British Airways B789 near Iqaluit on Sep 12th 2018, fumes in cockpit
Last Update: September 25, 2018 / 20:05:21 GMT/Zulu time
Incident Facts
Date of incident
Sep 12, 2018
Classification
Incident
Airline
British Airways
Flight number
BA-103
Departure
London Heathrow, United Kingdom
Destination
Calgary, Canada
Aircraft Registration
G-ZBKA
Aircraft Type
Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner
ICAO Type Designator
B789
In the meantime a military aircraft on a mission was nearing Iqaluit and was informed about the possible runway closure due to an emergency arrival. The crew advised they had little fuel to divert, only one other airfield was in reach, they'd needed to divert immediately if the runway in Iqaluit was to be closed for some more time. After landing of the BA, when informed the Dreamliner had stopped on the runway with both engines shut down, the crew advised they'd divert to their alternate, however, when told a few minutes later that the Dreamliner had moved off the runway and the runway was open again, the military crew decided to continue to Iqaluit and landed.
The airline reported the aircraft diverted to Iqaluit due to a technical issue.
A replacement Boeing 787-900 registration G-ZBKR was dispatched from London Heathrow to Iqaluit as flight BA-9152, departing London about 13 hours after G-ZBKA landed in Iqaluit, to take the passengers to Calgary.
On Sep 25th 2018 the Canadian TSB reported the flight crew had heard the air conditioning surge periodically during cruise flight, then they heard it surge one last time before the system fell silent. At the same time cabin crew reported the inflight entertainment system had failed. The system was reset. A short time later the flight crew noticed a burnind smell on the flight deck followed by haze coming from the first officer's side. The crew donned their oxygen masks and initiated the smoke fire fumes checklist. The flight crew member on rest was called to the flight deck, the third pilot as well as the lead flight attendant confirmed the odour was present. About 5 minutes later the lead flight attendant reported the odour was subsiding, the flight crew removed their oxygen masks, however, the odour suddenly returned, haze now appeared from the captain's side. The flight crew donned their oxygen masks again, completed the non-normal checklist, declared emergency and diverted to Iqaluit. The odour remained present through descent and increased on final approach, however, was limited to the flight deck only. The aircraft landed without further incident, emergency services assessed the situation, the aircraft subsequently proceeded to the apron.
Incident Facts
Date of incident
Sep 12, 2018
Classification
Incident
Airline
British Airways
Flight number
BA-103
Departure
London Heathrow, United Kingdom
Destination
Calgary, Canada
Aircraft Registration
G-ZBKA
Aircraft Type
Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner
ICAO Type Designator
B789
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
British Airways B789 at Hong Kong on Sep 15th 2023, slats did not retract
A British Airways Boeing 787-9, registration G-ZBKA performing flight BA-28 from Hong Kong (China) to London Heathrow,EN (UK), was climbing out of…
British AIrways B789 near Riga on Aug 6th 2018, generator problem
A British Airways Boeing 787-900, registration G-ZBKA performing flight BA-233 from London Heathrow,EN (UK) to Moscow Domodedovo (Russia), was…
BAW A320 at Amsterdam on Feb 23rd 2026, fumes on flight deck
A BAW British Airways Airbus A320-200, registration G-EUUC performing flight BA-445 from Amsterdam (Netherlands) to London Heathrow,EN (UK), was…
BAW E190 at London on May 13th 2026, lightning strike
A BAW British Airways Embraer ERJ-190, registration G-LCYM performing flight BA-8724 from London City,EN to Glasgow,SC (UK), was climbing out of…
BAW A320 at Edinburgh on May 11th 2026, first officer incapacitated
A BAW British Airways Airbus A320-200, registration G-EUYW performing flight BA-1458 from London Heathrow,EN to Edinburgh,SC (UK), was descending…
BAW B772 near London on Apr 26th 2026, electrical burning odour
A BAW British Airways Boeing 777-200, registration G-YMMD performing flight BA-2203 from London Gatwick,EN (UK) to Cancun (Mexico), was enroute at…
BAW A35K enroute on Feb 19th 2026, temporary engine failure
A BAW British Airways Airbus A350-1000, registration G-XWBR performing flight BA-274 (dep Feb 18th) from Las Vegas,NV (USA) to London Heathrow,EN…
Newest articles
LATAM Chile A320 at Montevideo on Jul 2nd 2026, engine problem
A LATAM Chile Airbus A320-200, registration CC-BLE performing flight LA-2399 from Montevideo (Uruguay) to Lima (Chile), was departing Montevideo's…
Singapore A359 at Shanghai on Jun 27th 2025, turbulence causes injuries
A Singapore Airlines Airbus A350-900, registration 9V-SMB performing flight SQ-832 from Singapore (Singapore) to Shanghai Pudong (China), was…
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
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.
SafetyScan Pro provides streamlined access to thousands of aviation accident reports. Tailored for your safety management efforts. Book your demo today
AeroInside Blog
Popular aircraft
Airbus A320Boeing 737-800
Boeing 737-800 MAX
Popular airlines
American AirlinesUnited
Delta
Air Canada
Lufthansa
British Airways