Westjet B737 at Calgary on Jun 14th 2018, actual fire in cargo hold
Last Update: January 19, 2019 / 16:01:21 GMT/Zulu time
Incident Facts
Date of incident
Jun 14, 2018
Classification
Incident
Airline
Westjet Airlines
Flight number
WS-113
Departure
Calgary, Canada
Destination
Vancouver, Canada
Aircraft Registration
C-GWJT
Aircraft Type
Boeing 737-700
ICAO Type Designator
B737
The Canadian TSB dispatched two investigators on site.
On Jan 19th 2019 the TSB released their final factual report without formal conclusion but following safety message:
Lithium-ion batteries are subject to the Transportation of Dangerous Goods Regulations. Transport Canada’s safety advisory on the transportation of electronic cigarettes on aircraft exists to prevent the transportation of lithium-ion batteries in checked baggage, which can pose a hazard to the safety of aircraft.
In this occurrence, even though the passenger was aware of the restrictions on lithium-ion batteries, the checked baggage was not identified as containing dangerous goods before being loaded into the cargo hold. When this type of responsibility is shared among passengers, air carriers, and security screening authorities, no one agency or individual is in a position to ensure that the contents of baggage comply with an air carrier’s requirements related to restricted items.
When the aircraft climbed through 9000 feet the crew received a lower aft cargo smoke indication, worked the related checklists discharging one cargo fire bottle, declared Mayday and returned to Calgary for a safe landing. Emergency services visually inspecting the aircraft found no signs of fire and no hot spots via thermal imaging. In compliance with standard operating procedures the flight crew had instructed emergency services to not open the cargo door until all passengers and crew had vacated the aircraft. The aircraft taxied to the apron where passengers and crew disembarked. After opening the cargo door a burnt passenger bag was found near the cargo door. The bag was isolated and separated from the other luggage, the remaining bags were found undamaged and were unloaded. The cargo bay sustained minor thermal damage, the fire had been contained to an area of 24 by 24 inches.
The TSB reported with respect to the passenger's bag:
The passenger whose bag caught fire flew frequently for business purposes and was aware of WestJet’s policies with respect to restricted items in checked baggage. The passenger packed his bag, a tactical-style nylon backpack, on the evening of 13 June 2018 and inadvertently packed 2 spare lithium-ion batteries for his e-cigarette,3 in the charger, in the front pocket of the bag. The pocket also contained a dry herb vaporizer, a portable speaker, and USB cables.
On the morning of 14 June 2018, the passenger arrived at the airport and checked his bag in. He took his e-cigarette and 2 other lithium-ion batteries into the passenger cabin, as required by WestJet’s policy on e-cigarettes.
The checked bag proceeded through the passenger baggage security screening and was loaded into the aircraft’s lower aft baggage compartment, while still containing the 2 spare lithium-ion batteries.
The TSB wrote with respect to the battery fire:
The engineering report concluded that 1 battery in the charger experienced a thermal runaway and the interior material of the battery was completely burnt out. The thermal runaway was likely caused by external damage. The investigation could not determine if the damage occurred before the battery arrived at the airport or during baggage handling.
Aircraft Registration Data
Aircraft registration data reproduced and distributed with the permission of the Government of Canada.
Incident Facts
Date of incident
Jun 14, 2018
Classification
Incident
Airline
Westjet Airlines
Flight number
WS-113
Departure
Calgary, Canada
Destination
Vancouver, Canada
Aircraft Registration
C-GWJT
Aircraft Type
Boeing 737-700
ICAO Type Designator
B737
This article is published under license from Avherald.com. © of text by Avherald.com.
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