Delta Air Lines Airbus A330-900neo returns to Boston after exhaust fumes caused illness among crew

Summary

Delta Air Lines Flight 224 was forced to return to BOS after fumes in the cabin caused crew members to become ill.
Despite a safe landing, the crew members were taken to hospital for examination, but no passengers were injured.
The aircraft, an Airbus A330neo, was undergoing maintenance before being returned to service. The source of the fumes remains unknown.

On August 7, a Delta Air Lines flight was forced to return to its departure airport approximately 90 minutes after takeoff due to fumes being released in the cabin. The plane landed safely and without incident. However, several crew members were taken to the hospital after landing. None of the passengers required medical attention.

The flight

Delta Air Lines flight 224 flies nonstop from Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) to Paris Charles De Gaulle International Airport (CDG) with an Airbus A330neo. Unfortunately, the airline was unable to complete the flight and had to turn around approximately 30 minutes after departure.

The aircraft, registration N401DZ, was climbing to its cruising altitude when the crew stopped at 29,000 feet and reported smoke in the cabin. The crew then went through a smoke checklist and planned to return to BOS. According to data from FlightAware, the aircraft was in Canadian airspace and began its turn toward Boston while over the province of Nova Scotia.

Delta Air Lines Flight 224 returns to BOS

Photo: FlightAware

The airline took about an hour to return to BOS and landed safely on runway 04R. After landing, the captain, first officer and five cabin crew members were taken to a nearby hospital. The crew had reportedly become ill due to the fumes.

The Aviation Herald published a statement from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regarding the incident:

“Delta Air Lines Flight 224 returned to Boston Logan International Airport at approximately 9:05 p.m. local time on Wednesday, August 7, and landed safely after the crew reported possible fumes in the cabin. The Airbus A330 was en route to Paris. The FAA will investigate the incident.”

An Airbus A330neo from Delta Air Lines shortly before landing.

Photo: The Global Guy | Shutterstock

The aircraft remained grounded in BOS mode for 41 hours while maintenance personnel investigated the source of the fumes and made repairs. The aircraft was then returned to service.

According to ch-aviation, the A330neo is a five-year-old aircraft owned by Delta. The aircraft is equipped with a total of 281 seats, including 168 economy, 56 economy plus, 28 premium economy and 29 business class seats. As of May 2024, the aircraft has completed a total of 19,238 hours and 2,218 flight cycles.

Canadian investigation

Because the incident occurred in Canadian airspace, the Canadian Transportation Safety Board released a summary of the events that occurred on board the aircraft on August 14.

According to the report, the problem became apparent as the plane taxied to the runway. The captain noticed an unpleasant sensation in his eyes and the first officer noticed a slight odor. The crew decided to continue the flight.

A Delta Air Lines Airbus A330neo on a wet runway.

Photo: Markus Mainka I Shutterstock

Shortly after takeoff, the cabin crew reported an odor in the middle cabin. The captain instructed the backup first officer to investigate, but he could not detect any odor. After a few more minutes, a flight attendant informed the captain that several members of the cabin crew were feeling unwell and that passengers were complaining about the odor. This prompted the captain to take action.

The flight crew then conducted a cabin fumes/smoke checklist and called the relieving First Officer back to the cabin to assess the situation himself. After assessing the situation, he decided to return to the BOS.

The aircraft landed safely and the crew were met at the gate by medical technicians. After preliminary examinations, the flight crew and five cabin crew members were taken to hospital for medical examination. All were discharged shortly afterwards as there were no long-term effects.

Maintenance technicians inspected both engines and the auxiliary power unit for oil leaks and tested the bleed air sources, but were unable to reproduce the problem. As a precaution, the front recirculation filters were replaced and the aircraft returned to service.