AN INCIDENT in which a plane’s crew almost suffocated at the controls has
highlighted a possible risk to pilots of cargo aircraft. America’s aviation
safety watchdog now fears that carbon dioxide gas from evaporating dry ice,
which is frequently used to cool perishable cargo, could starve the crew on the
flight deck of oxygen.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is now pressing the Federal
Aviation Administration (FAA) to undertake tests to find out how much dry
ice—solid carbon dioxide—can safely be carried on various types of
cargo aircraft. The NTSB believes that current rules might allow a…
