incident: CSA AT72 at Budapest on Oct 2nd 2013, engine fire
A CSA Czech Airlines Avions de Transport Regional ATR-72-200, registration
OK-YFT performing flight OK-787 from Budapest (Hungary) to Prague (Czech
Republic) with 33 passengers and 4 crew, was climbing through about 3000
feet out of Budapest’s runway 31R when the crew, audibly on oxygen masks,
declared Mayday reporting smoke in the aircraft and requested an immediate
return to runway 31R for a landing as soon as possible. Another aircraft
was immediately pulled off the approach and sent into a hold, several more
aircraft also were sent to holds. About a minute after the initial emergency
call the crew reported they had an engine fire on the left hand engine,
the engine had been shut down and the fire suppression systems had been
discharged, the fire appeared to have been extinguished, in the stress of
the situation the crew reported 330 passengers and 4 crew on board. The
aircraft landed safely on runway 31R about 10 minutes after departure and
stopped on the runway where emergency services checked the aircraft before
it continued to the apron.

Budapest Airport was closed for about 30 minutes as result of the emergency
due to one runway out of service for maintenance and the other kept sterile
for the emergency and subsequent checks. Two aircraft diverted to Bratislava
as result of the delay.

The airline confirmed the crew received an engine fire indication, shut
the engine down and returned to Budapest.

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

On Oct 8th 2013 the French BEA reported in their weekly bulletin that after
departure the crew noticed smell of smoke and smoke coming from the left
hand engine, the left hand engine’s fire indication activated, the engine’s
low oil pressure activated and the engine stalled. The crew shut the engine
down and returned to Budapest. After landing investigators found a number
of fractured turbine vanes. Hungary’s Transportation Safety Board is investigating
the occurrence rated a serious incident.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=4696e630
20131004132100:20130927000000
Incident: Firefly AT72 near Kuala Lumpur on Sep 27th 2013, engine shut down in flight
A FireFly Avions de Transport Regional ATR-72-500, registration 9M-FYJ performing
flight FY-2168 from Kuala Lumpur Subang to Alor Setar (Malaysia), was about
15 minutes into the flight when the crew needed to shut the left hand engine
down and returned to Kuala Lumpur’s Subang Airport for a safe landing.

A passenger reported that about 15 minutes after becoming airborne there
was a pronounced deceleration of the aircraft, the aircraft began to descend
and rolled right for a longer than usual turn obviously to turn back to
Kuala Lumpur, there were no unusual noises or other unusual sensual perceptions
at the time. A few minutes later the flight crew announced that they had
some technical problem and were returning to Subang. The aircraft landed
safely about 10 minutes after the announcement and taxied to the apron.
Maintenance began to work on the left hand engine even before passengers
had started disembarking. Upon exiting the aircraft the passenger noticed
a smell of hot/burning oil and overheard discussions between the engineers
talking about engine oil. They were taken to another aircraft and reached
Alor Setar with delay.

Engineers already working on the left engine while the passenger disembarked:

———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=468ff6aa
20130926124129:20130924000000
Incident: Lufthansa A319 at Munich on Sep 24th 2013, smoke in cockpit
A Lufthansa Airbus A319-100, registration D-AKNJ performing flight LH-1818
from Munich (Germany) to Barcelona,SP (Spain), was climbing out of Munich
when the crew donned their oxygen masks, stopped the climb at FL160 reporting
smoke in the cockpit and returned to Munich. The crew subsequently advised
they had light smoke in the cockpit, they would stop on the runway and requested
emergency services to check the aircraft out “in aller Ruhe” (in all calmness).
The aircraft performed an ILS approach to runway 26L and landed safely on
runway 26L about 17 minutes after departure.

The flight was cancelled.

The incident aircraft resumed service after about 13 hours on the ground.

The airline reported the following day the crew detected the smell of smoke,
however, there was no smoke in the cockpit.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=468f1c6c
20130924200953:20130923000000
Incident: Delta B752 near Wichita on Sep 23rd 2013, burning smell on board
A Delta Boeing 757-200, registration N6705Y performing flight DL-1480 from
San Francisco,CA to Atlanta,GA (USA) with 175 people on board, was enroute
at FL370 about 60nm westsouthwest of Wichita’s Mid-Continent Airport,KS
(USA) when the crew reported a burning smell on board and decided to divert
to Wichita. Later on approach the crew reported an unknown smoke in the
cabin. The aircraft landed safely on Wichita’s runway 19R about 17 minutes
after leaving FL370. Attending emergency services found no trace of fire,
heat or smoke.

Passengers reported a smell like burning plastics.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=468f198f
20130924195544:20130923000000
Incident: Air France B772 over Atlantic on Sep 23rd 2013, burning smell on board
An Air France Boeing 777-200, registration F-GSPA performing flight AF-12
from Paris Charles de Gaulle (France) to New York JFK,NY (USA) with 294
people on board, was enroute at FL360 over the Atlantic Ocean about 300nm
northeast of St. John’s,NL (Canada) when the crew reported a burning smell
on board and decided to divert to St. John’s, the crew did not request assistance
and did not request priority. The aircraft dumped fuel and landed safely
on St. John’s runway 29 about 65 minutes later, emergency services were
in their stand by positions and performed a runway inspection.

The incident aircraft departed St. John’s about 29 hours after landing and
is estimated to reach New York with a delay of 29 hours.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=468ca8d9
20130921204308:20130920000000
Incident: Spirit A319 at Fort Lauderdale on Sep 20th 2013, smoke in cockpit
A Spirit Airlines Airbus A319-100, registration N525NK performing flight
NK-305 from Fort Lauderdale,FL to Las Vegas,NV (USA) with 150 people on
board, was in the initial climb out of Fort Lauderdale’s runway 10L when
the crew stopped the climb at 4000 feet reporting smoke in the cockpit,
donned their oxygen masks and returned the aircraft to Fort Lauderdale for
a safe landing on runway 10L about 9 minutes after departure. The aircraft
was able to taxi to the gate after a check by emergency services.

A replacement A319-100 registration N531NK reached Las Vegas with a delay
of 3 hours.

The incident aircraft was able to resume service 5 hours after landing.

Passengers reported that during takeoff rotation a smell like burning batteries
appeared in the cabin, shortly after becoming airborne smoke entered the
cabin from the cockpit. The aircraft returned to Fort Lauderdale, emergency
services entered the aircraft with fire extinguishers. They were later told
that a faulty air conditioning system was identified as cause of the smoke.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=468bb3ae
20130920163138:20130920000000
Incident: Delta MD88 at Manchester on Sep 20th 2013, irritating smell on board
A Delta Airlines McDonnell Douglas MD-88, registration N910DE performing
flight DL-1941 from Manchester,NH to Atlanta,GA (USA) with 144 passengers
and 5 crew, was climbing out of Manchester when the crew stopped the climb
at 10,000 feet reporting fumes in the cabin were getting the flight attendants
irritated, the crew declared emergency and decided to divert to Boston,MA,
where the aircraft landed safely on runway 04R about 25 minutes after departure,
vacated the runway and stopped for a check by emergency services, shut both
engines down and requested emergency services to walk around advising they
were still smelling the fumes. Emergency services did not find any trace
of fire, heat or smoke. Passengers disembarked onto the taxiway and were
bussed to the terminal, the aircraft was subsequently towed to the apron.
There were no injuries.

The airline confirmed fumes on board prompted the diversion. The passengers
were rebooked onto other flights.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=468b0c3a
20130919210604:20130918000000
Incident: TAM A320 near Curitiba on Sep 18th 2013, smell of smoke in cockpit
A TAM Linhas Aereas Airbus A320-200, registration PR-MYI performing flight
JJ-3045 from Sao Paulo Congonhas,SP to Porto Alegre,RS (Brazil), was enroute
at FL380 about 35nm east of Curitiba,PR (Brazil) when the crew reported
smell of smoke in the cockpit and diverted to Curitiba for a safe landing
on runway 15 about 12 (!) minutes later. Responding emergency services found
no trace of fire, heat or smoke.

Following examination the aircraft departed Curitiba as flight JJ-9396 to
Porto Alegre 4 hours after landing and reached Porto Alegre with a delay
of 4 hours. The aircraft subsequently performed return flight JJ-3046 with
a delay of 45 minutes.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=471532fe
20140313145332:20130914000000
Report: Thomas Cook B763 near Manchester on Sep 14th 2013, acrid smell in galley
A Thomas Cook Boeing 767-300, registration G-TCCB performing flight MT-2538
from Manchester,EN (UK) to Antalya (Turkey) with 320 passengers and 11 crew,
was climbing out of Manchester, when cabin crew switched on the ovens in
the rear galley. Three minutes later an acrid smell was noticed emanating
from the #3 oven, the oven was turned off and the circuit breakers reset.
Although the oven had been disconnected the smell intensified and cabin
crew noticed “wispy white smoke” from the sides and top of the oven. Fire
Extinguishers were discharged two times, the flight crew declared PAN and
diverted to East Midlands,EN (UK) for a safe landing. The aircraft vacated
the runway and stopped, fire services entered the cabin and removed the
oven. The aircraft was subsequently towed to the apron, where passengers
disembarked.

The AAIB reported in their bulletin that there was no evidence of fire in,
on or around the oven.

The trays to be inserted into the oven are being prepared by an independent
ground service company and come preloaded with the passengers’ meals.

A safety pin in the #3 oven, which should prevent the trays from contacting
exposed elements at the back of the oven, was found bent.

Examination revealed that two different types of ovens were installed on
the operator’s Boeing 767s, one being 11mm narrower than the other. It was
found, that the meal trays could be easily inserted into the larger oven
but needed some force to be inserted into the narrower oven.

The occurrence tray inserted into the #3 oven was found damaged and too
big for the oven.

As safety action as result of the occurrence the operator identified a new
insert compatible with both types of ovens.
———————————–
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=467ee655
20130904214557:20130903000000
Incident: Delta MD90 near Birmingham on Sep 3rd 2013, smell of smoke
A Delta Airlines McDonnell Douglas MD-90, registration N935DN performing
flight DL-2243 from New Orleans,LA to Atlanta,GA (USA) with 132 people on
board, was enroute at FL310 about 120nm southsouthwest of Birmingham,AL
(USA) when the crew reported smell of smoke on board and decided to divert
to Birmingham for a safe landing on runway 06 about 30 minutes later. Attending
emergency services found no trace of fire, heat or smoke.

The incident aircraft reached Atlanta with a delay of 11:15 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=4677662d
20130826205641:20130826000000
Incident: Condor B753 near Dubrovnik on Aug 26th 2013, smell of smoke in cabin
A Condor Boeing 757-300, registration D-ABOJ performing flight DE-1015 from
Hurghada (Egypt) to Frankfurt/Main (Germany) with 204 passengers and 9 crew,
was enroute at FL340 about 70nm north of Dubrovnik (Croatia) when the crew
reported smell of smoke in the cabin, turned around and diverted to Dubrovnik
for a safe landing on runway 12 about 20 minutes later. Responding emergency
services found no trace of fire, heat or smoke.

The aircraft is still on the ground in Dubrovnik about 7 hours after landing.
The flight is estimated to reach Frankfurt with a delay of 12 hours.

———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=4671a339
20130819155337:20130818000000
Incident: Jetblue E190 near Philadelphia on Aug 18th 2013, smell of smoke
A Jetblue Embraer ERJ-190, registration N249JB performing flight B6-827
from Boston,MA to Baltimore,MD (USA) with 95 passengers and 4 crew, was
enroute at FL320 about 95nm northnortheast of Philadelphia,PA (USA) when
cabin crew noticed the smell of smoke in the cabin prompting the flight
crew to divert the aircraft to Philadelphia. The aircraft landed safely
on Philadelphia’s runway 27L (active runways 09) about 25 minutes later,
vacated the runway and stopped for inspection by emergency vehicles. Emergency
services advised no traces of fire, heat or smoke were detected from the
outside of the aircraft, vehicles would follow the aircraft to the stand.
While communicating with dispatch to assign a gate emergency services alerted
the cockpit, that a heat signature had been found at the aft cargo area,
the crew responded with the evacuation of the aircraft. No injuries occurred
during the emergency evacuation.

