Plane fire prompts warning

THE makers of an aircraft forced to make an emergency landing at Shannon Airport have been advised to notify airlines worldwide of the cause.

The 25-year-old World Airways DC-10 cargo plane, with three crew and two passengers on board, was about 10 minutes from landing when smoke alarms went off. By the time it had landed, there was heavy smoke in the upper deck.

Both crew and passengers had to don oxygen masks and goggles as the captain declared an emergency and requested a fast descent from Shannon air traffic control. Upon landing, the aircraft was met by the airport fire services and the local fire brigade, and a crash rescue ladder was used to evacuate those on board.

In a fault-finding investigation it was discovered that the smoke reappeared when the auxiliary power unit was switched on and run for some time. It was caused by the disintegration of insulation around an air-pressure duct which was ruptured at that point, causing hot air to exit the duct, charring the insulation and producing smoke, which leaked into the cargo areas.

No-one was injured in the incident, but McDonnell Douglas was told to advise operators of DC-10 and MD-11 aircraft of the report’s findings.

The company said it was also tracking the incident internally.