Burnt rubber, sparks and flames in the cockpit

It ended up with both sparks, flames and smoke in the cockpit, when a Dash-8 from Air Greenland on Sunday, January 18, shortly before lunch, took off from Nuuk airport heading to Narsarsuaq.

The incident, which is categorized as a serious incident by the Norwegian Aviation Accident Investigation Board, is described in a report that the accident investigation board published on May 5.

The Dash-8 aircraft with registration OY-GRG had just taken off from Nuuk airport and was ascending and was at 7,000 feet (a good 2 kilometers altitude, ed.) when the pilots noticed a strong smell of burnt rubber, followed by visible flames and sparks from the right so-called right windshield terminal block, which supplies power to heat the windshield.

The flight crew turned off the windshield heater, which extinguished the flames and stopped the sparks. Due to smoke in the cockpit, the flight crew put on their oxygen masks and stopped the climb at 9,000 feet, turned around and returned to the airport in Nuuk, where the plane landed safely.

Unpleasant experience

For the passengers, it was of course an unpleasant experience.

- After landing, the passengers were debriefed on board by the captain. The debriefing was conducted in Greenlandic, Danish and English, so that all passengers had the opportunity to understand the information, Air Greenland informs Sermitsiaq in a written comment.

- The passengers were informed about the situation and the handling of the incident. The captain subsequently asked if there were any questions, but no passengers had further questions. The captain also observed that the passengers generally seemed relieved and satisfied after landing.

- Several passengers expressed gratitude that the crew had brought them down safely, especially since they had been able to smell smoke during the flight, writes Air Greenland in its response.

- Air Greenland has fixed procedures for this type of incident, and the incident was handled in accordance with the current operational procedures with a focus on safety, clear information and care for the passengers, the national airline further states.

The fuse blew

After landing, Air Greenland's technicians examined the damage in the cockpit. The investigation determined that the right windshield was the source of the short circuit. The short circuit led to overheating and melting of the right windshield terminal block. It was also found that the fuse in the aircraft's 115 V electrical system, which supplies the windshield heater, had blown during the incident, as it should in the event of a short circuit.

Apart from a melted panel, no further damage occurred to the aircraft. No one was injured in the incident.

After reviewing the incident, the Accident Investigation Board has decided not to take any further action.

- The fuse triggered as it should. This shows that we can do no more to increase flight safety, so we are not taking any more action, says investigator Kristian Sivertsen from the accident investigation commission.

- The accident investigation commission's task is to strengthen flight safety – not to assign blame and responsibility – by pointing out conditions that can be improved, emphasizes Kristian Sivertsen.

OY-GRG, nicknamed Suloraq, joined Air Greenland's fleet in 2010. The aircraft was built in 1997. Air Greenland has eight aircraft of the Dash-8-200 type with space for 37 passengers.