The airline reported the crew diverted as abundance of caution after a smell
of smoke was detected in the cabin.

A replacement Embraer ERJ-190 reached Baltimore with a delay of 7:45 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=466f6064
20130816184852:20130814000000
Incident: American B752 near Ft. Myers on Aug 14th 2013, strong electrical smell in aft cabin
An American Airlines Boeing 757-200, registration N622AA performing flight
AA-2090 from Fort Myers,FL to Orlando,FL (USA), was climbing out of Fort
Myers when the crew reported a strong eletrical smell in the aft cabin followed
by a center IRS failure indication. On approach the crew advised the smell
had dissipated. The aircraft landed safely back in Fort Myers about 15 minutes
after departure.

Maintenance determined a pneumatic duct below the aft cabin floor had ruptured,
the duct is being replaced.

The aircraft had originated in Miami,FL and had diverted to Fort Myers due
to weather conditions in Orlando.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=4667a3d9/0000
20140407135710:20130806000000
Incident: Lion B738 at Gorontalo on Aug 6th 2013, hit cows and runway excursion on landing
Indonesia’s National Transportation Safety Committee (NTSC, also known as
KNKT) have released their final report concluding the contributing factor
to the serious incident were:

Some fences at the north and south of the runway along about 500 meters
were broken and some parts were not installed with the fences.

– The Djalaluddin Airport has been audited by The Directorate of Airport
dated 11 July 2013 number: 016/DBU-IK/VII/2013, as the findings it found
that: some Airport perimeter fences broken and the corrective action program
did not perform. As such, This condition could be clasified as extreemly
high since the findings issued till this serious incident occurred.

The NTSC reported the aircraft landed on Gorontalo’s runway 27.

The captain (44, ATPL, about 10,000 hours total, 3,858 hours on type) was
pilot flying, the first officer (32, CPL, about 1,700 hours total, 1,393
hours on type) was pilot monitoring.

After normal approach and touch down in clear weather and night conditions
during roll out the crew saw a number of animals ahead, the aircraft impacted
such animals at about 120 knots about 550 meters/1800 feet past the runway
threshold. The crew subsequently felt the brakes were ineffective, the aircraft
veered to the left and came to a stop on the left runway shoulder about
2,100 meters/6900 feet past the runway threshold.

The smell of burning meat entered the cabin during roll out and dissipated
after the engines were shut down.

The NTSC reported that Gorontalo tower issued taxi clearances but received
no reply. About a minute later the crew called tower reporting they had
hit animals during roll out, stopped on the runway shoulder and needed assistance,
the crew inquired whether any fire was visible. Tower advised they could
not see any fire.

The captain subsequently made an announcements requesting passengers to
remain seated and wait for further instruction, a number of passengers however
got up, opened the overwing emergency exits and exited the aircraft without
instruction from flight crew. Two of those passengers received sprained
ankles as result of them exiting through the overwing exits.

Arriving emergency services confirmed there was no fire, the passengers
then disembarked through the right forward and both aft service doors via
mobile stairs.

Two dead cows were found entangled with the aircraft’s main landing gear
struts. The hydraulic lines operating the brakes as well as the main landing
gear weight on wheel sensors were damaged.

The NTSC analysed that the airport had been audited by the directorate of
airports on July 11th 2013. The audit noted that parts of the airport perimeter
fences had been broken resulting in an increased risk of wildlife hazard.
The investigation could not find any evidence of corrective action taken
by the airport following the audit until the time of the incident.

Given the landing weight, landing configuration (flaps 40) and runway conditions
a landing distance of 5770 feet/1760 meters was required well within the
landing distance of 7380 feet/2250 meters available. After touchdown spoilers
and reversers deployed, automatic brakes activated according to BRAKE 3
settings, an initial deceleration of -0.316G was recorded, that decreased
to -0.2G following the impact with the cows.

The safety actions taken by the Airport Authority (Photo: NTSC):
The aircraft sitting on the runway shoulder (Photo: NTSC):

———————————–
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=46656559
20130803200316:20130801000000
Incident: Caraibes A333 at Paris on Aug 1st 2013, engine problems
An Air Caraibes Airbus A330-300, registration F-GOTO performing flight TX-570
from Paris Orly (France) to Cayenne (French Guiana), was climbing out of
Orly’s runway 08 when the crew reported engine trouble, stopped the climb
at 3000 feet and returned to Orly for a safe landing on runway 06 about
17 minutes after departure.

A replacement Airbus A330-300 registration F-HPTP reached Cayenne as flight
TX-5670 with a delay of 4 hours.

The incident aircraft is still on the ground at Orly 57 hours after landing.

The airline said the aircraft returned to Orly as a precaution, there was
no engine or fire involved.

The airport confirmed the crew reported engine trouble.

Passengers reported seeing streaks of flames from the engine and white smoke,
but did not report a bang. A burning smell subsequently developed on board
of the aircraft.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=46631d63
20130731221255:20130730000000
Incident: American Eagle E135 near Albany on Jul 30th 2013, smell of smoke
An American Eagle Embraer ERJ-135, registration N738NR performing flight
MQ-3364 from New York La Guardia,NY (USA) to Montreal,QC (Canada) with 36
passengers and 3 crew, was enroute at FL250 about 20nm east of Albany,NY
when the crew reported smell of smoke in cockpit and cabin and decided to
divert to Albany for a safe landing on runway 01 about 10 minutes later,
vacated the runway and stopped on the adjacent taxiway. Attending emergency
services found no trace of fire, heat or smoke, the aircraft taxied to the
apron afterwards.

A replacement Embraer ERJ-135 registration N711PH reached Montreal with
a delay of 3:15 hours.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=466eaa53
20130815204407:20130723000000
Incident: SAS B734 at Copenhagen on Jul 23rd 2013, bird strike
A SAS Scandinavian Airlines Boeing 737-400, registration LN-BRE performing
flight SK-1462 from Copenhagen (Denmark) to Oslo (Norway), was climbing
out of Copenhagen’s runway 04R when the crew saw a flock of large birds,
possibly sea gulls, in front of the aircraft. At about 800 feet AGL a loud
bang was heard followed by a significant increase in vibrations to about
4-5 units from the left hand engine (CFM56). The crew stopped the climb
and returned to Copenhagen, however, as all engine indications except for
vibrations were normal, kept the engine running at normal power settings.
The aircraft landed safely back on runway 04R, the left hand engine was
reduced to idle thrust after landing, vacated the runway and stopped for
an inspection by emergency services who noticed a leak from the left hand
engine associated with the smell of fuel. The aircraft taxied to the de-ice
platform near the runway, the engine was shut down there. After the fuel
valve was closed the leak ceased. The passengers disembarked via mobile
stairs and were bussed to the terminal.

Denmarks Havarikommissionen (HCL) rated the occurrence a serious incident
and reported on Aug 15th that an investigation has been opened.

Damage to the engine fan (Photo: HCL):

———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=465d4b99
20130724144857:20130723000000
Incident: Delta B764 near Caracas on Jul 23rd 2013, smell of smoke
A Delta Airlines Boeing 767-400, registration N828MH performing flight DL-120
(dep Jul 22nd) from Sao Paulo Guarulhos,SP (Brazil) to New York JFK,NY (USA),
was enroute at FL340 about 125nm northeast of Caracas (Venezuela) when the
crew reported smoke in cockpit and cabin, turned the aircraft around and
diverted to Caracas for a safe landing about 30 minutes later.

The airline confirmed the aircraft diverted to Caracas due to smell of smoke
in cockpit and cabin. A replacement Boeing 767-300 has been dispatched to
Caracas.

Passengers reported the aircraft departed Sao Paulo with a delay of 4 hours
due to problems with a window that didn’t want to close. While enroute over
the Caribbean Sea lots of very cold smoke appeared from the cabin ceiling,
flight attendants started to open the ceiling and others brought along fire
extinguishers.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=465f2b68
20130726225732:20130716000000
Incident: Westjet B738 near Las Vegas on Jul 16th 2013, smell of burning plastics in cockpit and cabin
A Westjet Boeing 737-800, registration C-GKWA performing flight WS-1403
from Phoenix,AZ (USA) to Calgary,AB (Canada) with 147 people on board, was
enroute at FL380 about 180nm east of Las Vegas,NV (USA) when the flight
crew noticed a smell of burning plastics in the cockpit, checked with cabin
crew who confirmed the smell was also present in the cabin. The crew declared
PAN and diverted to Las Vegas. During the descent towards Las Vegas the
crew actioned the relevant check lists for smoke removal, the smell dissipated.
The aircraft landed safely on runway 25R about 30 minutes later.

The Canadian TSB reported emergency services did not detect any hot spots,
the aircraft taxied to the gate where the passengers disembarked normally.
The cause of the fumes could not be identified despite extensive post incident
maintenance inspection and engine run ups.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=464a142e
20130630200617:20130626000000
Accident: Lufthansa A320 at Zurich on Jun 26th 2013, strong smell in cabin
A Lufthansa Airbus A320-200, registration D-AIQS performing flight LH-3134
from Dusseldorf (Germany) to Zurich (Switzerland), had landed on Zurich’s
runway 14 and was about to vacate the runway when the crew advised they
had a strong smell in the cabin and requested to cross runway 28 as quickly
as possible, but declined assistance by emergency services. The aircraft
taxied to the gate, where passengers and crew disembarked normally, the
crew underwent medical checks reporting dizziness, breathing difficulties,
nausea and lack of concentration.

The return flight LH-3135 was cancelled.

The aircraft positioned to Frankfurt/Main (Germany) as LH-9923 departing
Zurich about 6 hours after landing and remained on the ground in Frankfurt
for the rest of the day and Jun 27th before resuming service in the morning
of Jun 28th.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=464775c1
20130701184503:20130626000000
Incident: Condor B763 over Atlantic on Jun 26th 2013, electrical smell on board
A Condor Boeing 767-300, registration D-ABUB performing flight DE-2078 from
Lajes/Azores Islands (Portugal) to Fort Lauderdale,FL (USA) with 222 passengers
and 9 crew, was enroute at FL370 about 90nm westsouthwest of Bermuda (Bermuda)
when the crew reported a light electrical smell on board, no visible haze,
and requested to divert to Bermuda as a precaution, no assistance was needed.
The aircraft landed safely on Bermuda’s runway 30 about 45 minutes later,
no emergency services on stand by, and taxied to the apron.

The aircraft was able to continue the journey after about 5 hours on the
ground, changed final destination to Miami,FL (USA) and reached Miami with
a total delay of 32 hours.

On Jul 1st the airline told The Aviation Herald, that an electrical/electronical
smell was observed on board which prompted the crew to divert to Bermuda.
Maintenance determined that a filter, replaced in May 2013, had accumulated
dust (the same issue as on D-ABUZ). The aircraft subsequently diverted to
Miami due to the non-availability of customs at Fort Lauderdale at the time
of arrival. The airline provided taxis to take the passengers to their destinations
in the Miami/Fort Lauderdale area.

The flight originated in Frankfurt/Main (Germany) on Boeing 767-300 D-ABUZ
and needed to divert to Lajes due to electrical problems. The flight was
continued by replacement aircraft D-ABUB, see Incident: Condor B763 over
Atlantic on Jun 25th 2013, electrical problems.

———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=464773ee
20130701184452:20130625000000
Incident: Condor B763 over Atlantic on Jun 25th 2013, electrical problems
A Condor Boeing 767-300, registration D-ABUZ performing flight DE-2078 from
Frankfurt/Main (Germany) to Fort Lauderdale,FL (USA) with 222 passengers
and 9 crew, was enroute at FL340 over the Atlantic Ocean about 450nm northwest
of Lajes, Azores Islands (Portugal) when the crew reported electrical problems,
declared emergency and diverted to Lajes for a safe landing on runway 15
about 70 minutes later.

