Report Details

Carrier and Flight Number American Airlines Flight #923

Date and Time of the Incident 20 July 2011

Description of the Animal, Including Name 7 year old Yorkshire Terrier named Pety

Narrative Description of Incident In the off-loading of the flight, a crew chief noticed that 1 of 2 dogs in a single kennel looked deceased. A security agent working the flight confirmed that 1 of the dogs appeared to be deceased and notified AA passenger service manager who notified the customer. Authorities questioned the customer and she mentioned that she gave both dogs a “natural calming formula Level 3”. The second dog, a 10 year old Yorkshire Terrier named Tiny, appeared to be in distress, but was allowed to enter the country.

Narrative Description of Cause of the Incident A veterinarian was called to examine the deceased dog and his initial observation was that hypothermia may have been the cause of the death. He took the dog with him to perform a necropsy and to cremate the remains and the conclusion was “suffocation due to lack of oxygen; an unusual amount of mucus in the nose was also present”. The captain was questioned about the heaters and oxygen and reported that all systems were operating properly.

Narrative Description of any Corrective Action Taken in Response to Incident No corrective action is necessary.