A 2nd Boeing 777 had a fire sensor go off in Athens, 5 minutes before Asiana crash at SFO

KENYA AIRWAYS CREW ON KQ 117 EXECUTES PERFECT EMERGENCY LANDING IN ATHENS

(Posted 06th July 2013)

Although information is still somewhat sketchy it can now be confirmed that the crew of Kenya Airways flight KQ 117 from Amsterdam to Nairobi executed a perfect emergency landing in Athens, when sensors from the cargo hold indicated a fire on board. The Boeing B777-200ER with 301 passengers and crew on board was according to the reports at hand upon landing directed to a parking area and passengers deboarded normally when coming to a full stop. From available details it seems clear that one of the sensors had malfunctioned but the cockpit crew took no risks, activated the fire suppression system and immediately, upon declaring an emergency, diverted the plane to Athens. The plane was checked thoroughly and no evidence of any fire was found in any of the cargo holds.

Kenya Airways has now issued a preliminary statement which is shown here in full:

Start quote:

‘KQ117, a Boeing B777-200ER with 301 passengers on board from Amsterdam to Nairobi diverted to Athens at 125am EA time. This was due to a fire warning indication in one of the cargo holds. As is standard procedure which is normal in the industry, the fire suppression system was activated and the aircraft had to divert to the nearest airport for further assessment. The flight landed safely in Athens and all tests conducted on the fire detection system confirm it is functioning correctly.

The functional tests and profiling of the cargo to confirm the source of the warning required that the flight be rescheduled. All passengers and crew were taken to a hotel in Athens and the flight has been scheduled to depart Athens at 5 pm Kenya time arriving at 2255pm today’.

End quote

Passengers have started to express their thanks and appreciation through social media to the entire crew which handled the emergency in a most professional way. As mentioned in the media release, the plane is expected back in Nairobi tonight after the crew had taken their minimum rest time as required under Kenya’s aviation regulations. Watch this space for breaking and regular news from East Africa’s aviation industry.