A replacement Boeing 767-300 registration D-ABUB was dispatched to Lajes,
departed Lajes to continue to Fort Lauderdale about 25 hours after landing
of D-ABUZ, but needed to divert to Bermuda, see Incident: Condor B763 over
Atlantic on Jun 26th 2013, electrical smell on board.

The incident aircraft departed Lajes on Jun 27th about 43 hours after landing
for a positioning flight back to Germany.

The airline reported that an electrical smell was noticed on board, the
crew declared emergency and diverted to Lajes. The passengers were taken
to hotels. Maintenance determined as cause of the smell that a filter, which
had been replaced in May 2013, had accumulated dust. The occurrence was
not related to the gear indication problem on the previous flight.
———————————–
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=4642f6ea
20130621204019:20130621000000
Incident: American B752 near Denver on Jun 21st 2013, smell of smoke in cockpit
An American Airlines Boeing 757-200, registration N606AA performing flight
AA-1070 (scheduled dep Jun 20th, actual dep Jun 21st) from Seattle,WA to
Miami,FL (USA) with 183 passengers and 6 crew, was enroute at FL350 about
160nm eastnortheast of Denver,CO (USA) when the crew reported the smell
of smoke in the cockpit and decided to divert to Denver. The crew advised
on approach that the smoke was dissipating. The aircraft landed safely on
runway 35R about 30 minutes later. Attending emergency services found no
trace of fire, heat or smoke.

The airline reported maintenance did not find anything out of the ordinary,
the aircraft was returned to service.

The incident aircraft continued the flight and reached Miami with a delay
of 6.5 hours.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=4642c54d
20130621150111:20130621000000
Accident: Germanwings A319 near Cologne on Jun 21st 2013, smell of chlorine on board
A Germanwings Airbus A319-100, registration D-AKNG performing flight 4U-396
from Cologne (Germany) to Dublin (Ireland) with 127 passengers, had just
reached cruise level 360 about 210nm northwest of Cologne over the North
Sea when passengers complained about feeling unwell due to smell of chlorine
on board of the aircraft. The crew decided to return to Cologne, where the
aircraft landed safely on runway 14L about 40 minutes later. One passenger
was taken to a hospital, a number of passengers were treated at the airport
for nausea, three crew members were taken to a hospital for checks.

A replacement Airbus A319-100 registration D-AGWK is estimated to reach
Dublin with a delay of 6 hours.

The airline reported the aircraft is being examined, so far no cause has
been found for the smell.

Passengers reported emergency services requested them to leave their hand
luggage on the aircraft for examination.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=463e1a47
20130615221329:20130615000000
Incident: Air Contractors B733 near Dublin on Jun 15th 2013, burning smell in cabin
An Air Contractors Boeing 737-300, registration EI-STA performing flight
AG-427J from Dublin (Ireland) to Dubrovnik (Croatia), was climbing out of
Dublin when the crew stopped the climb at FL280 declaring emergency and
reporting that cabin crew reported a burning smell in the back of the cabin.
The aircraft returned to Dublin for a safe landing on runway 28 about 20
minutes after stopping the climb.

The aircraft was able to depart again after about 2 hours on the ground
and reached Dubrovnik with a delay of 2 hours.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=463c40d7
20130613173459:20130612000000
Incident: LAN A319 near Cuzco on Jun 12th 2013, loss of cabin pressure
A LAN Airlines Airbus A319-100 on behalf of LAN Peru, registration CC-COZ
performing flight LP-2060 from Cuzco to Lima (Peru) with 115 passengers,
was climbing through about FL220 out of Cuzco when the crew initiated an
emergency descent due to the loss of cabin pressure, the passenger oxygen
masks were released. The aircraft returned to Cuzco for a safe landing about
20 minutes later.

Passengers reported the captain suddenly opened the cockpit door about 10
minutes into the flight and announced an emergency descent, the oxygen masks
came down and a smell similiar to burning tyres developed on board (editorial
note: the chemical oxygen generators supplying the passenger oxygen masks
produce heat and a burning smell).

The airline confirmed the aircraft performed an emergency descent as result
of the loss of cabin pressure, the passenger oxygen masks were automatically
released.

The flight was cancelled, the passengers were rebooked on one of the subsequent
7 flights of the day.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=463c2667
20130613144203:20130612000000
Incident: United B752 near Phoenix on Jun 12th 2013, smell of smoke on board
A United Boeing 757-200, registration N544UA performing flight UA-468 from
Houston,TX to Los Angeles,CA (USA), was enroute at FL380 about 150nm eastsoutheast
of Phoenix,AZ (USA) when the crew reported smell of smoke in the cockpit
and decided to divert to Phoenix for a safe landing on runway 26 about 25
minutes later. Attending emergency services found no trace of fire or heat.

A replacement Boeing 757-200 registration N556UA positioned from Los Angeles
to Phoenix, resumed the flight and delivered the passengers to Los Angeles
with a delay of 7.5 hours.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=46e67627
20140112152741:20130609000000
Report: British Airways B744 near London on Jun 9th 2013, trash compacted into smoke
A British Airways Boeing 747-400, registration G-CIVA performing flight
BA-214 from Boston,MA (USA) to London Heathrow,EN (UK) with 312 passengers
and 16 crew, was descending towards London and about to enter the Ockham
hold when cabin crew observed an acrid smoke from the trash compactor at
galley #4 (near door 2L). The flight attendant was unable to isolate the
electric supply of the trash compactor, but unpowered the entire galley
using the galley power emergency switch. Despite the power being removed
the situation worsened, the flight crew declared emergency and performed
an expeditious safe landing at Heathrow, the flight crew vacated the runway
and stopped. In consultation with emergency service the flight crew decided
to continue taxi to the stand, where emergency services removed the trash
compactor from the aircraft, subsequently the passengers disembarked normally.

The United Kingdom’s Air Accident Investigation Branch released their bulletin
stating that the trash compactor was sent to the manufacturer for further
analysis, however no conclusive evidence for the cause of the acrid smell
was found.

The AAIB concluded: “The operator has included the findings from this event
in its review of cabin crew training and fire safety drills.”
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=4639d589
20130610204506:20130607000000
Accident: Lufthansa A321 enroute on Jun 7th 2013, smell sickens three cabin crew
A Lufthansa Airbus A321-200, registration D-AISB performing flight LH-182
from Frankfurt/Main to Berlin Tegel (Germany), was enroute at FL280, cabin
crew had just started service, when cabin crew noticed a very strong bad
smell on board. Three flight attendants quickly developed symptoms like
concentration problems described as “brain fog”, tickling and irritation
in the throat combined with a metallic taste, headache, dizziness and weakness
of legs. The aircraft continued to Berlin for a safe landing about 45 minutes
after departure from Frankfurt. The three flight attendants were taken to
a hospital, one flight attendant remained without symptoms.

The flight crew positioned the aircraft back to Frankfurt as (scheduled)
flight LH-189, however without cabin crew and without passengers. The aircraft
remained on the ground in Frankfurt for about 14 hours resuming service
the following morning.

The hospital took blood and urin samples of the affected flight attendants
and performed tests for blood oxygen levels, calcium, haemoglobin and other
substances as well as tests for organophospates, however, no markers were
identified. The flight attendants were discharged 24 hours later.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=462c0ec6/0000
20141126173054:20130524000000
Accident: VIA A320 at Varna on May 24th 2013, runway excursion
Bulgaria’s Air Accident Investigation Unit (BAAIU) released their final
report in Bulgarian concluding the probable causes of the accident were:

– Inadequate in depth analysis of the meteorologic conditions in the forecast
as well as underestimation of weather observations with respect to the descent
of the aircraft by meteorological offices at Varna Airport, Air Traffic
Control and the crew of the aircraft
– dynamic sharp changes of wind speed and direction just prior to touch
down
– Non compliance with tail wind limits by the crew and incorrect decision
by the aircraft commander to continue the landing although current weather
conditions required to go around and either enter a hold to wait for better
conditions or divert to an alternate aerodrome
– the aircraft touched down at about the mid point of the runway at a speed
above Vapp. Automatic brakes were deactivated when the pilot flying applied
brakes, who however was late in applying maximum brakes pressure
– Increased workload by the commander due to
~ lack of experience of the first officer
~ time pressure due to next scheduled leg of the aircraft

Contributing factors

– ATIS information between 06:30Z and 07:30Z provided the term “NOSIG” which
reinforced the incorrect assessment of the actual weather conditions by
air traffic control and crew
– Change of the active runway by air traffic control without consultation
with weather offices and without consideration to the fact that the glideslope
transmitter of the ILS was operating in “bypass” mode

The BAAIU reported that upon nearing Varna the crew listened to ATIS information
“U” at about 06:50Z, which indicated that runway 27 was active and arriving
aircraft should expect a VOR approach to runway 27, visibility was at 4500
meters, winds from 230 degrees at 8 knots, rain, cumulo nimbus cloud at
2200 feet, temperature at +19 degrees C, dew point at -16 degrees C, QNH
1002, NOSIG (no significant changes in the next 2 hours).

The captain (54, ATPL, 16,300 hours total, 9,457 hours on type) was pilot
flying, the first officer (46, ATPL, 4,980 hours total, 18 hours on type)
pilot monitoring.

Upon contacting approach control of Varna the aircraft was cleared to descent
to 9000 feet on QNH 1001, the crew read back they were cleared to 9000 feet
at 1009 hectoPascals and inquired whether they could perform an ILS approach
to runway 09, the controller corrected the wrong readback repeating QNH
1001 which was read back correctly on the second readbach, the crew again
requesting an ILS approach to runway 09. After coordination with tower the
approach controller advised the crew to expect an ILS approach to runway
09 and provided a vector to a point 10nm ahead of runway 09 and cleared
a descent to 5000 feet.

While the aircraft was descending ATIS switched to information “W”, which
was announced by the approach controller. Information “W” reported active
runway 27, arrivals to expect VOR approaches to runway 27, the runway was
wet, winds from 240 degrees at 8 knots, visibility 6000 meters, temperature
+19 degrees C, dew point -17 degrees C, rain, CB at 2200 feet, NOSIG. Approach
reconfirmed the crew could expect the ILS approach to runway 09. The aircraft
gets cleared to descend to 2500 feet and subsequently for the ILS approach
runway 09 before being handed off to tower.

On a final approach to runway 09, about 5nm before touchdown, the crew contacted
tower and received information “variable winds at 19 knots gusting up to
31 knots” and clearance to land on runway 09, the crew acknowledged.

The aircraft was configured for landing with gear down, full flaps, spoilers
armed, autobrakes set to medium.

Just as the aircraft crossed the runway threshold at 45 feet AGL at 152
KIAS/187 knots over ground a frontal system arrived over the aerodrome from
the southwest associated with significant increase in wind changing from
southwest to west and increased rain. The aircraft floats at a height of
8 feet for about 7 seconds and about 1300 meters (runway length 2517 meters),
touches down at about 1220 meters of runway left at a speed of 168 knots
over ground producing a vertical acceleration of +1.35G. The captain subsequently
opened reversers, the spoilers extended into their ground positions, the
aircraft however was unable to stop within the remaining runway. The captain
steered the aircraft slightly left to avoid a collision with the localizer
antenna, the aircraft collided with the airport perimeter fence and came
to a stop 224 meters past the end of the runway and 37 meters to the left
of the extended runway center line. A burning smell develops in the cabin
prompting the commander to perform the fire drills for both engines and
order an emergency evacuation via slides. During the evacuation through
all exits two passengers received broken ankles and were taken to hospitals.

The BAAIU reported that the crew did not receive a specific TAF indicating
variable gusting winds of up to 15 meters/second (30 knots) at about their
time of arrival, not before departure from Leipzig nor during flight. Information
off the weather radar of Varna Airport show, that a series of strong convective
cells were located west of the aerodrome at about 06:50Z, which combined
into one large powerful cell moving northeast and reaching the aerodrome
with its “wall” just as the aircraft crossed the runway threshold, also
reflected in special weather reports issued at 07:13Z, 07:16Z and 07:21Z
(also seen in the METARs).

