Transatlantic jet issues distress call over Ireland

The crew of a transatlantic jet issued a radio distress call over Ireland yesterday and told controllers they wished to turn around and return to London. Air Canada flight AC-851 left London’s Heathrow at 1.43pm bound for Calgary in Canada.

The Boeing 787-800 Dreamliner was crossing over Ireland around 2.20pm when the crew informed air traffic controllers of their issue.

The crew had been in contact with controllers at the Irish Aviation Authority’s North Atlantic Communications Centre at Ballygirreen at the time. The pilot issued a Pan Pan distress call, which is not as serious as a May Day alert, and reported they had detected a “smell” in the cabin.

The crew told controllers cabin crew could not pinpoint the location of the smell described as “not bad” but believed it to be electrical. As a precaution, the crew opted to turn around and return to London and have the issue investigated.

The crew was cleared to make a u-turn over the Irish midlands and routed back to Heathrow. The flight landed safely at Heathrow at 3.20pm.

Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner programme suffered a serious setback in late 2012 and early 2013 when problems with the jet’s lithium ion batteries eventually forced the grounding of all 787’s. While the cause of yesterday’s issue is not yet known, crew reported an electrical smell on board while two passengers stated on Twitter the flight had power issues.