Airbus A340-311 G-VFLY
7 June 2004 · Washington, District of Columbia, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 7 June 2004 at about 11:32 local time, a Airbus A340-311 registered G-VFLY, operated by Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd, was involved in an incident near Washington, District of Columbia, United States. 218 people were on board and nobody was injured. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 11:32
- Classification
- Incident
- Location
- Washington, District of Columbia, United States
- Coordinates
- 38.9095, -77.0201
- Aircraft
- Airbus A340-311
- Registration
- G-VFLY
- Category
- Airplane
- Operator
- Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd
- Operating rule
- Part 129: Foreign
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Washington → London
- Aircraft damage
- Not recorded
- Weather
- VMC
- NTSB number
- DCA04IA052
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 218 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 218 |
Probable cause
The incorrect loading of baggage into the aft cargo compartment instead of the forward compartment, which resulted in aft CG light in-flight.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
On June 7, 2004, at about 0732 edt, a Virgin Atlantic Airbus A340-311, G-VFLY, operating as a 14CFR Part 129 scheduled passenger flight from Washington-Dulles International Airport (IAD) to London Heathrow International Airport (LHR), was mis-loaded at IAD. The captain noticed an unusually rapid rotation at IAD, but continued the takeoff. Enroute the crew received two Fuel Excess Aft CG warnings, about 10 minutes apart, 2-1/2 hours into the flight. The gross weight CG indication was 34.0 and 34.2, respectively. He transferred all of the "trim tank" fuel forward, isolated the trim tank, and continued to LHR. Interviews with key ground personnel revealed that approximately seven tons of baggage was loaded in the aft cargo hold (positions 32-42) instead of the forward cargo hold (positions 23-26) as depicted on the load plan. There were 203 passengers, 12 cabin attendants, 2 flight crew, and 1 additional crewmember on board. There were no injuries and the airplane was not damaged.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Airbus A340 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 Aug 2003 | Airbus A340-300 | Walnut Ridge, Arkansas, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 18 Aug 2003 | Airbus A340-300 | Honolulu, Hawaii, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 11 Nov 2025 | Airbus A340 | Sakaka, Saudi Arabia | Edelweiss Air AG | Unknown | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 Jun 2005 | Embraer 170 | Washington, District of Columbia, United States | - | Fatal | - |
| 17 Jun 2002 | Dornier 328 | Washington, District of Columbia, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 30 May 2006 | Eurocopter EC-135P1 | Washington, District of Columbia, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 5 Aug 2001 | De Havilland DASH 8-100 | Washington, District of Columbia, United States | Name | Fatal | - |
| 13 Sep 2007 | Learjet 35 | Washington, District of Columbia, United States | National Jets Inc | No injuries | - |
| 17 Feb 2008 | Embraer ERJ170 | Washington, District of Columbia, United States | Republic Airlines Inc | No injuries | - |