The BAAIU reported that the lawn of the airport was being mowed at the time
of the landing to the left of the runway. For this purpose the glideslope
transmitted had been put into bypass, the aerodrome engineer monitoring
possible deviations of the glideslope as result of the works via a laptop.
No deviation was recorded at the time of approach and landing. The lawn
mower reached a point sensitive to the glideslope about one minute after
the overrun and stopped. The BAAIU conducted tests of whether the lawn mower
could have caused unrecorded glideslope deviations during their investigation,
setting the glideslope transmitter into bypass and having the lawn mower
drive along its path during the accident day, the tests showed no deviation
of the glideslope. The BAAIU reported that the “bypass mode” disables the
automatic monitoring system of the ILS to switch from the main to the stand
by transmitter in case of a disturbance being recorded.

The BAAIU computed the actual landing distance required in the existing
wind conditions (more than 30 knots of tail wind amounting to 1080 meters
of increased landing distance) at the time of landing was 2606 meters, more
than the landing distance available.

The BAAIU analysed that the Vapp of the aircraft was 134 KIAS, it remains
unclear why the aircraft was crossing the runway threshold at 158 KIAS,
24 knots above reference speed, therefore. According to tests with the lawn
mower a theory of disturbances on the glideslope signal were “untrustworthy”,
a second theory of malfunctioning aircraft systems found no support in flight
data recorder and examination of the aircraft. The third theory suggests
that the crew did not react timely to environmental changes.

The BAAIU analysed that the approach to runway 27 would have required 5
additional minutes of flying, at which time the combined large cell would
already have been over the aerodrome. The approach to runway 09 however
was in line with an aircraft approaching from the west and was equipped
with a superior navigation aid, the ILS, apart from saving those 5 minutes
additional flying time, which became a factor into the crew decision due
to time constraints imposed by the schedule of the aircraft. At the time
of the crew deciding for an ILS approach to runway 09 ATIS as well as ATC
information both suggested a tail wind component albeit within the operational
limits of the aircraft. Additional information like the TAF indicating strong
varyiing winds at about their time of arrival as well as amended information
about the wind situation from ATC was not available to the crew. Only when
the crew checked in with tower, the crew received surprising information
about the wind gusting up to 31 knots, even though ATIS and ATC information
had suggested “NOSIG” over the next two hours.

The BAAIU continued analysis that at this time the aircraft was about 5nm
from touchdown, sufficient time to decide for a go around and assess the
options like entering a hold to wait for weather improvement or divert to
the alternate aerodrome at Bourgas. The BAAIU analysed that the little experience
of just 18 hours on type of the first officer may have put the commander
into a difficult position with respect to decide for a go-around. However,
computation of the landing distance required in the existing circumstances
exceeding the landing distance available required the approach to be aborted,
the decision to continue the landing is thus not acceptable.

The BAAIU analysed that the work load of the captain increased substantially
on short final forcing him to concentrate on piloting the aircraft rather
than assessing the weather scenario and landing distances. The passitivity
of the first officer, becoming obvious with the “before landing checklist”,
contributed to the increase of work load and also led to the first officer
not calling deviations from the standard operating procedures, e.g. deviations
from the glideslope and particular reference speeds, that would have prompted
the decision to go around by the commander. The BAAIU specifically mentions
that an additional safety pilot to compensate for the lack of experience
by the first officer could have prevented the accident.

The BAAIU analysed that tower changed the runway from 27 to 09 without consulting
with weather office and without consideration to the fact, that the ILS’
glideslope transmitted was in bypass mode. The BAAIU stated that tower was
not required to consult with met offices according to standard operating
procedures at the time. This lack of requirement resulted in tower permitting
the use of runway purely on ATIS information. There is no provision in the
ATC manual about the ILS transmitters being in stand by mode, too. With
the transmitter in bypass however it was possible that disturbances of the
transmitters/beams would not be corrected.

The BAAIU analysed that tower missed a chance to prevent the accident when
an aircraft holding short of runway 09 waiting for departure queried the
current winds about 2 minutes prior to the accident resulting in tower reading
the winds from 180 degrees at 21 knots showing a large wind change – the
wind change was not relayed to the arriving VIA flight however due to time
constraints. The omission of this information was in violation of the requirements
of ATC manual however.

The investigation analysed that the term NOSIG was not justified especially
with the prospect of a TAF released at approx. 04:20Z indicating strong
varyiing winds at around 07:00Z to 07:30Z gusting up to 30 knots. This NOSIG
however contributed to both tower and crew misjudging the existing weather
scenario and not expecting the significant weather change that occurred
on very short final to just prior to touchdown.

The BAAIU analysed that the captain declared Mayday and requested assistance
by emergency services believing to transmit on tower frequency however talking
on Intercom due to stress. Cabin crew acting professionally however did
not initiate the emergency evacuation until explicit command to initiate
emergency evacuation was given by the captain.

The BAAIU analysed that the captain timely and correctly decided to inititate
the emergency evacuation agreeing with the considerations that the damage
to the aircraft was unknown, there was smoke in the cabin probably due to
the rupture of the oil seal in the right hand engine and dust from the fractured
airport perimeter fence. However, the instruction to cabin crew was provided
before the actual checklists being read invoking the danger that passengers
evacuate with the engines still running and being sucked into the engines.
Cabin crew, after receiving the instruction to evacuate, verified that the
engines had been shut down before the first passengers left the aircraft.

The BAAIU analysed that the evacuation took about six minutes way above
the target of 90 seconds. It took about two minutes from the decision to
evacuate until all passengers were off the aircraft due to advanced age
of the majority of passengers and decreased mobility of some passengers
and an accumulation of passengers near the over wing exits as well as bad
weather conditions with reduced visibility, strong winds and rain. It took
another 4 minutes for the crew to leave the aircraft after collecting laptops
and other personal belongings.

The investigation released a number of safety recommendations to Bulgaria’s
Civil Aviation Authority to review and improve weather analysis and information
flow to ATC and operators to ensure all pertinent data are and become available
to flight crew, ensure flight crew know limitations of their aircraft, review
procedures to verify operability of navigation aids in particular ILS, improve
ATC manuals and improve Crew Resource Management Training during simulator
sessions.

The right hand engine (Photo: BAAIU):
Nose section (Photo: BAAIU):
Perimeter fence (Photo: BAAIU):
Final position (Photo: BAAIU):
LZ-MZR seen from runway end (Photo: BAAIU):

———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=4630cc74
20130530140112:20130522000000
Incident: Greenland DH8B at Narssarssuaq on May 22nd 2013, electrical problem and smoke in cockpit
An Air Greenland de Havilland Dash 8-200, registration OY-GRJ performing
flight GL-421 from Paamiut to Narssarssuaq (Greenland), was descending towards
Narssarsuaq when the crew decided to enter a hold due to weather conditions
with winds from 090 degrees at 39 knots, 25 knots minimum, gusting 62 knots.
While in the holding pattern over NDB NA the crew received a primary inverter
malfunction indication and smoke appeared in the cockpit. The crew donned
their oxygen masks, worked the relevant checklists and noticed after about
1-2 minutes that the smoke was subsiding and the smell of smoke disappeared.
The crew decided to return to Paamiut due to the weather conditions and
landed in Paamiut about 25 minutes after deciding to return.

Denmarks Havarikommission reported a postflight examination confirmed the
primary inverter was faulty and was the source of the smoke. An investigation
has been opened.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=462b4221
20130523151731:20130522000000
Incident: Jetblue A320 near Minneapolis on May 22nd 2013, fumes in cockpit
A Jetblue Airbus A320-200, registration N630JB performing flight B6-485
from Boston,MA to Los Angeles,CA (USA) with 150 people on board, was enroute
at FL340 about 140nm southeast of Minneapolis,MN (USA) when the crew reported
fumes in the cockpit and decided to divert to Minneapolis. On final approach
to Minneapolis the crew advised they still had a smell “back there” but
no smoke, they did not expect an evacuation but wanted to turn off runway
30L to the right onto what appeared to be a de-icing pad for checks by emergency
services, which was approved. The aircraft landed safely on runway 30L,
vacated the runway and later taxied to the apron with emergency services
in trail.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=4626772b
20130517131328:20130517000000
Incident: KLM Cityhopper E190 near Amsterdam on May 17th 2013, burning smell on board
A KLM Cityhopper Embraer ERJ-190, registration PH-EZG performing flight
WA-1445/KL-1445 from Amsterdam (Netherlands) to Aberdeen,SC (UK) with 85
people on board, was climbing through about FL100 out of Amsterdam’s runway
36L when the crew declared Mayday reporting a burning smell on board and
requested to return to Amsterdam. The aircraft stopped the climb at FL110
and returned to Amsterdam, advising the smell was persistent and did not
dissipate. The aircraft landed safely on runway 27 about 12 minutes after
departure. Responding emergency services found no trace of fire, heat or
smoke and escorted the aircraft to the apron, where passengers disembarked
normally and were bussed to the terminal.

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

The airline confimed a minor technical problem prompted the return.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=46250220
20130515163954:20130514000000
Incident: American MD82 near Amarillo on May 14th 2013, smell of smoke in cockpit
An American Airlines McDonnell Douglas MD-82, registration N7542A performing
flight AA-1099 from Dallas Ft. Worth,TX to Albuquerque,NM (USA) with 117
passengers, was enroute at FL320 about 45nm south of Amarillo,TX when the
crew reported smell of smoke in the cockpit together with a number of other
indications and decided to divert to Amarillo for a safe landing about 10
(!) minutes later. Attending emergency services found no trace of fire,
heat or smoke.

The aircraft was examined and was able to continue the flight reaching Albuquerque
with a delay of 3 hours.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=4622b248
20130513163247:20130512000000
Incident: Dolomiti E190 at Verona on May 12th 2013, rejected takeoff due to double bird strike
An Air Dolomiti Embraer ERJ-195 on behalf of Lufthansa, registration I-ADJP
performing flight EN-8223/LH-9477 from Verona (Italy) to Frankfurt/Main
(Germany), was accelerating for takeoff from Verona’s runway 22 (length
3070 meters/10,060 feet) when the crew rejected takeoff at high speed detecting
both engines (CF34) ingested birds. The aircraft slowed safely and came
to a stop within the touch down zone of runway 04. Emergency services responded
and checked the aircraft, that subsequently taxied to the apron, where passengers
disembarked normally.

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

A passenger reported, that following the slow down of the aircraft a burning
smell developed on board. The captain announced both engines had suffered
bird strikes. Emergency services responded and concentrated only on the
left hand engine, afterwards the aircraft taxied to an apron stand, where
the passengers disembarked.

Examination of the aircraft revealed the left hand engine had indeed ingested
a number of seagulls, sea gulls had also impacted the radome, the right
hand engine however was unaffected.
———————————–
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=461784d5
20130428171140:20130428000000
Incident: Wizz A320 near Warsaw on Apr 28th 2013, technical problem
A Wizz Air Airbus A320-200, registration HA-LPZ performing flight W6-1301
from Warsaw (Poland) to London Luton,EN (UK) with 161 people on board, was
climbing out of Warsaw’s runway 11 when the crew stopped the climb at FL110
reporting a minor technical problem, no assistance was needed but they needed
to return. The aircraft landed safely back on Warsaw’s runway 11 about 25
minutes after departure.

A replacement Airbus A320-200 registration HA-LPJ reached London with a
delay of 5.5 hours.

Passengers reported a burning smell on board of the aircraft, the crew announced
some time later a failure, they would return to Warsaw.

