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20031025026389I

Incident
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FAA incident report · Airbus A321-211 · San Francisco, CA · October 25, 2003

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
October 25, 2003 · 07:02 local
Place
San Francisco, CA
Airport
San Francisco International
Phase of flight
Other Ground Ops
Operating rules
Air carrier (Part 121)
Operator
USAA
Aircraft
N170US
Reported as
Airbus A321211
Reported engine
GE CFM56*
N170USRegistered now · Airbus Industrie A321-211S/N 1462 · Built 2001Airframe modelAirbus Industrie A321-211Engine modelCFM International CFM56 seriesTurbo-fan

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

(-23) After pushback from gate 1 an indication smoke in the aft cargo area was reported by the crew. The aircraft was towed back to the gate and all passengers were deplaned normally. It was determined the cause of the smoke was due to an actuated toggle switch on a unit being shipped by ultra lift corp. of san jose, CA, and the battery was not disconnected. Seven of these units were loaded into the aft cargo area, and were stacked in two rows allowing the toggle switch to be actuated by an exposed metal plate that penetrated the card board box thus generating an extreme amount of heat. The overheating was evidenced by melted wires and visible burn marks left behind. Ultra lift, the manufacturer/shipper of the unit did not provide information to aeronet worldwide, the freight forwarder, about the power sonic gel lead-acid 12 volt, 35 amp battery installed and connected to the unit. The packaging of the unit did not distinguish a class 8 corrosive/dangerous goods shipment, nor did the air waybill indicate such.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) AFTER PUSHBACK FROM GATE 1 AN INDICATION SMOKE IN THE AFT CARGO AREA WAS REPORTED BY THE CREW. THE AIRCRAFT WAS TOWED BACK TO THE GATE AND ALL PASSENGERS WERE DEPLANED NORMALLY. IT WAS DETERMINED THE CAUSE OF THE SMOKE WAS DUE TO AN ACTUATED TOGGLE SWITCH ON A UNIT BEING SHIPPED BY ULTRA LIFT CORP. OF SAN JOSE, CA, AND THE BATTERY WAS NOT DISCONNECTED. SEVEN OF THESE UNITS WERE LOADED INTO THE AFT CARGO AREA, AND WERE STACKED IN TWO ROWS ALLOWING THE TOGGLE SWITCH TO BE ACTUATED BY AN EXPOSED METAL PLATE THAT PENETRATED THE CARD BOARD BOX THUS GENERATING AN EXTREME AMOUNT OF HEAT. THE OVERHEATING WAS EVIDENCED BY MELTED WIRES AND VISIBLE BURN MARKS LEFT BEHIND. ULTRA LIFT, THE MANUFACTURER/SHIPPER OF THE UNIT DID NOT PROVIDE INFORMATION TO AERONET WORLDWIDE, THE FREIGHT FORWARDER, ABOUT THE POWER SONIC GEL LEAD-ACID 12 VOLT, 35 AMP BATTERY INSTALLED AND CONNECTED TO THE UNIT. THE PACKAGING OF THE UNIT DID NOT DISTINGUISH A CLASS 8 CORROSIVE/DANGEROUS GOODS SHIPMENT, NOR DID THE AIR WAYBILL INDICATE SUCH.