Delta A330 Operated Flight to Atlanta Makes Emergency Landing at Ghana

ATLANTA- A Delta Air Lines (DL) Airbus A330, registration N857NW, operating Flight DL055 from Lagos (LOS) to Atlanta (ATL), made an emergency landing at Accra, Ghana (ACC) on September 23, 2025, after a galley oven fire.

The fire was quickly contained by cabin crew without injuries, but the diversion plus elapsed hours caused the flight crew to exceed their duty time limits.

The aircraft remained grounded overnight, and passengers were rebooked before the flight resumed from Accra at approximately 12:00 UTC on September 25.

Photo: Clément Alloing

Delta A330 Emergency Landing

Flight DL055 departed Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos (LOS), at 11:02 UTC on September 23, aged over 20 years, operating a daily nonstop service between Lagos and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL).

About 70 minutes into the flight, while ascending en route, a galley oven caught fire. The source of the fire was reportedly inside the galley (catering oven), though the specific cause (electrical fault, foreign object, fat residue, etc.) has not been confirmed.

According to PYOK, pilots diverted to Kotoka International Airport (ACC), Accra, Ghana, circling briefly over Kumasi before landing safely around 12:12 UTC. All passengers and crew disembarked without injury.

Photo: Andrew E. Cohen | Flickr

Operational & Regulatory Consequences

After landing, the flight could not continue immediately because the crew had exceeded permitted duty/rest time under aviation regulations. Delta began rebooking affected passengers on alternate flights: some on the same evening’s Accra-New York service, others via partner airlines like KLM, Lufthansa, British Airways, and Air France.

Flight DL055 ultimately departed from Accra for its destination on September 25 at approximately 12:00 UTC.

So far, no official statement from Delta has disclosed the specific oven model, oven maintenance history, or precise cause of the fire. There is no confirmed report of power interruption, presence of a foreign object, or fat residue. The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has acknowledged the incident and noted safety measures but has not published final investigation findings.

There is also no public data yet on the number of passengers and crew aboard, though tracking sources indicate the aircraft is used daily on that route and is over two decades in age.

Representative Photo: Delta Air Lines

Comparison, Implications & Crew Procedures

Galley fires like this are rare but well-covered in flight attendant training. Procedures typically include isolating electrical power to the oven, using fire extinguishers (often halon), and removing offending items for safe disposal.

While those specifics haven’t been publicly confirmed in this incident, the rapid containment suggests the crew acted according to standard protocols.

The event underscores how non-mechanical failures (oven fire) can lead to major operational delays, especially when crew duty-time limits are regulatory constraints.

It also highlights the need for detailed inspection of galley equipment, catering processes, and emergency readiness in transatlantic operations.

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