Summary
- On August thirtieth, an Air Canada Boeing 767 freighter declared an emergency over the Atlantic after experiencing an unreliable airspeed and multiple system failures.
- This was just one in all several diversions reported during the last week.
- From medical emergencies to engine issues, pilots across the continents have been busy adapting to the challenges.
On August thirtieth, an Air Canada Boeing 767 freighter was forced to declare an emergency over the Atlantic after the crew experienced an unreliable airspeed followed by the failure of multiple systems. This incident joins a listing of diversions reported throughout the aviation industry.
Incident details
Happening on Wednesday, August thirtieth, a Boeing 767-300F operated by Air Canada Cargo was flying from Halifax, Canada (YHZ) to Liege, Belgium (LGG), when the incident occurred. FlightRadar24.com data indicates that the aircraft took off from Halifax at 21:00 local time as flight AC7222. It is a regular freight route taking aircraft from Toronto to Halifax after which onwards to Leige and Basel before returning to Toronto.
Based on The Aviation Herald, the aircraft registered C-GHLV was en route at FL380 when an unreliable airspeed was observed. The crew then descended to about FL310. The crew then reported multiple systems had failed and subsequently declared an emergency about 230NM west of Shannon, Ireland.
Photo: FlightRadar24.com
While the crew strived to keep up an altitude of FL310, there have been deviations of as much as +/- 200 feet because it made its way towards the diversion airport of London Heathrow. The jet safely landed on runway 27L about 90 minutes after declaring an emergency.
FlightRadar24.com data shows the aircraft touched down at Heathrow at roughly 06:20 local time on August thirty first. The jet was on the bottom for the rest of the day but departed for Liege on September 1st at 18:39.
Other incidents
On Thursday, an IndiGo Airbus A320 diverted to Bengaluru after the pilot tried to land in Hyderabad twice. Passengers were then flown to their intended destination on the identical aircraft the following day. It was later confirmed that weather conditions attributed to the tricky situation within the south of India.
That night an American Airlines Boeing 787 was far along the Atlantic Ocean when the crew decided to return to North America because of a medical emergency. The aircraft was heading to London from Philadelphia but diverted to Gander to take care of the situation.
Photo: Kevin Hackert/Shutterstock
The following day, a Smartlynx Airbus A320 returned to Tallinn Airport after the crew had shut the plane’s engine down. It was reported that there was a sign of fireplace in one in all the aircraft’s CFM56.
There was one other engine fire indication in the US on Thursday when a Mesa Airlines CRJ900 operating for United had its engine shut down. The plane was flying between Dallas Fort Value and Denver.
Industry woes
All in all, there are several causes for diversions throughout the market. Nonetheless, together with the well-reported UK ATC system failure and the disruptions in Hong Kong, there have been some high-profile cases throughout the first week of September. Airlines and authorities will likely be keen to handle such issues as 2023 continues.
Have you noticed any of Air Canada’s converted Boeing 767 freighters yet? Share your experiences by leaving a comment!