The airport reported a minor technical problem prompted the return, emergency
services were not put on stand by.
———————————–
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=4613943a
20140701152828:20130422000000
Accident: Singapore A333 near Bangkok on Apr 22nd 2013, cargo fire
9V-STO after opening of cargo doorA Singapore Airlines Airbus A330-300,
registration 9V-STO performing flight SQ-446 from Singapore (Singapore)
to Dhaka (Bangladesh) with 105 passengers and 12 crew, was enroute at FL350
about 120nm southwest of Bangkok (Thailand) when the crew received a cargo
fire indication, activated the cargo fire suppression system and decided
to divert to Bangkok. During the descent towards Bangkok a burning smell
developed on board of the aircraft. The aircraft landed safely on Bangkok’s
runway 19R about 20 minutes later. Emergency services responded, the passengers
disembarked via stairs, after opening of the aft cargo door a plume of smoke
became visible, fire services sprayed the cargo bay and needed more than
2 hours to control the situation. There were no injuries, the cargo was
damaged, the damage to the aircraft is being assessed.

The airline confirmed a rear cargo smoke indication prompted the diversion
to Bangkok, the aircraft landed safely, no injuries occurred. The passengers
were provided with hotel accomodation, were rebooked onto other flights
and continued their journey the following day. Thailand’s Authorities are
investigating, the airline is fully cooperating with the investigation.
It is planned to ferry the aircraft to Singapore for further assessment
after initial checks are completed.

Passengers reported the crew announced there was a minor problem, however,
they needed to divert to Bangkok. The aircraft landed safely with emergency
services on stand by and proceeded to the apron, where the passengers disembarked.
Only after a large plume of smoke became visible after opening of the cargo
bay everyone realised how critical the situation had been.

Thailand’s accident investigation board has opened an investigation.

On Jul 1st 2014 Singapore’s AAIB released an interim report indicating that
the investigation has been delegated to the Singapore AAIB. The AAIB reported
that the crew received an aft and bulk cargo smoke indication in flight
at FL360 over the Gulf of Thailand about 8nm from Thailand’s coast. The
crew activated the cargo fire extinguishing agent and diverted to the nearest
airport Bangkok. The smoke indication remained active even after the agent
had been discharged. The aircraft landed safely on Bangkok’s runway 19R,
vacated the runway and taxied to a parking bay where emergency services
performed an exterior inspection. No smoke or fire was visible from the
aft and bulk cargo doors, the passengers disembarked via stairs. The AAIB
then continued: “The Bangkok ARFF service tended to the aft cargo compartment
where smoke was billowing from the aft cargo door. While unloading cargo
container 42L, the contents burst into flames. The ARFF used a combination
of water and carbon dioxide to extinguish the fire.”

Cargo being unloaded from the aircraft:

———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=461292cd
20130422145930:20130420000000
Incident: Aeroflot A321 near Budapest on Apr 20th 2013, smoke and burning smell on board
An Aeroflot Airbus A321-200, registration VQ-BEG performing flight SU-2031
from Budapest (Hungary) to Moscow Sheremetyevo (Russia), was climbing through
FL140 out of Budapest when the crew observed smoke developing in the cockpit
associated with the smell of burning wires. The crew stopped the climb at
FL150, entered a hold at FL100 and landed safely back on Budapest’s runway
31R about 40 minutes after departure.

Rosaviatsia reported the smoke originated in the avionics bay.

The aircraft was able to depart again after 4 hours on the ground and reached
Moscow with a delay of 4.5 hours.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=460f4153
20130418154109:20130418000000
Incident: United B772 near Tokyo on Apr 18th 2013, burning smell in galley
A United Boeing 777-200, registration N27015 performing flight UA-6 from
Singapore (Singapore) to Tokyo Narita (Japan) with 279 people on board,
was descending through 10,000 feet towards Tokyo when cabin crew in the
forward business galley noticed a burning smell prompting the flight crew
to declare emergency. The aircraft landed safely on Narita Airport’s runway
16R about 6 minutes later. Emergency services found no trace of fire, heat
or smoke.

Japan’s Ministry of Transport reported the aircraft was on approach about
24km/13nm southeast of the airport descending through 2700 meters/8900 feet
when the crew declared emergency reporting a burning smell in the forward
business class galley. An inspection found no anomaly.

The incident aircraft was able to depart Tokyo three hours later for its
next flight.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=460cbbd3
20130415153103:20130414000000
Incident: KLM B738 near Amsterdam on Apr 14th 2013, unidentified smokey smell
A KLM Boeing 737-800, registration PH-BXN performing flight KL-1619 from
Amsterdam (Netherlands) to Milan Linate (Italy) with 112 passengers, was
climbing through FL130 out of Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport when the crew
declared PAN reporting an unidentified smokey smell throughout the entire
aircraft and requested to return to Schiphol. The aircraft landed safely
on runway 22 about 13 minutes later and stopped on the runway, where emergency
services inspected the aircraft. Passengers disembarked normally onto the
runway and were bussed to the terminal, the aircraft taxied to the apron
about one hour after landing.

A replacement Boeing 737-800 registration PH-BXA reached Milan with a delay
of 3 hours.

The airline said the cause of the smell is still under investigation.
———————————–
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=4607e619
20130409162735:20130408000000
Incident: Flybe DH8D near Isle of Man on Apr 8th 2013, smell of smoke
A Flybe de Havilland Dash 8-400, flight BE-811 from Manchester,EN to Isle
of Man (UK) with 46 passengers and 4 crew, was on approach to Isle of Man
when the crew reported smell of smoke on board. The aircraft continued for
a safe landing at Isle of Man’s Ronaldsway Airport about 5 minutes later.
Emergency services found no trace of fire, heat or smoke, the aircraft taxied
to the apron.

The airline confirmed a minor technical problem.
———————————–
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=4603223f
20130403185913:20130331000000
Incident: Jazz CRJ2 at Montreal on Mar 31st 2013, lavatory smoke detector indication
A Jazz Canadair CRJ-200, registration C-GZJA performing flight QK-8673 from
Montreal,QC (Canada) to Chicago O’Hare,IL (USA) with 36 people on board,
was in the initial climb out of Montreal’s runway 24L when the crew received
a lavatory smoke detector indication and declared emergency reporting smoke
in the cockpit. The aircraft stopped the climb at 5000 feet, returned to
Montreal for a safe landing on runway 24L about 12 minutes after departure
and stopped on the runway for an inspection by emergency services. The aircraft
subsequently taxied to the apron.

The Canadian TSB reported that maintenance ran both engines with bleed air
on and detected a smell of compressor wash soap. Both engines were run at
full power for 20 minutes, the aircraft then returned to service. The aircraft
had undergone a compressor wash the previous day, it was the first flight
since.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=46013886
20130401102643:20130331000000
Incident: Nextjet ATP near Norrkoping on Mar 31st 2013, smell of smoke
A Nextjet British Aerospace ATP on behalf of Braathens Regional, registration
SE-LLO performing flight DC-307 from Stockholm Bromma to Vaxjo (Sweden)
with 43 people on board, was enroute at FL160 about 40nm south of Norrkoping
(Sweden) when the crew decided to divert to Norrkoping due to a smell of
smoke on board. The aircraft landed safely, emergency services responded
but found no trace of fire or smoke despite removing a couple of sidewall
panels from the aircraft.

Initially flight attendants suspected a fire of napkins on board, the maritime
and aeronautical rescue center reported, flight attendants had discharged
fire extinguishers into the area where they suspected the smell came from.
Following first examination after landing police reported there never had
been any fire.

Sweden’s Havarikommission is investigating. A search for the source/cause
of the smell so far remained without success.
———————————–
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=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).
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http://avherald.com/h?article=45f950b2
20130322164602:20130320000000
Incident: Indigo A320 at Agartala on Mar 20th 2013, bird strike
An Indigo Airbus A320-200, registration VT-INQ performing flight 6E-236
from Agartala to Kolkata (India) with 177 passengers and 6 crew, was in
the initial climb out of Agartala when an engine (V2527) ingested a bird
prompting the crew to return to Agartala for a safe landing.

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

Passengers reported they heard a loud bang, then a burning smell developed
in the cabin while the aircraft returned to Agartala.

The incident aircraft positioned out of Agartala on Mar 22nd.
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http://avherald.com/h?article=45f93a4e
20130322141917:20130320000000
Incident: British Airways B763 near London on Mar 20th 2013, smell of smoke on board
A British Airways Boeing 767-300, registration G-BZHB performing flight
BA-902 from London Heathrow,EN (UK) to Frankfurt/Main (Germany), was climbing
out of Heathrow when the crew stopped the climb at FL170. The aircraft continued
in the general direction of Frankfurt for another 10 minutes before the
crew decided to return to Heathrow reporting a smell of smoke on board.
The aircraft landed safely back in Heathrow about one hour after departure.

The flight was cancelled.

The incident aircraft remained on the ground until next day, when it resumed
service 28 hours after landing.
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http://avherald.com/h?article=45f53b04
20130317152752:20130317000000
Incident: Malmo RJ1H at Malmo on Mar 17th 2013, smoke in cabin
A Malmo Aviation Avro RJ-100, registration SE-DSX performing flight TF-102
from Malmo to Stockholm Bromma (Sweden) with 49 people on board, was climbing
through FL200 out of Malmo when the crew reported smoke in the cabin and
returned to Malmo for a safe landing on Malmo’s runway 17 about 22 minutes
after departure, the aircraft taxied to the gate where passengers disembarked
normally.

Emergency services reported there had been a burning smell and thick smoke,
the smoke had subsided by the time of the landing.

The airline reported one of the cabin fluorescent lights was identified
as source of the smell and smoke. The flight was cancelled, the passengers
were rebooked onto the next flight.
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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.
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http://avherald.com/h?article=45ea7b22
20130304143234:20130303000000
Incident: United B752 near Cleveland on Mar 3rd 2013, burning smell in cabin
A United Boeing 757-200, registration N57111 performing flight UA-132 from
New York JFK,NY to Los Angeles,CA (USA), was enroute at FL360 about 80nm
south of Cleveland,OH (USA) when the crew reported, that someone had reported
a burning smell in the cabin, and diverted the aircraft to Cleveland for
a safe landing about 25 minutes later. Attending emergency services found
no trace of fire, heat or smoke.

The airport reported maintenance was unable to find anything abnormal.

The remainder of the flight was cancelled, the passengers rebooked onto
other flights.
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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=45e78468
20130228233452:20130226000000
Incident: American Eagle E135 at Miami on Feb 26th 2013, smell in cabin
An American Eagle Embraer ERJ-140, registration N829AE performing flight
MQ-3512 from Miami,FL to Atlanta,GA (USA) with 42 people on board, was in
the initial climb out of runway 08L when the crew reported a smell/smoke
in the cabin and requested an immediate return to Miami. The crew stopped
the climb at 1400 feet, joined a left downwind for runway 08L and landed
safely back about 5 minutes after departure.

A replacement ERJ-140 registration N826AE reached Atlanta with a delay of
2.5 hours.
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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=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=45e176da
20130221172303:20130220000000
Incident: UTAir B735 near Moscow on Feb 20th 2013, smell of smoke in cockpit
A UTAir Boeing 737-500, registration VP-BYM performing flight UT-257 from
Moscow Domodedovo to Surgut (Russia) with 88 passengers, was climbing through
FL290 out of Moscow when the autopilot disconnected shortly followed by
the smell of smoke in the cockpit. The crew aborted the climb and returned
to Moscow Domodedovo for a safe landing 32R about 25 minutes later.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=45d715e7
20130208182405:20130208000000
Incident: El Al B738 near Tel Aviv on Feb 8th 2013, smell of smoke
An El Al Boeing 737-800, registration 4X-EKJ performing flight LY-213 from
Tel Aviv (Israel) to London Luton,EN (UK), was climbing out of Tel Aviv
when the crew stopped the climb at FL260 due to smell of smoke on board
and decided to return to Tel Aviv for a safe landing on runway 08 about
30 minutes after departure.

