What happened
On 5 December 1998, an Airbus A340-313, registration G-VAIR, was operating a scheduled passenger service from London Heathrow to Johannesburg. Approximately nine hours into the flight, while over Zambia, a passenger alerted cabin crew to a fire in the aft section of the cabin. Crew members observed smoke and flames emerging from the gap between the ceiling and a closed overhead luggage bin.
One crew member attempted to use a Halon (BCF) fire extinguisher to suppress the flames, but struggled to break the safety seal on the device. A passenger assisted by discharging a second extinguisher into the bin, successfully smothering the fire. Although the fire was extinguished, smoke and extinguisher fumes spread through the cabin, prompting the crew to instruct passengers to remain low. The flight crew initiated the required smoke and toxic fumes removal procedures, and the relief pilot assisted with the cabin response.
Following the incident, the crew removed the contents of the affected bin, which included clothing and bags, and placed them in sealed bags for forensic investigation. The aircraft continued to Johannesburg, where the damaged bins were taken out of service.
The investigation
The AAIB investigation confirmed that the fire originated within the overhead bin and was not caused by any aircraft systems. While a forensic examination of a handbag and cosmetics found in the bin was conducted in South Africa, the results were not available to the investigators.
Regarding training, the investigation noted that while the crew received regular safety training, the use of actual Halon extinguishers is restricted due to environmental concerns. Consequently, training was conducted using water-filled extinguishers with broken seals. This meant the crew had not experienced the physical force required to break the safety seal on a live unit or the back pressure generated during discharge.
Findings
- The fire was contained within a single overhead compartment and was extinguished by the prompt actions of the crew and a passenger.
- There were no fatalities and no injuries to the 16 crew members or 257 passengers on board.
- The crew's training programme did not provide practical experience in breaking the safety seals on live fire extinguishers, which contributed to the initial difficulty in suppressing the fire.