Boeing 767 Aborts Flight From SFO / Second jet in two days forced to return to airport after takeoff

Source: The San Francisco Chronicle Publication date: Mar 21, 2000

An American Airlines Boeing 767 bound for Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport returned to San Francisco International Airport shortly after takeoff yesterday when smoke was smelled in the cabin, according to an airport spokesman.

Flight 1994, with about 148 passengers aboard, landed safely at 10:15 a.m., airport spokesman Ron Wilson said. No one was injured, and passengers were put aboard another flight.

The problem was reported as the smell of burnt plastic, according to airport duty manager Dan Dinnocenti.

After the plane was taken out of service, mechanics were unable to find the source of the odor, said Dinnocenti. The plane was then flight tested and put back in service when no further problems arose, he said.

Shortly after takeoff on the scheduled flight to Dallas, the flight crew notified the airport of the smell of smoke. The airport went into Alert 1 status, with emergency crews lining the runway.

An Alert 1 is called when emergency crews may be needed immediately. It is considered a low level of alert, compared with other levels of readiness that would be called if a crash were imminent, Wilson said.

The previous night, the airport also went into Alert 1 status when a United Airlines jet with 120 passengers aboard returned shortly after takeoff. The pilot had reported a problem with low oil pressure.

United Flight 206 was bound for Washington Dulles International Airport in northern Virginia.

The United Airbus A320 landed safely at 11:30 p.m., an hour after the scheduled departure of 10:30 p.m., airline spokesman Matt Triaca said.

"The pilot noticed there was low oil pressure, and they returned to the field," Triaca said. "It was by the book."

Low oil pressure could affect one of the plane's two engines, Triaca said.

The plane was taken out of service. Mechanics were to check the aircraft for the source of the problem, which was unknown as of yesterday afternoon, Triaca said.

Passengers boarded another United jet for the flight to Washington Dulles, Triaca said.

An Alert 1 was called at the San Francisco airport 80 times last year and 78 times in 1998. As of yesterday, an Alert 1 has been called at the airport 26 times so far this year.

"Statistically, it appears to be more than in the past two years," Wilson said. He had no explanation for the apparent increase.

Mitch Barker, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration, said the agency does not keep track of such incidents.

Last week, a Delta Air Lines jet skidded to a halt at San Francisco airport when the right-side landing gear failed to lock in place. The plane's wing scraped the runway in a shower of sparks.

The pilots had noticed that the gear did not retract properly when the Boeing 727 departed for Salt Lake City, and it returned after dumping fuel.

Publication date: Mar 21, 2000 ) 2000, NewsReal, Inc.

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-- Carl Jenkins (Somewherepress@aol.com), March 21, 2000