The flight was cancelled, the passengers were rebooked onto other flights.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=45cec736
20130129171948:20130128000000
Incident: American B763 near San Juan on Jan 28th 2013, overheating battery charger
An American Airlines Boeing 767-300, registration N358AA performing flight
AA-233 from Miami,FL (USA) to Sao Paulo Guarulhos,SP (Brazil) with 198 passengers
and 13 crew, was enroute at FL330 about 60nm south of San Juan (Puerto Rico)
when the crew decided to divert to San Juan due to an overheating battery
charger and smell of smoke on board. The aircraft landed safely about 18
minutes later.

A replacement Boeing 767-300 registration N349AN, originally scheduled to
fly from San Juan to New York, resumed the flight to Sao Paulo and is estimated
to reach Guarulhos Airport with a delay of 19 hours.

The incident aircraft was able to return to service the following day and
resumed the flight N349AN was originally scheduled to fly.

A passenger reported that the flight had been delayed repeatedly at the
gate in Miami already due to an overheating battery charger. Later, about
2.5 hours into the flight, the captain announced the problem had returned
and there was smoke on board prompting them to divert to San Juan.
———————————–
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.
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http://avherald.com/h?article=45c8f195
20130122171028:20130121000000
Incident: Southwest B735 near Tulsa on Jan 21st 2013, smell of smoke
A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-500, flight WN-254 from Kansas City,MO to
Houston Hobby,TX (USA) with 76 passengers and 5 crew, was enroute at FL360
about 15nm south of Tulsa,OK (USA) when smell of smoke was detected in the
cabin prompting the crew to turn around and divert to Tulsa for a safe landing
on runway 08 about 20 minutes later.
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http://avherald.com/h?article=45c7d877
20130121112721:20130121000000
Incident: Skywest Airlines F50 near Ravensthorpe on Jan 21st 2013, burning electrical smell
A Skywest Airlines Fokker 50, registration VH-FNB performing flight XR-141
from Esperance,WA to Ravensthorpe,WA (Australia) with 46 passengers, was
on approach to Ravensthorpe when a smell of burning electrics was detected
on board. The aircraft contiued for a safe landing at Ravensthorpe, the
aircraft was evacuated. No injuries occurred.

The airline reported, there was a burning electrical smell on board. 23
of the 46 passengers were destined for Ravensthorpe anway, all passengers
disembarked at Ravensthorpe, the 23 destined for the onward destination
Perth,WA (Australia) were bussed back to Esperance and rebooked onto other
flights.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=45c405a0
20130116205911:20130116000000
Incident: Aer Lingus A320 at Dublin on Jan 16th 2013, smell of smoke
An Aer Lingus Airbus A320-200, registration EI-EDS performing flight EI-484
from Dublin (Ireland) to Lisbon (Portugal) with 87 passengers and 6 crew,
was climbing out of Dublin’s runway 10 when the crew stopped the climb at
8000 feet reporting smell of smoke in cockpit and cabin. The aircraft returned
to Dublin for a safe landing on runway 10 about 13 minutes after departure.
Attending emergency services found no trace of fire, heat or smoke.

A replacement Airbus A320-200 registration EI-CVC reached Lisbon with a
delay of 2.5 hours.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=45c377c5/0023
20141201213918:20130116000000
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)
On Sep 24th 2014 the JTSB released their final report concluding the probable
causes of the serious incident of JA804A were:

The emergency evacuation was executed on Takamatsu Airport taxiway in the
serious incident, which was a consequence of emergency landing deriving
from the main battery thermal runaway during the airplaneís takeoff climb.

Internal heat generation in cell 6 very likely developed into venting, making
it the initiating cell, resulting in cell-to-cell propagation and subsequent
failure of the main battery. It is very likely that cell 6 internal heat
generation and increased internal pressure caused it to swell, melt the
surrounding insulation material and contact the brace bar creating a grounding
path that allowed high currents to flow through the battery box. The currents
generated arcing internal to the battery that contributed to cell-to-cell
propagation consequently destroying the battery.

Cell 6 heat generation was probably caused by internal short circuit; however,
the conclusive mechanism thereof was not identified.

In the serious incident, the internal short circuit of a cell developed
into cell heat generation, thermal propagation to other cells, and consequently
damaged the whole battery. The possible contributing factors to the thermal
propagation are that the test conducted during the developmental phase did
not appropriately simulate the on-board configuration, and the effects of
internal short circuit were underestimated.

The JTSB stated in the findings: “We cannot disregard the fact that all
battery incidents (the serious incident inclusive) occurred in winter. Therefore,
at present low temperature environment was the possible contributing factor
to the battery failure.

The JTSB annotated in the findings that the ground wire “fused” when 1,010
Amperes were running across the wire while cell 7 was venting.

The JTSB listed a number of possible scenarios leading to the thermal runaway
stating that observations on the flight data recorder permits to identify
the cause of the thermal runaway was an internal short circuit. The JTSB
stated: “From the analyses of internal short circuit, three possible candidates
for interior short circuit remain: lithium metal deposition in the cell,
metal piece contamination, and damaged separator. Given the fact that all
similar battery incidents occurred in the cold season, lithium metal deposition
deriving from charging under cold conditions could have existed. However,
it is unlikely that lithium metal deposition was the sole causal factor
of the internal short circuit leading to venting. It is possible that electric
transient or other factors combined may have affected the lithium metal
deposition leading to an internal short circuit. As no mechanism of internal
short circuit was conclusively identified, we are unable to exclude the
possible involvement of other factors associated with design and manufacturing.”

The JTSB found that tests performed replicated thermal runaways with the
actual on-board configuration however did not include internal short circuit
simulation. During development of the batteries simulations of internal
short circuits had been performed, however did not simulate the on-board
configuration. These tests did not develop into thermal runaways. The JTSB
therefore stated: “RTCA/DO-311, which is referred to by the latest version
of LIB airworthiness standard TSO-179a, does not stipulate test procedures
to properly simulate internal short circuit. It should be amended to mandate
internal short circuit tests simulating proper on-board environment.”

On Dec 1st 2014 the NTSB released their final report concluding the probable
causes of the occurrence of JA829J in Boston were:

The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause
of this incident was an internal short circuit within a cell of the auxiliary
power unit (APU) lithium-ion battery, which led to thermal runaway that
cascaded to adjacent cells, resulting in the release of smoke and fire.
The incident resulted from Boeingís failure to incorporate design requirements
to mitigate the most severe effects of an internal short circuit within
an APU battery cell and the Federal Aviation Administrationís failure to
identify this design deficiency during the type design certification process.

The NTSB reported that one of the eight battery cells suffered an internal
short circuit as result of design deficiencies, which led to a thermal runway
propagating to other cells (which Boeing had considered but ruled out as
a possibility) resulting in the fire, that fortunately occurred on the ground.
The NTSB stated: “Because the APU and main lithium-ion batteries installed
on the 787 represented new technology not adequately addressed by existing
regulations, the Federal Aviation Administration required that Boeing demonstrate
compliance with special conditions to ensure that the battery was safe for
use on a transport category aircraft. Boeing’s safety assessment of the
battery, which was part of the data used to demonstrate compliance with
these special conditions, was insufficient because Boeing had considered,
but ruled out, cell-to-cell propagation of thermal runaway (which occurred
in this incident) but did not provide the corresponding analysis and justification
in the safety assessment. As a result, the potential for cell-to-cell propagation
of thermal runaway was not thoroughly scrutinized by Boeing and FAA engineers,
ultimately allowing this safety hazard to go undetected by the certification
process.”

In addition the NTSB identified a number of design and manufacturing concerns:
– GS Yuasaís cell manufacturing process allowed defects that could lead
to internal short circuiting, including wrinkles and foreign object debris,
to be introduced into the Boeing 787 main and auxiliary power unit battery.

– The thermal protections incorporated in large-format lithium-ion battery
designs need to account for all sources of heating in the battery during
the most extreme charge and discharge current conditions and protect cells
from damage that could lead to thermal runaway.

– More accurate cell temperature measurements and enhanced temperature and
voltage monitoring and recording could help ensure that excessive cell temperatures
resulting from localized or other sources of heating could be detected and
addressed in a timely manner to minimize cell damage.

– Determining the initial point of self-heating in a lithium-ion cell is
important in establishing thermal safety limits.

– Boeingís electrical power system safety assessment did not consider the
most severe effects of a cell internal short circuit and include requirements
to mitigate related risks, and the review of the assessment by Boeing authorized
representatives and Federal Aviation Administration certification engineers
did not reveal this deficiency.

– Boeing failed to incorporate design requirements in the 787 main and auxiliary
power unit battery specification control drawing to mitigate the most severe
effects of a cell internal short circuit, and the Federal Aviation Administration
failed to uncover this design vulnerability as part of its review and approval
of Boeingís electrical power system certification plan and proposed methods
of compliance.

– Unclear traceability among the individual special conditions, safety assessment
assumptions and rationale, requirements, and proposed methods of compliance
for the 787 main and auxiliary power unit battery likely contributed to
the Federal Aviation Administrationís failure to identify the need for a
thermal runaway certification test.

– Stale enhanced airborne flight recorder data could impede future accident
and incident investigations by delaying the full understanding of the recorded
data; stale data could also impact aircraft safety if an operatorís maintenance
activities were based on these data.

– The poor audio recording quality of the enhanced airborne flight recorder
could impede future aircraft investigations because the recorded conversations
and other cockpit sounds might be obscured.

The NTSB released 15 safety recommendations to the FAA, 2 safety recommendations
to Boeing and 1 safety recommendation to the manufacturer of the battery
in addition to the safety recommendations released so far.
———————————–
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=45c24847
20130115134238:20130114000000
Incident: British Airways B763 near Entebbe on Jan 14th 2013, engine shut down in flight
A British Airways Boeing 767-300, registration G-BNWO performing flight
BA-254 from Lusaka (Zambia) to London Heathrow,EN (UK), was enroute near
Entebbe (Uganda) when the crew needed to shut the right hand engine (RB211)
down and divert to Entebbe for a safe landing.

The remaining flight was cancelled. The passengers were taken to hotels,
a few were rebooked onto other flights to London via Nairobi (Kenya) the
same day. The following day flight BA-46 from Dar es Salaam (Tanzania) to
London Heathrow,EN (UK) flown by Boeing 767-300 registration G-BNWC was
diverted to Entebbe to pick up a good number of passengers of flight BA-254.
The remaining passengers were rebooked onto other flights to London via
Nairobi, too.

Passengers reported hearing a thud type sound, soon after a smell of burning
cables developed, the aircraft began to descend. The purser made an announcement
that one of the engines had failed, a couple of minutes later the captain
announced their right hand engine had failed and they were dumping fuel.
The aircraft landed safely in Entebbe but became disabled while taxiing
to the apron, the captain indicated high brakes temperatures burst a number
of tyres.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=45bb75fa
20130106154327:20130105000000
Incident: Compass E175 near Pittsburgh on Jan 5th 2013, smell of smoke
A Compass Airlines Embraer ERJ-175 on behalf of Delta Airlines, registration
N634CZ performing flight CP-5772/DL-5772 from Atlanta,GA to Rochester,NY
(USA), was enroute at FL370 about 110nm south of Pittsburgh,PA when the
crew reported smell of smoke on board and diverted to Pittsburgh for a safe
landing on runway 28R about 20 minutes later. Responding emergency services
found no trace of fire, heat or smoke.

A replacement Embraer ERJ-175 registration N622CZ reached Rochester with
a delay of 2.5 hours.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=45b7ed84
20130102135405:20130101000000
Incident: Finnair A319 at Helsinki on Jan 1st 2013, smell of smoke in cabin
A Finnair Airbus A319-100, registration OH-LVG performing flight AY-863
from Helsinki (Finland) to Zurich (Switzerland), was climbing out of Helsinki’s
runway 22R when the crew stopped the climb at 6000 feet reported smell of
smoke in the cabin and returned to Helsinki for a safe landing on runway
22L about 12 minutes after departure. Emergency services found no trace
of fire, heat or smoke.

A replacement Airbus A320-200 registration OH-LXH reached Zurich with a
delay of 3.5 hours.

The airline confirmed smell of smoke in the cabin prompted the return to
Helsinki. The aircraft was examined.

