A United Airlines Boeing 737-800 flying from Tokyo to Cebu in the Philippines made an emergency landing Friday after an “indication of potential fire in the cargo hold,” the airline said in a statement.
United Flight 32 was about an hour into the four-hour flight, flying at 34,000 feet over the Pacific Ocean, when it diverted to the northwest, according to FlightRadar 24. The plane landed about 30 minutes later at Kansai International Airport in Osaka, Japan.
The 135 passengers evacuated down the plane’s emergency slides and were bussed to the terminal. Two passengers were taken to the hospital with minor injuries from the evacuation.
“Upon initial inspection by maintenance there is no indication a fire occurred,” the airline said.
United operates a hub in Tokyo to other destinations in Asia, including Guam, Mongolia, Saipan, Taiwan and the Philippines. United Flight 32 was a continuation of a flight from Los Angeles, operated on a different, smaller aircraft.
Fires aboard commercial aircraft are very rare but can be incredibly deadly. In the United States, 20% of all fatalities onboard aircraft between 1891 and 1990 were caused by fires, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
Boeing advises finding an immediate place to land if there is “smoke, fumes or fire” on a plane.
“Crews should anticipate diversion as soon as an SFF event occurs and should be reminded in the checklist to consider a diversion,” William McKenzie, Boeing’s flight crew procedures manager wrote in a Boeing publication for airlines in 2009.
Speed is of the essence in any potential fire situation.
“Without any intervention, a fire may become uncontrollable within 10 minutes; meaning that, if efficient actions are not taken early enough, the situation may escalate in few minutes,” Airbus wrote in published flight operations recommendations in 2019.
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