What happened
On January 11, 2009, a Virgin Atlantic Airbus A340-300, registered G-VELD, was operating a scheduled passenger service from London Heathrow to Chicago. While flying approximately 140 nm west of Galway, Ireland, cabin crew identified a small fire within the waste bin storage compartment of the Upper Class bar unit. The fire was situated inside a hole in the compartment floor, where the crew observed electrical arcing originating from a damaged cable loom.
In an attempt to mitigate the hazard, the flight crew deactivated the Galley and Commercial power circuits; however, the arcing and flames continued. The captain declared an emergency and initiated a diversion to Shannon Airport. During the descent and approach, the cabin crew deployed five 1 kg BCF extinguishers to combat the flames. Although the extinguishers temporarily suppressed the fire, the flames would reappear roughly five minutes after each application. Upon landing, the airport fire service utilized a 5 kg BCF extinguisher to assist. The fire was only fully extinguished after the aircraft was de-powered, which caused the visible glow and arcing to cease.
The investigation
Investigators examined the wiring loom located within the waste bin compartment, which contains ten wires—six carrying 28 V DC and four carrying 115 V AC—responsible for the power and dimming of the bar unit's mood lighting. The investigation established that the cable loom had been completely severed and showed clear evidence of arcing and burning.
Evidence suggested that the lower edge of the metal waste bin had made contact with the wiring. According to the operator's technical drawings, the installation required two runners to keep the bin elevated above the wiring, as well as a protective metal cover over the loom. Neither the protective cover nor the runners were present in the compartment, with initial findings suggesting they may never have been installed.
Findings
- The bar unit was a custom modification installed on the aircraft three years prior to the incident.
- The absence of required protective covers and installation rails allowed the metal bin to come into contact with the electrical wiring.
- A fleet inspection of the operator's A340-300 and A340-600 aircraft revealed similar issues, including missing screws, improper cable routing, and missing covers, with one other aircraft showing similar wiring damage.
- While the physical cause of the damage was identified, the investigation is also reviewing the effectiveness of emergency checklists and the standards used for such aircraft modifications.