Incident Overview
On 6 December 2013, at 2331 UTC, a Boeing 737-800 passenger aircraft, registration A6-FEB, operated by Flydubai, was on a ferry flight from Amman, Jordan, to Dubai International Airport, United Arab Emirates. The flight followed a maintenance visit at an Aircraft Maintenance Organization (AMO) based in Amman. Onboard were two crew members; no injuries were reported.
Dangerous Goods Loading
During the maintenance work, six Passenger Service Unit (PSU) assemblies had been removed from the aircraft. Each PSU contained a chemical oxygen generator. These assemblies were subsequently loaded into the aircraft's cargo hold and transported to Dubai. Chemical oxygen generators are prohibited for carriage on passenger aircraft.
Investigation Findings
The investigation, conducted by the Air Accident Investigation Sector (AAIS) of the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority, identified several contributing factors:
- The PSU assemblies were not labeled as containing dangerous goods.
- AMO maintenance personnel did not consult or follow the instructions in the Aircraft Maintenance Manual (AMM) ATA 35 – Oxygen.
- The Engineering Order prepared by the Supplementary Type Certificate (STC) holder did not adequately address dangerous goods issues associated with the chemical oxygen generators in the PSU assemblies.
- Personnel from both the operator and the AMO involved in the configuration modification work were unaware that the PSU assemblies contained dangerous material.
- The contract between the operator and the AMO included a term for the return of removed aircraft parts by air, which did not differentiate between normal and dangerous goods.
Recommendations
The final report, dated 17 June 2015, included eleven recommendations: five addressed to Flydubai, two to Jordan Aircraft Maintenance Company, three to TIMCO, and one to the General Civil Aviation Authority.
Aircraft and Operator Information
The aircraft, a Boeing 737-800 with manufacturer serial number 40255, was powered by two CFMI CFM56-7B27E turbofan engines. Flydubai was the operator. The incident was classified as an incident, not an accident.