Narrative:

We were transporting a dog in an owner supplied cage as cargo from syracuse, ny, to newark, nj. Climbing out of syracuse, we heard some banging in the cargo bin behind the flight deck. We assumed it was the dog moving around in the cage. Approximately 15 mins into cruise, I got out of my seat to go to the bathroom. Upon opening the smoke doors between the cockpit and cargo bin, I saw the black labrador curled up on the floor of the cargo bin. I closed the smoke doors and advised the captain of the situation. The dog began poking his nose through the bottom blow-out panel of the smoke doors. Unable to secure the doors, the dog came into the flight deck. I had the dog by the collar, when it wedged itself between the captain's seat and the pedestal. I physically removed the dog from the flight deck and, with the help of a passenger, was able to secure the dog in its cage. We faced the cage to the wall in an effort to prevent the dog from escaping again. When the situation was over, I returned to my position. We continued the flight and notified dispatch of the situation. After passing huo and beginning the arrival to ewr, the dog re-entered the flight deck from the cargo bin. It had escaped again. It now positioned itself behind the captain's seat to get a better view through the captain's window. We were unable to secure the dog. I held the dog by the collar and ran the checklists for the approach. We continued and landed uneventfully in ewr. After landing and blocking in, the dog was resecured in the cage. The cage had been previously secured while in-flight, but the dog was still able to escape. There should be tie wraps available to secure any cages transporting animals. This could have become a safety issue if the dog had been more aggressive. Supplemental information from acn 481927: the flight attendant came up to assist and advised us that nobody onboard claimed to be the owner. It was at this time that I notified company dispatch and informed them of the situation. I asked them to call newark operations and advise them not to open the cargo door. While talking to company on the #2 radio, ZBW called us a couple of times for a frequency change. I informed them we were dealing with a situation, but did not tell them of the nature. We were starting the initial descent into the new york city area from 15000 ft to 7000 ft while dealing with this problem. While being vectored for final approach, the dog got loose again. We had already been cleared for the visual approach to runway 22L at newark and we had our sequence and runway in sight. We elected to continue the approach and landing, but did not advise approach or tower controller of the situation. Callback conversation with reporter on acn 481664 revealed the following information: the reporter stated that he believes the way the dog got out of the locked kennel was by beating his head and body against the door opening, which was hinged on one side. It could be opened by turning the knob clockwise, which pulls the pins out. The cargo compartment is an area between the cockpit and passenger cabin on the same aisle. It has webbing to restrain the cargo from getting loose in the cabin. Somehow, the dog crawled underneath the webbing. There is no restraining system to hold the kennel stable or from sliding around, other than being placed next to luggage or boxes. The plane has 2 half smoke doors in front of the cockpit, the bottom being restrained by magnets. The dog moved this door to get into the cockpit. The passenger in the first row helped lift the kennel, with the dog inside, into another area in cargo. When the dog broke out again on landing, the copilot had to twist his body and hold down the dog with his left hand and hold the checklist with the other hand. The dog never got between the pedals and the yoke. He just barely touched the captain's seat. He suggest that a plastic tie wrap be used to secure kennel doors closed in the future.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: MULTIPLE PLT RPT, ATR42-320, DOG GOT OUT OF KENNEL IN CARGO, THEN LOOSE IN COCKPIT, RESTRAINED TWICE, GOT LOOSE AGAIN, LANDED IN COCKPIT WITH COPLT HOLDING HIM WITH ONE HAND, CHKLIST IN OTHER HAND.

