Recent Smoke Related Events​

Incidents of smoke in the cockpit are on the rise.

Recent Smoke in the Cockpit Events

Vape pen causes fire inside airplane traveling to Traverse City

Tuesday, October 15th, 2024

A fire broke out on United Flight 1531, a Boeing 737-700 traveling from Chicago to Traverse City, due to a vape pen in the passenger cabin. The incident occurred around 10:10 p.m. on Friday, and the crew extinguished the fire before landing. Central dispatch activated the Airport Emergency Plan, summoning mutual aid responders. The plane landed safely at 10:28 p.m., and firefighters and airport personnel met it at the gate. All 133 passengers were unharmed.

Brussels Airlines flight from Dakar makes emergency landing at Vitoria Airport, Spain, due to smoke in cabin

Saturday, October 12th, 2024

Brussels Airlines flight SN204 from Dakar to Brussels made an emergency landing at Vitoria-Gasteiz’s Foronda Airport in Spain after smoke was detected in the cabin while flying over the Cantabrian Sea. The Airbus A330, carrying 260 passengers, landed safely at 03:35. Passengers were kept on board for nearly six hours while awaiting inspection, as disembarkation wasn’t allowed due to the airport’s limited handling capacity and the flight’s non-EU status. The plane took off again at 09:28, arriving in Brussels almost six hours late.

United Express ERJ-175 Returns to Chicago Due to Smoke in the Cockpit

Wednesday, October 9th, 2024

On October 3, 2024, United Express flight UA3707, operated by a Republic Airways Embraer ERJ-175, returned to Chicago O’Hare shortly after takeoff due to smoke in the cockpit. The aircraft, bound for Indianapolis, terminated its climb at 5,000 feet and made a safe landing on runway 10L, just 15 minutes after departure. The incident occurred around 8:20 p.m. local time, and the FAA is investigating the cause. The Embraer ERJ-175 involved has been in service with United Express since May 2017 and is operated by Republic Airways, a regional airline that partners with major carriers.

Flight from San Diego bursts into flames during emergency landing at Las Vegas airport

Monday, October 7th, 2024

On **Saturday, October 7th, 2024**, Frontier Airlines Flight 1326 from San Diego made a hard emergency landing at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas after the pilots reported smoke in the cockpit. The aircraft, an Airbus A321, landed around 4:20 p.m., with passengers experiencing severe turbulence during the descent. Following the landing, flames were seen pouring from the plane, prompting firefighters to respond while passengers waited onboard without air conditioning for nearly an hour. They were eventually evacuated via airstairs and bussed to the terminal, where they discovered a blown tire. Fortunately, no injuries were reported, and the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are investigating the incident.

Smoke alert: Muscat-bound Air India Express flight aborts take-off at Thiruvananthapuram airport

Monday, October 4th, 2024

On **Friday, October 4th, 2024**, an Air India Express flight (IX-549) bound for Muscat aborted its take-off at Thiruvananthapuram International Airport after the pilot detected smoke in the aircraft while taxiing at around 10:30 a.m. The plane was immediately diverted to an isolated parking bay, where all 142 passengers and crew members were safely deplaned and returned to the terminal. The airline’s engineering team began inspecting the aircraft, and an Air India Express spokesperson confirmed that an investigation would be conducted to determine the cause of the smoke. An alternative flight was arranged, successfully departing for Muscat at 5:43 p.m.

Smoke broke out on the plane of T'way Airlines, causing it to return

Monday, October 4th, 2024

On **October 4th, 2024**, T’way Airlines flight TW723, a Boeing 737-800 bound for Jeju, returned to Gimpo International Airport 24 minutes after takeoff due to smoke on board. The flight, which had 158 passengers, made an emergency landing with no reported casualties. After authorities investigate and inspect the aircraft, it will return to service. A replacement flight departed at 4:30 p.m., causing a delay of about two hours. T’way Airlines apologized for the inconvenience and assured passengers that compensation will be provided according to their standards.

Firefly AT72 at Kuala Lumpur on Oct 3rd 2024, smoke in cabin

Thursday, October 3rd, 2024,

On **October 3rd, 2024**, Firefly flight FY-1424, an ATR-72 aircraft en route from Kuala Lumpur to Penang, returned to Kuala Lumpur shortly after takeoff due to smoke in the cabin. The crew halted the climb at 4,300 feet and safely landed about 20 minutes after departure. The airline later reported that the smoke was caused by an extraction fan failure, which led to the air conditioning system overheating.

Crew of Aerologic flight observes smoke from windshield and dons oxygen masks

Monday, July 22nd 2024

An Aerologic Boeing 777-200 freighter, registration D-AALN performing flight 3S-585 (sched. dep Jul 14th, act. dep Jul 15th) from Anchorage,AK to Cincinnati,KY (USA) with 3 crew, was enroute at FL330 about 60nm southeast of Peace River,AB (Canada) when the crew observed smoke from the captain’s aft side window. The crew donned their oxygen masks and called the relief pilot to the flight deck to assist with the procedures. The smoke ceased and the crew decided to continue to destination.

Qatar B788 near Basra on Jul 20th 2024, smoke in cabin

Sunday, July 21st 2024

A Qatar Airways Boeing 787-8, registration A7-BCC performing flight QR-20 from Dublin (Ireland) to Doha (Qatar) with 270 people on board, was enroute at FL410 about 130nm northnorthwest of Basra (Iraq) when the crew decided to divert to Basra reporting smoke in the cabin. The aircraft landed safely on Basra’s runway 32 about 25 minutes later.

Crew of Jetblue flight from Cancun reports smoke in the cockpit before landing in Boston

Friday, July 19th 2024

Emergency crews met a JetBlue flight landing in Boston from Cancun on the runway on Friday afternoon after the pilot reported smoke in the cockpit.  The Federal Aviation Administration said JetBlue Flight 772 landed safely at Boston Logan Airport around 5:10 p.m. after the crew reported smoke in the cockpit.

Avianca flight makes emergency landing due to thermal runaway of passenger’s phone

Thursday, July 18th 2024

An Avianca Airbus A320-200N, registration HK-5410 performing flight AV-249 from Bogota (Colombia) to Sao Paulo Guarulhos,SP (Brazil) with 161 passengers and 6 crew, was climbing out of Bogota’s runway 14R when the crew stopped the climb at about FL240 and decided to return to Bogota reporting a passenger’s phone had suffered a thermal runaway. The aircraft landed safely back on Bogota’s runway 14L about 3:25 hours after departure.

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