History of the Flight
On 17 October 2002, Air France Flight 062, a Boeing 777-228ER (serial number 32310), departed Paris, France, on a scheduled flight to Los Angeles, California, United States, with 172 passengers and 17 crew members on board. The crew had reported for duty at 0600 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). The aircraft departed at 0847 UTC.
At 1459 UTC, while cruising at flight level 360, passengers in rows 42 to 44 noticed an unusual smell and notified the cabin crew. The captain went to the cabin to investigate, leaving the cockpit door open. Shortly after, a fire developed at the lower left corner of the captain's forward windshield. The relief first officer, who had been seated in the forward cabin, saw the captain walking to the rear cabin and entered the cockpit. The relief first officer fought the fire with a Halon fire extinguisher; the fire temporarily subsided but recurred after the extinguisher was exhausted. A second extinguisher was obtained with assistance from the chief cabin crew, and the fire was fully extinguished. The captain returned to the cockpit and assumed pilot-not-flying duties.
The crew initiated a descent, dumped fuel, and diverted to Churchill, Manitoba, as the closest suitable airport. The aircraft landed safely on snow-covered Runway 33 and stopped. Firefighters inspected the aircraft and found no fire. Taxiway A was inspected and sanded, and about three hours after arrival, the aircraft moved to the ramp. Passengers deplaned via the right front emergency egress slide.
Injuries and Damage
No injuries to passengers or crew were reported. The only damage to the aircraft was to the forward left windshield and the forward left glareshield area. The fire originated at an electrical terminal block on the captain's left forward windshield. The windshield and terminal block electrical connectors required replacement. There was minor discolouration to an adjacent interior window post trim cover.
Aircraft Information
The aircraft was a Boeing 777-228ER, serial number 32310, manufactured in 2002. At the time of the occurrence, it had accumulated 1359 total airframe hours. It was powered by two General Electric GE-90-94B engines. The left forward windshield (part number 141W7400-1, serial number 02039H8228) had been in service for 1365 flight hours and 168.5 cycles since installation.
Previous Windshield Issue
On 16 August 2002, the crew noticed that the black polyethylene cap covering the J5 window heat power terminal on the captain's left forward windshield overheated and melted during a flight from Shanghai to Paris. The window heat was shut off and the flight continued. On the ground, maintenance replaced the window heat control unit (WHCU) and tightened the electrical power connector. The J5 terminal connector was sealed with CAF4 silicone sealant because a replacement connector and cap were not available. A work instruction to replace the connector was issued but not completed by the time of the 17 October 2002 occurrence.
Windshield Description
The windshield consists of three plies of chemically tempered glass separated by polyvinyl butyral and urethane interlayers. It has anti-ice and anti-fog elements connected to separate power and sensor terminal blocks. The electrical power connector is attached to the terminal block with a stainless steel screw and lockwasher, torqued to specified values. A black plastic cover protects the connection.