"We have a horse... in difficulty."
Who's Horse Is That?
A Boeing 747 had to turn back and return to New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport after a horse managed to escape from its stall inside the airliner.
As CNN reports, the chartered cargo flight operated by Air Atlanta Icelandic was already flying at 31,000 feet and 30 minutes into its intercontinental journey to Belgium before the unusually large passenger managed to break free from its constraints.
"The horse managed to escape its stall," a pilot can be heard saying, according to recordings obtained by YouTube channel "You Can See ATC," which were later verified by CNN. "There's no issue with flying, but we need to go back to New York as we can't resecure the horse."
Fortunately, the plane was promptly granted permission to land at JFK but had to shed 20 tons of fuel over the Atlantic first due to the flight's weight.
In the recordings, the pilot can also be heard asking air traffic control to have a veterinarian ready back on the ground because "we have a horse... in difficulty."
Snakes on a Plane
It's not the first time we've heard of animals escaping their crates midflight. Last month, an otter and a rat caused mayhem on a flight from Thailand to Taiwan. Earlier this month, a young bear managed to escape on a flight from Baghdad to Dubai.
We still don't know how the horse managed to Houdini itself out of its restraint, nor its current condition — but given its unusual surroundings, we can't blame it for getting a little freaked out.
More on cargo planes: Google Cofounder's Airship Cleared for Flight
Share This Article