Cockpit coffee spill forces commercial flight to make emergency landing

Airbus A330-243 flying to Cancun, Mexico, from Frankfurt, lands at Shannon in Ireland

LONDON: A commercial jet with 326 people on board was forced to make an emergency landing when hot coffee was accidentally spilled over the cockpit control panel over the Atlantic Ocean, according to a report on Thursday.

The Airbus A330-243 flying to Cancun, Mexico, from Frankfurt, landed at Shannon in Ireland. With the hot liquid causing a strong electrical burning smell and smoke rising from the panel, the captain decided to divert, the report from the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) said.

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The incident happened after a pilot put his coffee cup without a lid on a tray table rather than in a cup holder, the report said. There were no injuries in the incident, which happened in February.

The AAIB did not identify the airline but said it had since changed procedures to ensure that cup lids are provided for flights on all routes, and that crews are reminded of the need to use them.