What happened
On 9 June 2013, a Boeing 747-436, registration G-CIVA, was performing a commercial passenger flight and had begun its descent toward London Heathrow Airport. As the aircraft approached the Ockham holding pattern, a member of the cabin crew identified acrid smoke emanating from the trash compactor located in Galley 4, near Door 2 Left.
While the crew member attempted to address the issue, she found it impossible to isolate the electrical supply to the unit. In response, the commander instructed the co-pilot to locate and pull the relevant circuit breaker. Although the co-pilot was unable to find the specific breaker, he successfully isolated the galley area using the emergency power switch. Despite these efforts, the smell of smoke intensified, prompting the commander to declare a MAYDAY. The flight crew executed an expedited approach and landed the aircraft at Heathrow. Following the landing, the aircraft vacated the runway and taxied to a stand after coordination with fire services and cabin crew.
The investigation
The investigation was based on the aircraft accident report submitted by the pilot and supplementary data from the operator. Fire services attended the scene and removed the faulty compactor unit from the aircraft. The passengers and crew, totaling 328 persons on board, were disembarked without injury. The compactor was subsequently sent to the manufacturer for analysis; however, the investigation could not establish a definitive cause for the smoke emission.
Findings
- The primary issue involved a defect in the Galley 4 trash compactor which produced acrid smoke.
- The crew was unable to isolate the electrical supply via the circuit breaker due to the breaker being unlocatable.
- The emergency galley power switch served as the effective means of isolation.
- No injuries were sustained by the 312 passengers or the 16 crew members.