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A cargo plane was forced to divert to John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) on Nov. 9 after a horse got loose on board. The plane was en route to Belgium when the horse partially jumped out of its stall, then the crew had to dump fuel and called for a veterinarian upon landing, according to the released ATC audio.
Air Atlanta Icelandic flight 4592 took off on Nov. 9 at 2:30 p.m. in a Boeing 747 for Liege, Belgium, according to Business Insider. The Boeing climbed to nearly 31,000 feet when the pilot called air traffic control to let them know a horse had escaped its stall and they needed to return to JFK. The crew was cleared to return to New York, but due to its weight had to dump fuel over the Atlantic to land safely. The crew said there was nothing wrong with the plane, but the horse was causing some difficulty and they could not secure it in the stall while in the air. The crew also requested that a veterinarian be on standby upon landing at JFK.
The escaped horse was one of 15 being transported to Liege when turbulence struck after takeoff, John Cuticelli, the head of the corporation responsible for operating animal quarantine and export at JFK, told CNN Travel. The horse was reportedly spooked and jumped halfway over the high front barrier of the stall, getting stuck with his front legs on one side and hind legs trapped inside of the stall.
"The horse jumped and managed to get its two front legs over the (front) barrier and then got jammed," Cuticelli said to CNN. "It's only the second time in all the years I've been doing this that I've ever seen that happen. And we do thousands of horses a year. A very unfortunate event — but that horse was spooked."
ATC audio released on YouTube reveals the conversation between the controller and the pilots. The pilot told the controller they needed assistance as they "have a horse in problem, in difficulty," and needed a veterinarian. Cuticelli told CNN that they dispersed the proper veterinary care, including medical equipment, slings, animal handlers and a horse ambulance. They had to take the other horses off the plane to get the equipment in and the other horse out. Once the horse was on the ground they determined the extent of its injuries were too severe and it was euthanized.
The plane took off again later, landing in Belgium the next morning.