US cargo jet declares Mayday distress call before emergency landing at Shannon Airport

The flight touched down at Shannon Airport on Thursday morning.

A US cargo jet declared a Mayday distress call before executing an emergency landing at Shannon Airport on Thursday morning.

A multi-agency emergency response was mounted at the airport in Co Clare after the crew of the cargo jet reported a fire indication.

Shortly before landing, the flight crew also notified air traffic controllers of ‘multiple system malfunctions’ on board the aircraft.

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Kalitta Air flight CKS-844 was travelling from Miami, Florida to Amsterdam in The Netherlands when the crew declared a Mayday at around 8.00am.

The aircraft had flown from Quito in Ecuador to Miami last night before continuing its journey to Amsterdam. It’s understood the flight was carrying a consignment of flowers.

At the time the crew declared an emergency, the Boeing 747-481(F), with a crew of five on board, was over 1,000 kilometres off the west coast of Ireland.

Once informed of the emergency, AirNav Ireland air traffic controllers advised authorities at Shannon Airport. The airport’s own fire and rescue service was alerted while external response agencies were also notified.

Units of Clare County Fire and Rescue Service from Shannon and Ennis stations along with National Ambulance Service resources and Gardaí were all mobilised to the airport.

While the flight was still west of Clare, the crew requested clearance to deviate from their course to avoid bad weather. The pilot later reported they were also experiencing multiple system malfunctions on board.

Shortly before the flight was due to land, airport and local authority fire crews were mobilised to designated holding points adjacent to the airport’s runway. The flight landed safely at 9.13am and was pursued along the runway by rescue vehicles which also remained with the jet until it had reached a parking stand.

After parking at the terminal, the flight crew confirmed that two indicators in the cockpit had extinguished and that there was no trace of fire or smoke. Once this was confirmed, the emergency as stood down.

Earlier this month, Shannon Airport was closed for almost two hours after the crew of another cargo plane evacuated their aircraft on the runway after reporting a fire indication on board.

Cargolux flight CLX-94K diverted to Shannon after earlier declaring a Mayday over the Atlantic. The Boeing 747-400(ER) landed safely however no evidence of fire was found.

It emerged later that it was same Boeing 747-400(ER) jet that diverted to Shannon in early February 2022. The flight crew also reported a fire indication while the aircraft was also carrying a consignment of flowers.

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