The incident aircraft resumed service the following day.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=45becc6c
20130110153153:20121230000000
Incident: Aeroflot A320 at Krasnodar on Dec 30th 2012, bird strike
An Aeroflot Airbus A320-200, registration VQ-BHN performing flight SU-1273
from Krasnodar to Moscow Sheremetyevo (Russia) with 134 passengers and 7
crew, was accelerating for takeoff from Krasnodar’s runway 05R when past
V1 the crew observed birds. The takeoff was continued, however when the
aircraft climbed through about 500 feet a burning smell developed inside
the cockpit and cabin and engine (CFM56) vibration indications rose to 8.5
units. The crew stopped the climb at 1300 meters/4300 feet and returned
to Krasnodar, without shutting an engine down, for a safe landing on runway
23L about 12 minutes after departure.

Rosaviatsia reported a postflight inspection found 3 damaged blades in the
left hand engine.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=45b65fb9
20121231170204:20121230000000
Incident: American B763 near Kahului on Dec 30th 2012, electrical smell
An American Airlines Boeing 767-300, registration N348AN performing flight
AA-6 from Kahului,HI to Dallas Ft. Worth,TX (USA), was climbing through
13,000 feet out of Kahului’s runway 02 when the crew reported an electrical
smell on board and due to overweight decided to divert to Honolulu,HI for
a safe landing on runway 08L about 35 minutes after departure. The crew
terminated the emergency upon vacating the runway and taxied to the gate
requesting emergency vehicles to follow them to the gate to check the brakes.

The aircraft was able to depart Honolulu after about 5 hours on the ground
and reached Dallas with a delay of 5.5 hours.
———————————–
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=45a8df74
20121215121113:20121214000000
Incident: Jetblue E190 at Baltimore on Dec 14th 2012, electrical smell in cockpit
A Jetblue Embraer ERJ-190, registration N281JB performing flight B6-1327
from Boston,MA to Baltimore,MD (USA) with 91 passengers and 4 crew, was
descending through about 7000 feet towards Baltimore when the crew declared
emergency reporting an electrical smell in the cockpit. Upon contacting
tower the crew advised they were intending to vacate the runway. The aircraft
continued for a safe landing on runway 33L about 8 minutes later, vacated
the runway via taxiway F and stopped, the occupants were evacuated via slides.
No injuries occurred.

The airline reported the crew declared emergency as a precaution due to
some mechanical problem, the 90 passengers and 4 crew were evacuated and
taken to the terminal.
———————————–
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=45a43649
20130315160423:20121209000000
Incident: Condor A320 near Stuttgart on Dec 9th 2012, smoke on board
A Condor Airbus A320-200, registration D-AICI performing flight DE-7546
from Berlin Schoenefeld (Germany) to Las Palmas,CI (Spain) with 134 passengers
and 6 crew, was enroute at FL350 about 75nm northeast of Stuttgart (Germany)
when the crew declared emergency reporting smoke in cockpit and cabin. The
aircraft diverted to Stuttgart for a safe landing on runway 25 about 17
minutes later and stopped on the runway. The passenger disembarked via stairs.

The airport was closed for about 45 minutes as a result.

The airline reported the cause of the smoke is still unclear and under investigation.
A replacement aircraft is going to continue the flight.

The airport reported there was smell of burning plastics and smell of smoke
in cockpit and cabin, the flight crew donned their oxygen masks. Two of
the four flight attendants were taken to a hospital with breathing problems.

A replacement Airbus A320-200 registration D-AICC reached Las Palmas with
a delay of 7 hours.
———————————–
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=459bc6c1
20121128171827:20121126000000
Incident: Ryanair B738 near Birmingham on Nov 26th 2012, technical problem
A Ryanair Boeing 737-800, registration EI-DAI performing flight FR-3901
from Birmingham,EN (UK) to Malta (Malta), was climbing out of Birmingham
when the crew stopped the climb at FL130 and entered a hold to burn off
fuel. The aircraft subsequently diverted to London Stansted,EN (UK) for
a safe landing on runway 23 about one hour after departure.

A replacement Boeing 737-800 registration EI-ENR reached Malta with a delay
of 2:40 hours.

A passenger reported the captain announced the aircraft suffered a technical
problem and they would divert to Stansted Airport. The landing gear was
lowered for burning off fuel, which lasted about 30 minutes, the gear was
retracted again while positioning for the approach to Stansted and a normal
landing occurred. The passenger did not notice anything out of the normal,
gear and flaps were operated as expected, no unusual movements, vibrations,
smells or the like. Gossip running around the aircraft suggested that some
anti ice system had failed.
———————————–
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=458d0777
20121112134020:20121108000000
Incident: Iberia Express A320 near Madrid on Nov 8th 2012, pressurization problem
An Iberia Express Airbus A320-200, registration EC-JFG performing flight
I2-3924/IB-3924 from Madrid,SP to Las Palmas,CI (Spain), was climbing out
of Madrid when the crew stopped the climb at FL250 and returned to Madrid
for a safe landing on runway 32L about 15 minutes later.

A replacement Airbus A320-200 registration EC-HUJ reached Las Palmas with
a delay of 3.5 hours.

A passenger reported the captain announced they had a serious failure and
returned to Madrid for safety reasons but did not provide any further information.
The passenger did not notice anything out of the usual like sounds, smells
or vibrations.

The airline reported a minor pressurization malfunction. The aircraft was
able to resume service later the day after necessary maintenance had been
performed.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=4589199b
20121105231149:20121105000000
Incident: El Al B744 near Shannon on Nov 5th 2012, smell of smoke on board
An El Al Boeing 747-400, registration 4X-ELD performing flight LY-7 from
Tel Aviv (Israel) to New York JFK,NY (USA) with 338 people on board, was
enroute at FL340 about 140nm northwest of Shannon (Ireland) about to enter
Oceanic Airspace, when the crew decided to turn around without requesting
priority and set course in direction of London,EN (UK). About 20 minutes
later while descending through FL210 about 50nm east of Shannon the crew
declared PAN reporting an unidentified smell of smoke in the main cabin
and requested to now divert to Shannon (Ireland). The aircraft landed safely
on Shannon’s runway 24 about 25 minutes after declaring PAN, backtracked
the runway and taxied to the apron with emergency services following the
aircraft.

The passengers were taken to hotels.

A replacement Boeing 747-400 registration 4X-ELB has been dispatched from
Tel Aviv to Shannon as flight LY-21 and is expected to continue the flight
to New York.

The airport currently estimates the flight to continue on Nov 6th at 02:00L
(02:00Z).

4X-ELD after landing in Shannon:

———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=4584a147
20121031152357:20121031000000
Incident: Qantas A388 near Sydney on Oct 31st 2012, strong smell
A Qantas Airbus A380-800, registration VH-OQF performing flight QF-1 from
Sydney,NS (Australia) to Singapore (Singapore) with 271 people on board,
was enroute at FL300 about 400nm northwest of Sydney about 70 minutes into
the flight when the crew decided to return to Sydney due to a strong smell
on board. The aircraft descended to FL280 for the return and landed safely
on Sydney’s runway 34L about 60 minutes later.

The airline confirmed the return as a precaution due to a “very strong smell”
on board. The cause of the smell is under investigation.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=45840189
20121030220804:20121029000000
Incident: Aeroflot A320 near Krasnodar on Oct 29th 2012, burning smell in cabin
An Aeroflot Airbus A320-200, registration VP-BKY performing flight SU-1102
from Moscow Sheremetyevo to Krasnodar (Russia) with 110 passengers and 7
crew, was descending towards Krasnodar when the cabin crew detected a burning
smell in the cabin prompting the flight crew to declare emergency. The aircraft
continued for a safe landing on Krasnodar’s runway 23L.

Rosaviatsia reported the cause of the burning smell is under investigation.

The aircraft was able to resume service after 26 hours on the ground in
Krasnodar.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=45831cdf
20121029225005:20121029000000
Incident: Ryanair B738 near Paris on Oct 29th 2012, smell of fuel aboard
A Ryanair Boeing 737-800, registration EI-DHG performing flight FR-7823
from Glasgow Prestwick,SC (UK) to Barcelona,SP (Spain), was enroute at FL390
about 90nm southwest of Paris Beauvais (France) when the crew decided to
divert to Beauvais Airport. The aircraft landed safely on Beauvais Airport’s
runway 12 about 20 minutes later.

Passengers reported that a strong smell of fuel developed on board prior
to the captain announcing they were diverting to Paris Beauvais.

A replacement Boeing 737-800 registration EI-DHZ reached Barcelona with
a delay of 5 hours.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=458146e5
20121116221813:20121026000000
Incident: Lufthansa B744 near Goose Bay on Oct 26th 2012, smoke in cabin
A Lufthansa Boeing 747-400, registration D-ABTL performing flight LH-431
from Chicago O’Hare,IL (USA) to Frankfurt/Main (Germany) with 293 passengers
and 16 crew, was enroute at FL330 about 520nm northwest of Goose Bay,NL
(Canada) when the crew reported smoke in the cabin as result of an electrical
problem in one of the galleys and diverted to Goose Bay. The aircraft landed
safely on Goose Bay’s runway 08 about 70 minutes later.

Lufthansa’s Boeing 747-400 registration D-ABVD performing flight LH-430
departing Frankfurt on Oct 27th 2012 for Chicago O’Hare diverted to Goose
Bay to drop two mechanics off and is estimated to reach Chicago with a delay
of 3 hours.

The mechanics determined a coffee maker had malfunctioned.

The aircraft reached Frankfurt on Oct 28th at 06:00L with a delay of 24
hours, flight number still LH-431 (callsign DLH4T5).

The airline confirmed the aircraft diverted to Goose Bay due to smoke as
result of a defective coffee maker. After a circuit breaker was replaced
certified maintenance engineers flown into Goose Bay released the aircraft
to service.

On Nov 16th 2012 the Canadian TSB reported that smoke and an electrical
smell were noticed in the business class right hand galley near the coffee
makers. All circuit breakers of the galley were pulled, power to the inflight
entertainment system and portable electronic devices disconnected, right
and left utility busses switched off. The coffee maker was removed, it was
noticed that its circuit breaker had popped. The crew did not declare emergency
but diverted to Goose Bay. Maintenance determined no other anomaly than
the coffee maker and released the aircraft to service, the aircraft completed
the journey without further incident.
———————————–
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=4591d2d8
20121116121131:20121024000000
Incident: Jazz DH8C near Vancouver on Oct 24th 2012, windshield fire
A Jazz de Havilland Dash 8-300, registration C-FTAK performing flight QK-8126
from Portland,OR to Vancouver,BC (Canada) with 46 people on board, was descending
through 10,000 feet on approach to Vancouver when the crew heard a popping
sound, saw a small flame from on the captain’s windshield heater wires and
noticed an electrical smell. The windshield heating was selected off and
the fire immediately extinguished, the crew donned their oxygen masks and
continued for a safe landing at Vancouver 08L about 8 minutes later.

The Canadian TSB reported the left windshield was replaced. The removed
windshield will undergo further testing.
———————————–
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=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=457aa836/0000
20131010163636:20121019000000
Accident: jet2 B738 at Glasgow on Oct 19th 2012, rejected takeoff
The AAIB released their bulletin stating that one passenger received a serious
and 15 passengers minor injuries during the evacuation.

The aircraft was accelerating for takeoff when the flight crew became of
a strange smell in the cockpit, passengers and cabin crew noticed strange
smell followed by what appeared to be smoke from the overhead bins. The
chief flight attendant repeatedly pressed the flight deck call button to
alert the flight crew of a developing emergency situation in the cabin.
When the aircraft accelerated through 80 knots both pilots noticed “misting”
in the cockpit and the smell intensified. The captain called to reject takeoff,
closed the thrust levers, disconnected autothrottles, applied maximum braking,
selected the spoilers fully up and opened the thrust reversers. The first
officer confirmed the rejected takeoff and spoilers were fully open and
thrust reversers had opened. When the aircraft declerated through 60 knots
the first officer selected the flaps to 40 degrees to facilitate a possible
evacuation and radioed ATC they were stopping. The chief flight attendant
was called to the flight deck to brief on the status in the cabin, smoke
in the cabin was clearly visible through the flight deck door, the captain
therefore ordered the evacuation of the aircraft.

