Airbus Industrie A340-311 incident near Washington, District of Columbia, June 7, 2004
On June 7, 2004 at about 11:32 am local time, a Airbus Industrie A340-311, registered GVFLY, was involved in an incident near Washington, District of Columbia. It was flown under foreign airline rules (Part 129). No one was hurt; 218 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The incorrect loading of baggage into the aft cargo compartment instead of the forward compartment, which resulted in aft CG light in-flight.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 7, 2004 · about 11:32 am local time
- Place
- Washington, District of Columbia · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 218 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Airbus Industrie A340-311 · all A340-311s on the register
- Registration
- GVFLY · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight · foreign airline rules (Part 129)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
On June 7, 2004, at about 0732 edt, a Virgin Atlantic Airbus A340-311, G-VFLY, operating as a 14CFR Part 129 scheduled passenger flight from Washington-Dulles International Airport (IAD) to London Heathrow International Airport (LHR), was mis-loaded at IAD. The captain noticed an unusually rapid rotation at IAD, but continued the takeoff. Enroute the crew received two Fuel Excess Aft CG warnings, about 10 minutes apart, 2-1/2 hours into the flight. The gross weight CG indication was 34.0 and 34.2, respectively. He transferred all of the "trim tank" fuel forward, isolated the trim tank, and continued to LHR. Interviews with key ground personnel revealed that approximately seven tons of baggage was loaded in the aft cargo hold (positions 32-42) instead of the forward cargo hold (positions 23-26) as depicted on the load plan. There were 203 passengers, 12 cabin attendants, 2 flight crew, and 1 additional crewmember on board. There were no injuries and the airplane was not damaged.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Operator: Virgin Atlantic Airways LTD
The flight
- Departed from: IAD Washington DC at 11:32 am
- Destination: LHR London
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Wind: from 010° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 15 | |||
| Passengers | 203 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.