Cargo Induced Aircraft Accidents

Air Detective (AD) Tip 14

The United Parcel Service 747 crash at Minhad AB Dubai, was a crash that was induced due to the fact a fire in the cargo area

created an environment that the crew could not effectively control and operate the aircraft in. Smoke in the cockpit and an inability to

maintain altitude forced a UPS Boeing 747-400 crew to attempt a return to Dubai before the aircraft crashed near the airport, killing

both pilots (Kaminski-Morrow, 2014). This flight was a total loss but through the process of AD 14 was used to find the probable

cause through its process. The investigators were able to deduct they had smoke in the cockpit from their communications with Air

Traffic Control. They were able to determine from the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) that the Co-pilot went to the cargo area to

investigate and potential put any fire out. There were no declared shipments of hazardous materials onboard the airplane. However, at

least three of the shipments contained lithium ion battery packs that met the Class 9 hazardous material criteria, according to the report

(Ranter, 2014). this was determined through their investigation that the lithium batteries were the likely cause. This was an entirely

difficult investigation for determination in that their was an all consuming fire when the aircraft impacted the ground. Lithium batteries

have been suspect in many aircraft incidents in the past and are now a concern for hazardous shipments.