'Bangs' heard on flight from Stansted Airport as loose cargo strikes bulkhead

Cargo loaded at Stansted Airport is likely not to have been secured properly - leading it to hit one of the bulkheads in flight, a report has determined. But investigators say cannot determine precisely how the cargo container on board the Boeing 737-400 freighter was not properly secured by the time it landed at Edinburgh.

The West Atlantic aircraft had started its descent at about 12.30am on April 26 this year when the crew heard a “dull double bang” as the 695kg container shifted forwards and struck the bulkhead wall. According to the UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch, the crew had initially thought the right-hand engine had surged.

But all the engine indications were normal except a momentary higher vibration indication on the right engine. The crew had considered that there may have been a cargo shift on the main deck but elected to continue to Edinburgh where the aircraft landed safely without further incident.

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The report said: “During the start of the descent for landing at Edinburgh, the unit load device (ULD) loaded in Bay B shifted forwards, hitting the forward bulkhead wall.

“The ULD was found in Bay A when the cargo was unloaded on arrival. It is likely that the locks on the ULD loaded in Bay B were not secured as required, allowing the ULD to move during flight. The operator made a number of changes to address the risks of cargo shifts and of void bays in particular.”

However the report added the crew were only notified of the movement after the cargo had already been unloaded so it was not possible to ascertain whether the locks had not been engaged or had malfunctioned in some way.

The operator took a number of safety actions to address the risks of unsecured cargo moving during flight. This included changing guidance to ensure Bay B is kept void rather than Bay A.