American Airlines 777-300ER: Cargo Bin Catches Fire in Hong Kong

MIAMI  — An American Airlines Boeing 777-300(ER) was involved in a fire incident while being loaded at Hong Kong’s Chek Lap Kok International Airport at 17:30 local time.

The 2014-delivered aircraft was reportedly being prepared for its scheduled flight AA192 to Los Angeles when a cargo bin caught fire.

According to Martha Thomas, a spokesman for American Airlines, a cargo container caught fire as it was being loaded into the rear cargo compartment of the aircraft.

Even though one ground staff was injured in the process, no passengers or additional crew members were affected by the dramatic fire event.

The airline spokesman clarified that “an external piece of loading equipment had a mechanical issue and caught fire while preparing to put cargo in the hold of American Airlines flight 192 from Hong Kong (HKG) to Los Angeles (LAX) (…)  As a result, a pallet on the loading equipment containing non-hazardous goods also caught fire.”

Even though the flames affected the container that was about to be loaded into the aircraft, the condition of the Boeing 777 remains unknown. However, the proximity of the flames to the aircraft’s fuselage may have caused some structural damage. The flight to Los Angeles has been canceled until further notice.

American Airlines flies daily to Hong Kong on its flagship, the Boeing 777-300(ER). The airliner is equipped with eight First Class suites, 52 Business Class, 30 Premium Economy and 220 Economy seats.

Currently, the airline operates a fleet of 20 additional 777-300(ER)s and 47 of the older, smaller variant, the -200(ER).

On a related incident, an American Airlines Boeing 767-300(ER) operating flight AA383 from Chicago-O’Hare to Miami, caught fire on runway 28R at Chicago O’Hare International Airport in October 2016. As the incident unfolded, 161 passengers and nine crew were rapidly evacuated via slides.