4Z779 - Incident: Airlink E135 at Johannesburg on Aug 22nd 2024

An Airlink South Africa Embraer ERJ-135, registration ZS-OUV performing flight 4Z-779 from Johannesburg to Sishen (South Africa) with 14 passengers and 3 crew, was climbing through FL245 out of Johannesburg when the crew smelled smoke in the cockpit, donned their oxygen masks and stopped the climb at FL260. The odour was limited to the cockpit. The crew declared emergency and returned to Johannesburg for a safe landing on runway 21L about 30 minutes after departure.

South Africa's CAA opened an investigation into the occurrence.

On Oct 23rd 2024 South Africa's AIID released their preliminary report into the occurrence rated a serious incident summarizing the sequence of events:

The captain, who was the pilot flying (PF), stated that the aircraft departed FAOR at 1354Z. Whilst overhead Potchefstroom in North West province and climbing through 24 500 feet (ft) above mean sea level (AMSL) to reach 24 600ft as per the flight plan, the crew noticed a burning smell in the cockpit. The captain called the cabin crew member via the intercom and asked her to check for smoke or fire in the cabin. After checking, the cabin crew member reported no sign of smoke or fire in the cabin. The first officer (FO) who was the pilot monitoring (PM) notified the FAOR air traffic control (ATC) about the smoke in the cockpit on very high frequency (VHF) 118.10 Megahertz (MHz) and requested to level off the aircraft at 24 600ft. The FO’s request was granted, and the aircraft levelled off at 24 600ft. The crew then referenced the aircraft’s Quick Reference Handbook (QRH) under ‘Cockpit / Cabin Smoke / Fumes’ to follow the prescribed procedure and complete the normal procedures and emergency checks.

Thereafter, the FO declared a PAN PAN PAN distress call with FAOR ATC. The captain piloted the aircraft back to FAOR. The Airport Rescue and Firefighting (ARFF) personnel at FAOR were on standby. Approximately 51 minutes after the initial take-off, the aircraft landed safely on Runway 21L. The ARFF personnel inspected the aircraft for signs of external damage, and none was found. The crew and the passengers were unharmed. The passengers disembarked from the aircraft and were transported to the terminal building. Later, they boarded another aircraft with a different crew to their destination.

The cabin crew member stated that whilst the aircraft was in a climb phase and the seatbelt sign was off, the interphone rang and the red emergency indicator light illuminated. Upon answering, the captain asked if she could identify smoke or burning smell in the cabin. She then inspected the cabin and lavatory and found nothing abnormal. The captain later informed her that they were returning to FAOR due to a technical issue, and that he was prioritising safety. The cabin crew confirmed the captain’s instructions; thereafter, secured the cabin as instructed.

The serious incident occurred during daytime at Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates determined to be 26Ⱐ51.63’ South 027°25.23’ East whilst flying through 24 500ft.

Related Flight: 4Z779, Airlink News