A Toronto flight was declared an emergency after a cabin fire

A routine flight from Toronto Pearson Airport to New York was forced to make an emergency landing shortly after takeoff after the crew reported a “cabin spark” due to an electrical fire.

According to the Aviation Herald, Delta Airlines flight DL4826 departed Toronto Pearson Airport at 6:47 a.m. on February 3 with 74 passengers on board.

The flight took off at about 11,000 feet above the Toronto runway, and the fight crew put on oxygen masks and announced Mayday and reported a spark in the cockpit.

“Mayday-Mayday-Mayday, this is Endeavor 4826, it's declared an emergency, there's just been a fire… there's been a power outage in the cabin. It seems to be out now. Please return to Toronto immediately,” said the flight crew. He noted that “74 souls” had “9 thousand pounds of fuel” on board.

The plane then aborted its climb at 11,000 feet, returned to Toronto and landed safely on Toronto's runway about 25 minutes after its original takeoff, the Aviation Herald reported.

A few days later, the Canadian TSB reported that the plane was taking off when the flight crew noticed a “burnt electrical smell” coming from the cockpit.

“While the flight crew was inspecting the cockpit, the captain's side windshield electric heater control unit started sparking/flaming. The flight crew put on oxygen masks, declared an emergency and requested a return to CYYZ,” Canada's TSB said.

“The flight crew turned off the windshield heat and the sparks/flames stopped. The flight crew proceeded to a normal landing and landed without further incident. Maintenance revealed that the left windshield power terminal block had arced to the inner surface of the windshield and that the wiring was intact. The windshield will be replaced.”