A Boeing 747 cargo plane was forced to turn around after a horse escaped from its cabin and caused chaos while the plane was flying at more than nine thousand meters above sea level. The plane was headed to Belgium from New York, but, made a 180-degree turn approximately 90 minutes after departure when the animal broke loose.
What Happened to the Horse Inside the Plane?
Air traffic control audio recordings recorded the pilot saying, “We have a live animal, a horse, on board the plane. The horse managed to escape. We cannot secure the horse again.” The pilot of Air Atlanta Icelandic Flight 4592 informed air traffic control that the aircraft was fine, but that the problem was the loose horse. He then requested that a veterinarian meet with them to discuss the situation once it landed at John F. Kennedy International Airport.
As the plane was returning during last Thursday’s incident, the pilot said he needed to jettison 20 tons of fuel east of Nantucket, one of the wealthiest neighborhoods near Massachusetts. The plane had to release the fuel due to the weight of the aircraft.
It is not yet clear how the horse managed to free itself, but it was unrestrained when the plane landed at the airport. “Do you need assistance?” air traffic control asked the pilot after the aircraft arrived. “On the ground, negative,” the pilot replied. “On the tarmac, yes. We have a horse in trouble, in distress.”
The flight took off later in the day and successfully arrived at Liege Airport in Belgium on Friday morning, according to FlightRadar24. The reason the horse was being transported is also unknown. One of the most common reasons is the transport of racehorses.
This story was written in Spanish by Miguel Fernández in Cultura Colectiva News
