Aerolíneas Argentinas Flight 386
On 14 February 1992, passengers aboard Aerolíneas Argentinas Flight 386 were served food contaminated with cholera, resulting in a fatality.
Description
On the same date, an Aerolíneas Argentinas Boeing 747-287B completed a journey from Buenos Aires to Los Angeles, including a scheduled stopover in Lima, Peru. The segment from Lima to Los Angeles carried 336 passengers along with 20 crew members. Among the travelers, 297 were headed to the United States, two to Canada, and 37 to Japan.
The incident originated from shrimp infected with cholera, which had been loaded in Lima during an ongoing cholera epidemic in Peru. Upon arrival, five passengers exhibited symptoms; this figure escalated to 76 within several days. Tragically, one elderly individual succumbed to the disease. The cholera infection was confined to those aboard the flight and did not spread further within the United States.
Although the Peruvian catering company providing meals to Aerolíneas Argentinas also supplied other airlines without reported cases of illness, the airline attributed the outbreak to contaminated onboard food. This situation prompted a ban on Aerolíneas Argentinas' flights into Peru.
Investigation and subsequent developments
An inquiry conducted by the Food and Drug Administration revealed discrepancies in existing food safety standards.
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) emphasized that airlines retain ultimate responsibility for operational safety even when outsourcing services such as catering.
In 1995, collaborative efforts by the World Health Organization, ICAO, and the International Maritime Organization resulted in agreements aimed at controlling the spread of infectious diseases like cholera through air and maritime transportation. These initiatives contributed to improved aircraft sanitation protocols implemented by 1998.
Today, ICAO works closely with the International Travel Catering Association to establish and maintain catering quality standards.
See also
- Japan Air Lines food poisoning incident
- Aerolíneas Argentinas accidents and incidents
- Foodborne illness
External links
- Short description with empty Wikidata description
- 1992 in Los Angeles
- 1992 disease outbreaks
- February 1992 in South America
- February 1992 in the United States
- Airline catering
- Aviation medicine
- Aviation accidents and incidents in the United States in 1992
- Aerolíneas Argentinas accidents and incidents
- Airliner accidents and incidents in California
- Accidents and incidents involving the Boeing 747
- Cholera outbreaks in the United States