2 x 7700 squawks on a planes headed for JFK

[Ianp83]

On flight radar app within 15 mins of each other a Kuwait airways 777 and an airfrance a340 squawked 7700 and returned to their origin airports Lhr and Cdg. Both were en route to JFK.

Stranger still the Kuwait air was over the west welsh coast and the air France route showed it going up to the Isle of Man then back.

Why would a plane with an emergency not land at the nearest large airport? Or is flight radar often inaccurate?

[wiggy]

Why would a plane with an emergency not land at the nearest large airport?

Depends what the emergency is.

e.g. You may have a medical "emergency", where the closest airport with suitable, quickly accessible medical facilities might not be the one nearest to you.

[2dPilot]

Coincidentally those two events seem to correlate closely with areas of very heavy rainfall. (around 1630 - 1730)

Rainfall radar - Met Office

[Hotel Tango]

Ah yes, of course, they were about to fly through heavy rain at FL350+

[matt56410]

Perhaps the a/c were burning fuel so their landing masses were within limits?

[Globally Challenged]

Ah yes, of course, they were about to fly through heavy rain at FL350+

Very Heavy rain does often fall out of very nasty / tall clouds

[dixi188]

Why did both aircraft squawk 7700 as there is no requirement to do this if you are under radar control even if you declare a "Mayday".
I had a "Mayday" about a year ago in Milan airspace and we kept the assigned squawk.

[WindSheer]

It was hammering down in Wales at that time.

Lightening strikes?

[Hotel Tango]

Very Heavy rain does often fall out of very nasty / tall clouds

Normally those clever pilots can see them (visually and/or on their wx radar) and fly around those nasty big clouds!

[Ianp83]

Coincidental emergencies it would appear. Kuwait had smoke in cabin, AF had technical incident in cockpit - on another website said crack in windscreen

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2216304/US-bound-flights-return-Heathrow-Paris-suffering-simultaneous-mid-air-emergencies-British-airspace.html?openGraphAuthor=%2Fhome%2Fsearch.html%3Fs%3D%2 6authornamef%3DAnthony%2BBond%2B

[Otto Nove Due]

There was no severe weather at upper levels in the area, either on satellite or in the sigwx chart.



The Air France site just reports a "technical incident" as the reason for that flight's return to Paris.

Due to a technical incident, flight AF010 has returned to Paris.

Flight AF010 is delayed due to a technical incident.

[Otto Nove Due]

Both are on AvHerald

Incident: Air France A343 near Blackpool on Oct 11th 2012, windshield problem
Incident: Kuwait B772 near Cardiff on Oct 11th 2012, smoke in cabin