Narrative: WE WERE TRANSPORTING A DOG IN AN OWNER SUPPLIED CAGE AS CARGO FROM SYRACUSE, NY, TO NEWARK, NJ. CLBING OUT OF SYRACUSE, WE HEARD SOME BANGING IN THE CARGO BIN BEHIND THE FLT DECK. WE ASSUMED IT WAS THE DOG MOVING AROUND IN THE CAGE. APPROX 15 MINS INTO CRUISE, I GOT OUT OF MY SEAT TO GO TO THE BATHROOM. UPON OPENING THE SMOKE DOORS BTWN THE COCKPIT AND CARGO BIN, I SAW THE BLACK LABRADOR CURLED UP ON THE FLOOR OF THE CARGO BIN. I CLOSED THE SMOKE DOORS AND ADVISED THE CAPT OF THE SIT. THE DOG BEGAN POKING HIS NOSE THROUGH THE BOTTOM BLOW-OUT PANEL OF THE SMOKE DOORS. UNABLE TO SECURE THE DOORS, THE DOG CAME INTO THE FLT DECK. I HAD THE DOG BY THE COLLAR, WHEN IT WEDGED ITSELF BTWN THE CAPT'S SEAT AND THE PEDESTAL. I PHYSICALLY REMOVED THE DOG FROM THE FLT DECK AND, WITH THE HELP OF A PAX, WAS ABLE TO SECURE THE DOG IN ITS CAGE. WE FACED THE CAGE TO THE WALL IN AN EFFORT TO PREVENT THE DOG FROM ESCAPING AGAIN. WHEN THE SIT WAS OVER, I RETURNED TO MY POS. WE CONTINUED THE FLT AND NOTIFIED DISPATCH OF THE SIT. AFTER PASSING HUO AND BEGINNING THE ARR TO EWR, THE DOG RE-ENTERED THE FLT DECK FROM THE CARGO BIN. IT HAD ESCAPED AGAIN. IT NOW POSITIONED ITSELF BEHIND THE CAPT'S SEAT TO GET A BETTER VIEW THROUGH THE CAPT'S WINDOW. WE WERE UNABLE TO SECURE THE DOG. I HELD THE DOG BY THE COLLAR AND RAN THE CHKLISTS FOR THE APCH. WE CONTINUED AND LANDED UNEVENTFULLY IN EWR. AFTER LNDG AND BLOCKING IN, THE DOG WAS RESECURED IN THE CAGE. THE CAGE HAD BEEN PREVIOUSLY SECURED WHILE INFLT, BUT THE DOG WAS STILL ABLE TO ESCAPE. THERE SHOULD BE TIE WRAPS AVAILABLE TO SECURE ANY CAGES TRANSPORTING ANIMALS. THIS COULD HAVE BECOME A SAFETY ISSUE IF THE DOG HAD BEEN MORE AGGRESSIVE. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 481927: THE FLT ATTENDANT CAME UP TO ASSIST AND ADVISED US THAT NOBODY ONBOARD CLAIMED TO BE THE OWNER. IT WAS AT THIS TIME THAT I NOTIFIED COMPANY DISPATCH AND INFORMED THEM OF THE SIT. I ASKED THEM TO CALL NEWARK OPS AND ADVISE THEM NOT TO OPEN THE CARGO DOOR. WHILE TALKING TO COMPANY ON THE #2 RADIO, ZBW CALLED US A COUPLE OF TIMES FOR A FREQ CHANGE. I INFORMED THEM WE WERE DEALING WITH A SIT, BUT DID NOT TELL THEM OF THE NATURE. WE WERE STARTING THE INITIAL DSCNT INTO THE NEW YORK CITY AREA FROM 15000 FT TO 7000 FT WHILE DEALING WITH THIS PROB. WHILE BEING VECTORED FOR FINAL APCH, THE DOG GOT LOOSE AGAIN. WE HAD ALREADY BEEN CLRED FOR THE VISUAL APCH TO RWY 22L AT NEWARK AND WE HAD OUR SEQUENCE AND RWY IN SIGHT. WE ELECTED TO CONTINUE THE APCH AND LNDG, BUT DID NOT ADVISE APCH OR TWR CTLR OF THE SIT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR ON ACN 481664 REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THAT HE BELIEVES THE WAY THE DOG GOT OUT OF THE LOCKED KENNEL WAS BY BEATING HIS HEAD AND BODY AGAINST THE DOOR OPENING, WHICH WAS HINGED ON ONE SIDE. IT COULD BE OPENED BY TURNING THE KNOB CLOCKWISE, WHICH PULLS THE PINS OUT. THE CARGO COMPARTMENT IS AN AREA BTWN THE COCKPIT AND PAX CABIN ON THE SAME AISLE. IT HAS WEBBING TO RESTRAIN THE CARGO FROM GETTING LOOSE IN THE CABIN. SOMEHOW, THE DOG CRAWLED UNDERNEATH THE WEBBING. THERE IS NO RESTRAINING SYS TO HOLD THE KENNEL STABLE OR FROM SLIDING AROUND, OTHER THAN BEING PLACED NEXT TO LUGGAGE OR BOXES. THE PLANE HAS 2 HALF SMOKE DOORS IN FRONT OF THE COCKPIT, THE BOTTOM BEING RESTRAINED BY MAGNETS. THE DOG MOVED THIS DOOR TO GET INTO THE COCKPIT. THE PAX IN THE FIRST ROW HELPED LIFT THE KENNEL, WITH THE DOG INSIDE, INTO ANOTHER AREA IN CARGO. WHEN THE DOG BROKE OUT AGAIN ON LNDG, THE COPLT HAD TO TWIST HIS BODY AND HOLD DOWN THE DOG WITH HIS L HAND AND HOLD THE CHKLIST WITH THE OTHER HAND. THE DOG NEVER GOT BTWN THE PEDALS AND THE YOKE. HE JUST BARELY TOUCHED THE CAPT'S SEAT. HE SUGGEST THAT A PLASTIC TIE WRAP BE USED TO SECURE KENNEL DOORS CLOSED IN THE FUTURE.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.