UPS Plane - Fire in Cargo Area

wkmac

Well-Known Member
Been all over the news here in Atlanta since the flight originated from here. According to news reports the fire started in the cargo area. You can bet FAA will be at all the Georgia sites that feed Atlanta gateway today pouring over documents. Hope everything is in order. Glad I'm on vacation and missing out on that fun!
 
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InTheRed

Well-Known Member
Back in my hub days, there was always that talk regarding hazmats that if you missed one or forgot to pull a tag or whatever, that "how would you feel if that hazmat got onto a plane instead and went down over someone's house?" well, i'm sure that talk will start again...
 
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oldupsman

Guest
I'm in Metro Philly district so I can add a little but not much. We were read the official press release and then told to make sure we don't talk to the media. If anybody asked we were given a phone number for them to call. Everything on the aircraft was destroyed. If customers asked we were to tell them it was an incoming flight so everything we picked up yesterday got out okay. The rest of the airs couldn't get in because the airport was closed down so we had air meets about 1 this afternoon when those flights got in. Talked to my FedEx air driver about noon. His plane came in about 2 hours late too. Took them 4 hours to finally put the thing out so it sure sounds like a haz mat situation but I'm strictly guessing there. Plane was actually on fire when it touched down. Flames shooting out the side from the wing to the tail. Cockpit full of smoke. All 3 crew members jumped from the plane when it stopped and all were treated for smoke inhalation and released. Can't believe the pilots still don't have a contract. Doubt if there will be an officail annoucment of what caused the fire but I'll ask around and see if I can find out.
 

tups

Well-Known Member
InTheRed said:
Back in my hub days, there was always that talk regarding hazmats that if you missed one or forgot to pull a tag or whatever, that "how would you feel if that hazmat got onto a plane instead and went down over someone's house?" well, i'm sure that talk will start again...
Well you all know whats coming....DOK's for Hazmat, Hazmat in PCM's audits of Hazmats, tests, quizzes, and who knows what else until this all blows over. In the hub where I'm at, we had late air truck come in, and meet points all over our area for late airs.....already told them I would be over 9.5 at 10:30 am. And then got bit by a dog!!! hour and a half at the er to get a shot.
 
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PHL1...

Guest
Regarding DC 8 incident, hopefully the 90 day file of Haz Mat shipping papers is in order...
We are very good at taking the revenues gained from Haz Mat shipments ground and air but not as good with the details..........
 

cheryl

I started this.
Staff member
Pictures from the UPS plane in Philly

Thank you Moreluck for sharing these pictures.
UPS_plane_Philly_1.jpg
UPS_plane_Philly_2.jpg
UPS_plane_Philly_3.jpg
UPS_plane_Philly_4.jpg
UPS_plane_Philly_5.jpg
 

cheryl

I started this.
Staff member
Re: Pictures from the UPS plane in Philly

Thanks again Moreluck for sharing these pictures
UPS_plane_Philly_6.jpg
UPS_plane_Philly_8.jpg
 
F

FEGuy

Guest
All this talk of "Haz Mat" without one shred of evidence to point to that, or anything else.
Oh, and by the way, I am quite sure there *will* be an official announcement as to the cause of this fire, if it can be determined. The NTSB will see to that.
 

scratch

Least Best Moderator
Staff member
Yes the flight was originally out of Atlanta. HazMats will be a hot item for a while in the future. Everything here is being closely inspected, anything looking slightly suspicious is either refused at pickup point or put aside in our hub for shipper to come and pickup. Glad the crew got out OK, the plane looks like one I toured at a Open House at the Atlanta airport a few years ago.
 

OldManAllowance

Well-Known Member
Let us all be thankful that the plane landed safely and the crew got out alive, too bad about the boxes but they can be replaced. Are these DC-10's on their way out? I heard that there were 2 confirmed haz mat'ls aboard. It seems that the ignition source came from some other place. The NTSB will find the source, good luck if we loaded an unauthorized haz mat'l. But then...was the package marked accordingly, or did someone try and sneak one in?
 

scratch

Least Best Moderator
Staff member
This plane was a DC-8, this things are so old they aren't used for passenger service anymore. The one I was on amazed me in that the cockpits are very tiny in that you have three seats crammed in the front and the interior conditions reminded me of a World War II B-17 bomber. No wonder our pilots are unhappy, some of them are flying stuff like some of us are driving. New shiny paint job on the outside, trashy looking on the inside.:blushing:
 
UPS just released this official statement. The pilots will all be given warning letters and safety rides.......flights because this was an avoidable accident and they should have inspected every package. I really heared that the pilots were cooking some METH and thier lab blew up.
 
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an anonymous guest

Guest
The only thing to do now is not speculate on the cause of make things right for the customers who lost shipments and the flight crew who brought the plane in. FEDEX lost a DC-10 a few years back the same way on its way to Boston, I don't know if the NTSB ever found the cause.

Go UPS!
P71
 

Hangingon

Well-Known Member
Yes, every accident is avoidable. There goes their 12 year safe flying award and I'll bet they were looking forward to that wallet.
 

Mr. Brown

Brown till retirement!
BrownBusDriver said:
Now that was funny.<g> We were really lucky the aircraft was close to to the airport, and not out over the ocean.

BrownBusDriver
If the plane went down over the ocean Ups could have made their own Sequel to the Castaway movie staring Tom Hanks!
</g>
 

rushfan

Well-Known Member
Darn, there goes their 12 years safe flying. They won't be able to choose the crappy watch, or whisky tumblers to drink out of before they fly.

The DC-8 is an old airplane, as mentioned and not in production anymore. This one was built in 1967. After so many flight hours/cycles, in my humble opinion something is bound to happen. Could have been faulty wiring/mechanical problems. Also, could have been some a-hole customer shipping something flamable.

I am waiting for the NTSB's conclusion. They, the NTSB, has a website where you can read their conclutions to many aircraft accidents. It's rather interesting. I forgot the address though.
 
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