Air France Mayday
 

I heard Air France declare a Mayday yesterday evening (15 April 07) on the Orly Departure frequency.
All in quick-fire French on a busy night, but I believe they were cleared to descend to 2000ft before a frequency change. Altitude warning horns sounding on his transmissions.
Anybody know anything else?

Sounds like a depressurization problem?

Fire on board. Airport re-opened shortly after with 24 in use for landings and take-offs. A few minutes later normal Ops as the Airbus was parked away from 26 (initially stopped on W36). Plenty of fire brigade blue lights around it.

Here.. in french..

http://www.crash-aerien.com/forum/od...ce-vt3654.html

Translated using a translating website, you can see that it was very serious... for those folks in the telephone booth:

Paris (France) - An airplane of the French airline company Air France was constrained done u-turn and to rest in urgency at the international airport Paris Orly (France) after an odor of burned and apparent smoke in the telephone booth.

The airplane, an Airbus A320, flight AF6232, that had to carry out the liaison between the international airport Paris Orly and the international airport azure Coast of Nice (France) had taken off towards 21h00, local hour, when a strong odor of burned follow by smoked invaded the fleeting telephone booths. The edge order as soon as decided done u-turn and to rest in urgency.

If the above computerised translation is as good as they come :rolleyes: , there is still a bright future for human translations...

I'll have a go...

An Air France aircraft was forced to to make an emergency return to Orly Airport following a burning smell and smoke in the cabin.

The Aircraft, an Airbus A320, flight AF6232, scheduled to fly Orly - Nice Cote D'azur, had taken off around 21:00 local when a strong smell of burning and smoke enveloped the passenger cabin. The Captain therefore decided to turn around and make an emergency return (to Orly).

The aircraft landed without incident and there were no injuries. Passengers were disembarked calmly. The origin and causes of the smoke have not been commented upon by the airline. The flight took off again more than two hours later and arrived at its destination without any further problems.

Babel Fish
 

Back on subject, that makes quite a few smoke incidents in the last couple of months - about the nastiest thing short of fire on board, that you can have. Sound decision to get it down pronto.