# Incident 20240708008579I: Airbus A380-841, Boston, MA, July 8, 2024

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: July 8, 2024, 05:09 local time
- Place: Boston, MA
- Airport: General Edward Lawrence Logan
- Damage: No damage
- Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
- Operating rules: Foreign air carrier (Part 129)
- Operator: BRAF
- Location: 42.3629° N, 71.0064° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at GENERAL EDWARD LAWRENCE LOGAN INTL (BOS), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=42.3629&lon=-71.0064&mi=10
- Aircraft: G-XLEC (not matched to a registry record)
- Reported make and model: AIRBUS A380-841
- People aboard: 470
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20240708008579I

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

ON JULY 8, 2024, SPEEDBIRD 292 ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, A AIRBUS A380, WAS ENROUTE FROM WASHINGTON DULLES INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (IAD) TO HEATHROW AIRPORT (EGLL) WHEN THEY DECLARED AN EMERGENCY DUE TO SMOKE IN THE AIRCRAFT AND DIVERTED TO BOSTON LOGAN AIRPORT (BOS). THE FLIGHT CREW UTILIZED SUPPLEMENTAL OXYGEN AND AT LEAST 1 FLIGHT ATTENDANT DONNED A SMOKE HOOD. SEVERAL PASSENGERS AND POSSIBLY SOME CREW MEMBERS FELT ILL AND NAUSEOUS. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ LANDED AT BOS AND WAS MET BY EMS. THERE WAS NO IMMEDIATE INDICATION OF THE SOURCE OF THE SMOKE.

ANALYSIS:

THE CAPTAIN STATED, SOON AFTER LEVELING OFF IN CRUISE HE NOTICED AN ODOR OF LAUNDRY DETERGENT OF FABRIC SOFTENER. THE CO-PILOT STATED HE DID NOT SMELL ANYTHING. AS A PRECAUTION THE CAPTAIN WENT IN THE CABIN AND NOTICED THE SMELL THERE AS WELL. SEVERAL FLIGHT ATTENDANTS ALSO NOTICED THE ODOR. THERE WAS A 3RD PILOT ONBOARD AND THE CAPTAIN ASKED HIM TO GO AND CHECK THE REST OF THE AIRCRAFT.

THE CAPTAIN RETURNED TO THE COCKPIT AND HE AND THE CO-PILOT DONNED OXYGEN MASKS AND BEGAN RUNNING THE ABNORMAL CHECKLISTS. THEY TRIED TURNING OFF INDIVIDUAL AIR CYCLE PACKS, HOWEVER THE ODOR PERSISTED. THEN THEY STARTED TO CONSIDER DISCONTINUING THE FLIGHT AND DISCUSSED BEST OPTIONS FOR AIRPORTS. AS THE FLIGHT CONTINUED SEVERAL CREW MEMBERS STARTED TO FEEL ILL AND NAUSEOUS. ONE FLIGHT ATTENDANT EVEN DONNED A PBE (SMOKE HOOD). THE DECISION WAS FINALLY MADE TO DIVERT TO BOSTON LOGAN (BOS) AND IF THINGS DETERIORATED FURTHER, THEY COULD LAND AT GANDER NEWFOUNDLAND OR BANGOR MAINE.

AS THEY DESCENDED TOWARD BOSTON THE 3RD PILOT THOUGHT HE PERCEIVED SMOKE COMING FROM A LOCKER. WHICH WAS REPORTED TO THE CAPTAIN. THEY FELT THE LOCKER, AND THE LOCKER WAS COOL.

AFTER LANDING THE DECISION WAS MADE TO TAXI TO THE GATE AND OFFLOAD THE PASSENGERS NORMALLY AS THERE WAS NO INDICATION OF FIRE. UPON ARRIVAL AT THE GATE THE FIRE DEPARTMENT BOARDED THE AIRPLANE WITH EQUIPMENT TO MEASURE THE AIR FOR ABNORMALITIES. THE FIRE OFFICIALS DID NOT DETECT ANYTHING ABNORMAL. EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES (EMS) ALSO MET THE AIRCRAFT AND CHECKED THE AFFECTED CREW MEMBERS. NO CREW MEMBERS WERE TRANSPORTED TO THE HOSPITAL AND AT THE TIME OF THIS REPORT THERE WERE NO KNOW PASSENGERS TREATED.

ROOT CAUSE:

POSTFLIGHT INSPECTION OF THE AIRCRAFT REVEALED THAT IN THE CARGO COMPARTMENT THERE WAS SEVERAL PALLETS OF “LAUNDRY BEADS”. THIS APPEARS TO BE THE SOURCE OF THE ODOR. THE AIRCRAFT WAS INSPECTED BY AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE AND NO DISCREPANCIES WERE NOTED. THE AIRCRAFT WAS DISPATCHED THE FOLLOWING DAY FROM BOS WITH PASSENGERS. THE FLIGHT PROCEEDED WITH NO ABNORMALITIES NOTED.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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