Report Details

Type: Injury Date of Incident: March 18, 2012 Location: Atlanta, GA Routing: Newport News, VA (PHF) – Atlanta, GA (ATL) – Los Angeles, CA (LAX); Flight – DL5343 AWB: 006-44352501 Description of Animal: 4yr old male Pit Bull named “Maximus” Description of Incident: Maximus was accepted for transport on Delta Connection Carrier, ExpressJet (EV), whose flight number was 5343 on March 18, 2012 at our facility in PHF.

Flight 5343 departed PHF at 1114 and arrived on schedule into ATL at 1253. At the time of departure in PHF, the temperature was between 60ºF and 62ºF. On the flight’s arrival in ATL, the temperature exceeded DL’s standard guideline of 75F for snub-nosed breeds. Ramp handlers removed Maximus from the aircraft and delivered him to gate A20 for his next connecting flight to LAX. At approximately 1300, the tower contacted the cargo supervisors to advise the animal had escaped from its crate by chewing at the sides of the kennel. Unit leaders pursued and recaptured Maximus approximately 40 minutes later. We further discovered the kennel that Maximus traveled in from PHF to ATL also did not meet DL’s standards, as there was no evidence of metal hardware securing the top and bottom halves together. After personnel observed blood coming from the nose area and paws, Maximus was immediately delivered to the local veterinarian for an examination.

The vet at Briarcliff Animal Clinic treated Maximus for the injuries sustained and provided an overnight comfort stop at the clinic. On March 19th, Maximus resumed his travel to LAX on DL1554. On the flight’s arrival, Maximus had again chewed through the side of the new replacement crate, but fortunately he did not have an opportunity to escape. Ramp handlers removed the crate from the aircraft and delivered Maximus to his awaiting owner. Cause of Incident: Self inflicted wounds Corrective Action Taken: Contacted the Operational Leaders for ExpressJet (EV) to advise PHF improperly accepted the animal by exceeding the temperature restrictions based on DL’s internal policy for snub-nosed breeds and for their failure to apply proper kennel acceptance procedures. Required EV to review and re-train agents at PHF on DL’s shipping policies and to hold each agent accountable, when warranted.