'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
On Thursday, November 9, an Air Atlanta Icelandic cargo plane, a Boeing 747, had to return to JFK Airport in New York after a horse on board escaped its stall. An audio recording containing the calls between the Boston Air Route Traffic Control Center and the cargo’s pilot pertaining to the incident was posted on YouTube by You Can See ATC on November 12. The authenticity of the YouTube audio was confirmed by an Air Atlanta Icelandic representative.
John Cuticelli, the head of operations who supervises the operation of animal quarantine and export at JFK Airport, said that the cargo en route to Liege, Belgium, faced turbulence after around 30 minutes of takeoff. The horse was among 15 others who were being transported overseas.
When the turbulence struck, the animal likely got frightened and jumped halfway over the stall’s barrier. However, it got hung up in the middle with its front legs on the other side of the barrier, while its hind legs were still trapped inside the stall. In the first call, the pilot told the air traffic controller:
“We have a live animal, horse on board the airplane, and the horse managed to escape the stall. We don’t have a problem as of flying-wise, but we need to return, return back to New York. We cannot get the horse back secured.”
News of the incident went viral on social media and prompted hilarious memes. One X user commented on @rawsalerts' post on the same, wondering what it would be like to be a passenger on a flight with a horse on the loose.
Internet reacts as cargo plane returns to JFK airport due to horse escaping its stall while on board
There are all sorts of wild airplane stories that leave people in shock, disbelief, amusement, and so on. The news of a horse trying to escape its stall mid-air inside a flight is definitely not something that can be heard quite often. So, last Thursday's incident involving the Air Atlanta Icelandic airplane sparked comical reactions from netizens as soon as it was circulated online.
Further updates on the JFK Airport horse incident
According to FlightRadar24, when the horse on the Boeing 747 got supposedly spooked and tried to get out of the stall, the cargo jet had already ascended to 31,000 feet. In the audio clip posted on YouTube, the controller could be heard approving the pilot’s request to return to John F. Kennedy International Airport.
The flight had to make a U-turn off the Boston coast, and the pilot also relayed to the controller that they had to dump around 20 tons of fuel before landing at JFK Airport since the flight’s weight had become too heavy. The controller instructed the pilot to dump the fuel between Nantucket, Massachusetts, and Martha’s Vineyard.
During the fuel dump, which the pilot said would take around 20 minutes, he also requested for a veterinarian to be present at the airport in New York upon the flight’s arrival. Head of operations looking after animal exports at JFK Airport, John Cuticelli, said,
“We dispersed veterinary care, animal handlers, medical equipment, horse slings, a horse ambulance, everything necessary to accommodate that horse.”
However, once the horse was examined after landing, the vets determined that its injuries were already too severe for a chance of survival, so it was put to sleep.
The airliner later took off for Belgium again after some time and landed in Liege on November 10 at 6:49 am.