A number of passengers exited through the overwing exits, and given the
darkness did not recognize they could slide down the flaps and instead jumped
down. A number returned into the cabin and exited through the main doors.

Passengers evacuating through the doors slid down rapidly due to the wet
surface and had difficulty to clear the slide before the next passenger
arrived down. This caused collisions and injuries. The serious injury occurred
to female passenger (77) after sliding down the door slide, when she badly
landed on the runway and fractured bones in her neck. The 15 other minor
injuries occurred on the door slides as well as result of collisions or
being knocked over on slide off the end of the slide.

An initial examination of the aircraft’s engines did not reveal any anomaly.
The packs were examined and the right hand air recycle machine replaced
when it hesitated to operate during the examination. Laboratory analysis
revealed no anomaly however, analysis of the filters did not find any contamination.
The aircraft was testflown without recurrence before being returned to service.

The AAIB analysed: “No defects were identified on the aircraft that could
have led to the smoke or fumes that were seen and smelt.

Laboratory analysis of the cabin temperature sensor air filters, exposed
to cabin air, showed that there were no unusual substances or residues of
oil or hydraulic fluid present.

At the beginning of the flight, the air conditioning packs were selected
ON after engine start, in accordance with the standard operating procedures,
but later than on the other flights sampled. This, combined with the short
taxi time, may have meant that the cabin was slightly warmer than usual
by the time the takeoff commenced.

The ambient conditions on the day meant the air was humid, with the temperature
and dew point only one degree apart. As engine power was increased for takeoff,
more air was available for air conditioning and the air conditioning system
was able to supply colder air to the cabin to achieve the selected temperature.
As the cabin was warm and humid, this sudden influx of cold air, potentially
down to 1.7∞C, could have caused the formation of mist or fog in the cabin
which, in the low lighting conditions, could have given the appearance of
smoke or fumes.”
———————————–
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=4577639b
20121015130751:20121013000000
Incident: AirTran B712 near Louisville on Oct 13th 2012, smell of smoke
An AirTran Boeing 717-200, flight FL-186 from Atlanta,GA to Indianapolis,IN
(USA) with 109 passengers and 5 crew, was enroute at FL320 about 20nm southeast
of Louisville,KY (USA) when the crew reported smell of smoke on board and
diverted to Louisville for a safe landing about 15 minutes later.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=45f2aee9
20130314115620:20121011000000
Report: Thomas Cook B752 at Glasgow and near Manchester on Oct 11th 2012 and Oct 12th 2012, smoke/fumes on board
A Thomas Cook Boeing 757-200, registration G-FCLA performing flight MT-3549
from Dalaman (Turkey) to Glasgow,SC (UK) with 231 passengers and 8 crew,
had safely landed and had reached the gate, passengers were disembarking
via the jetway attached to the L2 door. While approaching the gate the crew
had activated the APU, the APU started normally without any anomaly and
without smells, the crew subsequently focussed on post flight activities
when some time during disembarkation the captain became aware of a strong
smell and some blue haze in the cockpit. The captain (57, ATPL, 16,000 hours
total, 12,000 hours on type) left the cockpit, discovered thick smoke in
the cabin, the front section of the cabin was already empty however there
were still passengers in the rear section of the cabin, the commander therefore
went to the next intercom and ordered the immediate evacuation of the aircraft.
The doors L4 and R4 were re-armed then opened, the slides deployed and passengers
evacuated onto the apron, the door R3 was also re-armed and opened with
passengers using that exit, the door L3 remained closed due to obstacles
outside, doors L1/R1 were not used because the front section of the cabin
was already empty. One of about 60 passengers using the slides received
a very minor injury in the evacuation.

Maintenance identified the APU as source of the smoke and scheduled the
APU to be replaced three days later, in the meantime the APU was deactivated
under minimum equipment list requirements and the aircraft returned to service.

The following day the aircraft departed Glasgow for flight MT-3212 to Tenerife
Sur Sofia Reina,CI (Spain) with 241 passengers and 8 crew. Following engine
start the aircraft taxied out to the runway without any obvious smells,
however, when engine thrust was increased for takeoff a strong fuel/oil
smell became obvious. The crew, aware of the previous day’s events, were
not concerned and continued the takeoff, the smell seemed to subside during
the climb. The aircraft had reached FL350 about 50nm northwest of Manchester,EN
(UK) when both pilots started to feel unwell with light headedness and dizziness.
Both pilots donned their oxygen masks, declared PAN and initiated a diversion
to Manchester and began to action the fumes and smoke checklists. The pilots
improved, there seemed to be no fumes or smell in the cabin, the pilots
thus stopped at the first completion point of the checklist. Some time later,
while on approach to land, a lavatory smoke detector activated. The crew
continued for a safe landing on Manchester’s runway 23L about 30 minutes
after leaving FL350.

The British Air Accident Investigation Board (AAIB) released their bulletin
into both events reporting that following the first event maintenance decided
to replace the APU, however deferred the replacement until three days later,
deactivated the APU and released the aircraft to service under minimum equipment
list requirements. There was one very minor injury as result of the evacuation
of about 60 passengers.

The following day after landing both flight crew were taken to a hospital
for checks, both were released the same day. The aircraft underwent engineering
checks and engine ground runs were conducted with no anomaly identified.
It was suspected that residual oil may have remained in the air conditioning
or equipment cooling systems as result of the previous day’s events and
engineering activities. The aircraft departed for its next flight about
9 hours after landing and resumed service the following day.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=45733760
20121010133403:20121010000000
Incident: United B752 at Oslo on Oct 10th 2012, engine shut down in flight
A United Boeing 757-200, registration N17104 performing flight UA-39 from
Oslo (Norway) to Newark,NJ (USA), was in the initial climb out of Gardermoen
Airport’s runway 01L when a loud bang and streaks of flames were observed
out of the right hand engine (RB211). The crew levelled off at about 3000
feet, shut the engine down and returned to Gardermoen Airport for a safe
landing on runway 01R about 15 minutes after departure.

Passengers reported there was a huge bang, streaks of flames were visible
from the right hand engine (usually indicative of engine surge or compressor
stall but not an engine fire) and a burning smell developed in the cabin.
The captain subsequently announced an engine had failed.

The flight was cancelled.
———————————–
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=456cb0a5
20121002180753:20121002000000
Incident: American B772 over Atlantic on Oct 2nd 2012, smoke in cockpit
An American Airlines Boeing 777-200, registration N762AN performing flight
AA-98 from Stephenville,NL (Canada) to London Heathrow,EN (UK), was enroute
at FL380 over the Atlantic Ocean when the crew reported smoke in the cockpit
and diverted to Shannon (Ireland). While descending towards Shannon the
crew advised they intended to taxi straight to the gate after landing. The
aircraft landed safely on runway 24 and taxied to the gate with emergency
services following the aircraft to the gate.

The aircraft had already diverted to Stephenville on its way from Chicago
O’Hare,IL (USA) to London due to a medical emergency after a passenger suffered
symptoms of a heart attack. The aircraft was on the ground in Stephenville
for about 2.5 hours.

The airline reported smell of smoke was detected in the cabin believed to
originate from an overheated fan, there was no visible smoke. The problem
is being isolated, the aircraft is estimated to continue shortly.

Due to crew duty time limitations the remainder of the flight was postponed
to the next day, the passengers were taken to hotels.
N762AN at Shannon:

———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=456c17a9
20121001205943:20120926000000
Incident: Air Canada A333 at Frankfurt on Sep 26th 2012, acrid smell, thin smoke and temperature rise in cockpit
An Air Canada Airbus A330-300, registration C-GFUR performing flight AC-845
from Frankfurt/Main (Germany) to Calgary,AB (Canada) with 235 people on
board, was climbing out of Frankfurt’s runway 25C when the crew reported
a strong acrid smell, thin visible smoke and a temperature rise in the cockpit
and requested an immediate return to Frankfurt. The aircraft levelled off
at FL070 and landed safely but overweight on runway 25C about 12 minutes
after departure.

The Canadian TSB reported the crew noticed an acrid smell in cockpit and
cabin, thin visible smoke and a temperature rise was observed in the cockpit.
The aircraft landed 40 tons overweight. Maintenance determined the #1 air
conditioning system as source of the smoke.

An observer on the ground reported a high number of emergency vehicles including
fire engines and ambulances deployed to runway 25C a few minutes prior to
the A330 landing at what appeared a higher than normal speed. The aircraft
vacated the runway and taxied to a remote apron at the western end of the
aerodrome soon being surrounded by all emergency vehicles, fire brigades
checking out the landing gear.
———————————–
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=45671425
20120925202417:20120925000000
Incident: Sky Work D328 near Southend on Sep 25th 2012, electrical smell and smoke
A Sky Work Airlines Dornier Do-328, registration HB-AEV performing flight
SX-503 from London City,EN (UK) to Berne (Switzerland) with 26 people on
board, was enroute near Southend,EN (UK) when the crew reported an electrical
smell and smoke on board and diverted to Southend. During the approach the
crew reported the smoke had cleared, the smell persisted and continued for
a safe landing in Southend. Following inspection by emergency services the
aircraft taxied to the apron.

The flight was cancelled.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=456c1b42
20121001212509:20120923000000
Incident: Expressjet E145 at Montreal on Sep 23rd 2012, burning smell
An Expressjet Embraer ERJ-145 on behalf of United, registration N14105 performing
flight EV-4575/UA-4575 from Montreal,QC (Canada) to Newark,NJ (USA) with
35 people on board, was in the initial climb out of Montreal’s runway 24L
when a strong burning smell developed on board. The crew declared emergency
and returned to Montreal for a safe landing on runway 24L about 9 minutes
after departure.

The Canadian TSB reported the crew did not observe any visible smoke. The
passengers deplaned normally at the gate.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=45660353
20120924140321:20120923000000
Incident: Pinnacle CRJ9 near Austin on Sep 23rd 2012, burning electrical smell on board
A Pinnacle Airlines Canadair CRJ-900 on behalf of Delta Airlines, flight
9E-3299/DL-3299 from Austin,TX to Salt Lake City,UT (USA), was climbing
through FL180 out of Austin when the crew requested to return to Austin
reporting they had no emergency situation but a burning electrical smell
they wanted to have checked out. No assistance and no emergency services
were requested. The aircraft landed safely on Austin’s runway 17R about
25 mintues after departure.
———————————–
http://avherald.com/h?article=455abefa
20120910180833:20120909000000
Incident: Commutair DH8B near Johnstown on Sep 9th 2012, smoke in cabin
A Commutair de Havilland Dash 8-200 on behalf of United, registration N362PH
performing flight C5-785/UA-4785 from Washington Dulles,DC to Cleveland,OH
(USA) with 37 passengers, was climbing out of Washington when passengers
and cabin crew smelled smoke in the cabin prompting the flight crew to stop
the climb at 10,000 feet and divert to Johnstown,PA for a safe landing about
20 minutes later. Emergency services found no trace of fire or heat.

A replacement Dash 8-200 registration N379PH reached Cleveland with a delay
of 4 hours.
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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.
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http://avherald.com/h?article=4551bcca
20120830200900:20120828000000
Incident: Southwest B737 near Oakland on Aug 28th 2012, smoke in cabin
A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-700, registration N472WN performing flight
WN-2899 from Oakland,CA to Reno,NV (USA) with 119 people on board, was climbing
out of Oakland’s runway 29 when the crew reported smoke in the cabin, stopped
the climb at about 11,000 feet and returned to Oakland for a safe landing
on runway 29 about 13 minutes after departure and taxied to the apron indicating
they were okay.

The airline reported a flight attendant smelled smoke.

toxin free travel on toxin free aircraft