NEW YORK (AP) — A cargo jet headed to Belgium from New York had to turn around mid-flight after a horse escaped its stall and got loose in the hold, according to air traffic control audio.
The Boeing 747 operated by Air Atlanta Icelandic had just started its flight across the Atlantic Ocean on Nov. 9 when the pilot radioed air traffic control in Boston and said that a horse on board had escaped its stall.
The controller cleared the aircraft to return to John F. Kennedy International Airport.
The pilot said that due to the plane’s weight, he had to dump 20 tons of fuel before going back to New York.
The controller gave the OK and alerted nearby pilots about a “fuel dumping in progress approximately 10 miles west of Martha’s Vineyard.”
The 747 pilot had one more request. “I do believe we need a vet — veterinarian, I guess you call it, for the horse upon landing,” he said.
The controller said he would pass it on.
The flight landed at Kennedy, took off a short time later and successfully arrived at Liege Airport the next morning.
Horse loose on jet forces plane back to New York
Escaped horse delays flight aboard flight to Belgium, resulting in fuel dumping
