British Airways A319 near London on Oct 21st 2016, fumes on board
Last Update: March 9, 2017 / 14:30:12 GMT/Zulu time
Incident Facts
Date of incident
Oct 21, 2016
Classification
Incident
Cause
Fumes on board
Airline
British Airways
Departure
Bordeaux, France
Destination
London Gatwick, United Kingdom
Aircraft Registration
G-DBCB
Aircraft Type
Airbus A319
ICAO Type Designator
A319
The UK AAIB rated the occurrence a serious incident and opened an investigation.
The occurrence aircraft had diverted to Bordeaux the previous day while performing flight BA-2720 from London Gatwick to Malaga,SP (Spain).
On Mar 9th 2017 the AAIB released their bulletin.
The AAIB wrote:
The day before the incident, during a cross-bleed engine start, the co-pilot noticed a brief acidic smell that returned just before takeoff and twice during the climb. The commander was unable to detect anything unusual until they were in the cruise, when the smell returned with increasing intensity. The smell was strongest in the area of the co-pilot’s rudder pedals and side-stick controller but there were no symptoms in the passenger cabin. The crew initiated the Smoke/Fire/Fumes emergency checklist and with the smell becoming stronger, they diverted to Bordeaux, where the landing was uneventful.
The smell could not be reproduced on the ground but the avionics blower fan was inhibited before the aircraft departed the following day on a re-positioning flight to London Gatwick.
The smell returned when the crew initiated their descent and they donned their oxygen masks and declared a PAN.
Investigation by the operator did not identify the definitive source of the smell, although a number of components were replaced. These included the right brake master cylinder which was found to be leaking hydraulic oil. The aircraft has completed over 30 flights since the incident without recurrence.
Incident Facts
Date of incident
Oct 21, 2016
Classification
Incident
Cause
Fumes on board
Airline
British Airways
Departure
Bordeaux, France
Destination
London Gatwick, United Kingdom
Aircraft Registration
G-DBCB
Aircraft Type
Airbus A319
ICAO Type Designator
A319
This article is published under license from Avherald.com. © of text by Avherald.com.
Article source
You can read 2 more free articles without a subscription.
Subscribe now and continue reading without any limits!
Read unlimited articles and receive our daily update briefing. Gain better insights into what is happening in commercial aviation safety.
Send tip
Support AeroInside by sending a small tip amount.
Related articles
Fleet type match
British Airways A319 near London on Mar 5th 2014, cabin pressure problems
A British Airways Airbus A319-100, registration G-DBCB performing flight BA-976 from London Heathrow,EN (UK) to Hanover (Germany), was climbing…
Fleet type match
British Airways A388 at Singapore on Apr 22nd 2024, weather radar failure
A British Airways Airbus A380-800, registration G-XLED performing flight BA-12 from Singapore (Singapore) to London Heathrow,EN (UK), was climbing…
Fleet type match
British Airways A320 at Milan on Apr 4th 2024, engine shut down in flight
A British Airways Airbus A320-200, registration G-EUYD performing flight BA-568 from London Heathrow,EN (UK) to Milan Linate (Italy), was on approach…
Fleet type match
British Airways A320 at Manchester on Mar 28th 2024, smoke in cockpit
A British Airways Airbus A320-200, registration G-EUUC performing flight BA-1396 from London Heathrow,EN to Manchester,EN (UK), was on approach to…
Fleet type match
British Airways B772 over Atlantic on Mar 15th 2024, one of the pilots incapacitated
A British Airways Boeing 777-200, registration G-VIIP performing flight BA-2272 from New York JFK,NY (USA) to London Gatwick,EN (UK), was enroute at…
Fleet type match
British Airways B773 near Singapore on Jun 16th 2023, turbulence causes injuries
A British Airways Boeing 777-300, registration G-STBL performing flight BA-12 (dep Jun 15th) from Singapore (Singapore) to London Heathrow,EN (UK)…
Newest articles
Fleet type match
UPS B744 at Tokyo on May 6th 2023, hard touchdown on windshear recovery
A UPS United Parcel Service Boeing 747-400, registration N580UP performing flight 5X-109 from Shanghai Pudong (China) to Tokyo Narita (Japan), was on…
Fleet type match
Delta B763 at New York on Apr 26th 2024, emergency slide trouble
A Delta Airlines Boeing 767-300, registration N176DN performing flight DL-520 from New York JFK,NY to Los Angeles,CA (USA), was climbing out of JFK's…
Subscribe today
Are you researching aviation incidents? Get access to AeroInside Insights, unlimited read access and receive the daily newsletter.
Pick your plan and subscribePartner
A new way to document and demonstrate airworthiness compliance and aircraft value. Find out more.
ELITE Simulation Solutions is a leading global provider of Flight Simulation Training Devices, IFR training software as well as flight controls and related services. Find out more.
Your regulation partner, specialists in aviation safety and compliance; providing training, auditing, and consultancy services. Find out more.
AeroInside Blog
Popular aircraft
Airbus A320Boeing 737-800
Boeing 737-800 MAX
Popular airlines
American AirlinesUnited
Delta
Air Canada
Lufthansa
British Airways