WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) - A Belgium-bound cargo plane was forced to return to New York after a horse bolted from its holding pen in mid-air, US media reported.
The horse got loose within half an hour of the flight's take-off last Thursday evening when the plane was about 31,000 feet, according to ABC News, which cited an air traffic control recording.
The pilot of the Air Atlanta Icelandic Boeing 747 asked for permission to hoof it back to John F Kennedy International Airport after crew members were unable to wrangle the horse into its stall.
"There's no issue with flying, but we need to go back to New York as we can't re-secure the horse," the pilot was heard saying.
Saddled with thousands of pounds of fuel for the transatlantic flight, the plane was forced to dump about 20 tons over the Atlantic before it could safely land back in New York.
The flight resumed its journey shortly after the incident and landed in Liege, according to flight tracking website FlightRadar24.
HOUSE RULES
- We welcome reader comments on the top stories of the day. Some comments may be republished on the website or in the newspaper; email addresses will not be published.
- Please understand that comments are moderated and it is not always possible to publish all that have been submitted. We will, however, try to publish comments that are representative of all received.
- We ask that comments are civil and free of libellous or hateful material. Also please stick to the topic under discussion.
- Please do not write in block capitals since this makes your comment hard to read.
- Please don't use the comments to advertise. However, our advertising department can be more than accommodating if emailed: advertising@jamaicaobserver.com.
- If readers wish to report offensive comments, suggest a correction or share a story then please email: community@jamaicaobserver.com.
- Lastly, read our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy
