Report Details

Carrier: Delta Air Lines

Flight Number: DL 015

Date and Time of Incident March 16, 2012, 5:20 PM

Type of Incident: Death

Description of Animal Breed: Manchester Terrier, Ivan Age: 7

Description of Incident: Pet arrived unresponsive when unloaded in Atlanta, GA from Frankfurt Germany flight.

Cause of Incident:
The pet was accepted in apparent good condition in Frankfurt The statement by the examining vet in Frankfurt indicated he found no condition which would preclude shipment. The temperature in Frankfurt at the time of acceptance was 62.6 F, and 79 on arrival in Atlanta. The flight arrived four minutes later than scheduled. The HVAC system of the aircraft was inspected and operated normally. The flight crew reported there were no issues with the aircraft or flight conditions during the flight that would have affected the health or comfort of the dog. A necropsy of the dog indicated the dog had an undetected preexisting disease of the heart valve, endocardiosis, which compromised its ability to compensate for the stress of travel.

Corrective Action Taken: No corrective action is indicated.