Flight returns to JFK airport after horse gets loose in cargo hold

NEW YORK (WPIX) – A cargo plane bound for Belgium was forced to return to John F. Kennedy International Airport last week after a horse got loose, according to a call between pilots and air traffic control posted to YouTube.

The Boeing 747-400, operated by Air Atlanta Icelandic, had taken off from JFK on the afternoon of Nov. 9. It was in the air for less than an hour before a pilot radioed air traffic controllers to report the issue, according to the audio.

"We have a live animal, horse onboard the plane, and the horse managed to escape the stall," the pilot can be heard telling an air traffic controller.

"We don't have a problem as of flying-wise, but we need to return … back to New York. We cannot get the horse back secured."

The pilot also requests a veterinarian to meet the aircraft at JFK upon return.

Air traffic controllers later give the crew clearance to dump fuel before re-landing, according to the audio. The plane then dumped about 6,000 gallons of fuel between Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, Nexstar's WWLP reported, citing a report from the islands' local NPR station.

In total, the cargo flight was in the air for approximately an hour and a half before touching back down at JFK, FlightAware data shows.

An Air Atlanta Icelandic spokesperson confirmed the veracity of the audio posted to YouTube, CNN reported. A representative was not immediately available to provide additional comment on the cause of the incident or the condition of the horse.