The Asiana Airlines’ B747 freighter was heading for Pudong Airport in Shanghai from South Korea’s Incheon Airport when it crashed just off Jeju Island in the south of country.
Asiana officials got a report from the pilot that the Boeing-747 was having mechanical difficulties and would try to make its way to Jeju Island’s airport to make an emergency landing.
According to reports, an air traffic official claimed the pilot had shouted “cargo fire” and “emergency” about 10 minutes before the aircraft disappeared from radar screens.
A South Korean coastguard boat has since found debris from the jet in waters about 107km west of Jeju city.
Asiana Airlines, which is South Korea’s second biggest airline, said the aircraft was carrying electronic products, mobile phones, liquid crystal displays, light-emitting diodes, lithium batteries and liquids including paints and resins.
A company spokesman said the cargo had been loaded in line with International Air Transport Association regulations.
While it is too early for officials to pinpoint the cause of the fire, the incident is bound to bring the transport of lithium batteries into the spotlight once again.
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said 46 incidents of aircraft fires had been linked to cargo including lithium-ion batteries.
The most recent high-profile incident involving batteries happened in September when a UPS cargo plane crashed into the desert outside Dubai, killing both pilots.
Following the incident, the FAA said new research showed that lithium metal (non-rechargeable) and lithium-ion (rechargeable) batteries were highly flammable and capable of igniting during air transport under certain circumstances.
The research also indicated that Halon 1301, the suppression agent found in Class C cargo compartment fire extinguishers, is ineffective in suppressing lithium metal battery fires.
To combat the risks associated with carrying the batteries the FAA made a series of recommendations.
It said customers should identify bulk shipments of lithium batteries on air waybills and other documents; the batteries should be stowed in Class C compartments, or where alternative fire suppression is available; training, stowage, and communication protocols for carrying lithium batteries in the event of a fire should be evaluated.
According to research by specialist dangerous goods forwarder Transport 129, lithium cells and batteries not manufactured to meet the requirements of the UN Manual of Tests and Criteria, Part III, subsection 38.3 may be liable to overheating and catching fire.
Source; IFW
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