I agree with MD11Fr8Dog, in that: 1) it was no big deal; 2) the crew will have absolutely, positively, no explaining to do whatsoever; 3) they followed the checklist by declaring their intentions to land at the nearest suitable airport; 4) when the issue resolved itself, the crew elected to continue on to their destination, thereby saving their freight as well as possibly saving their duty day and the resultant problems of running out of said same.

I would agree with MM if in fact there had been a problem that could be used as a teaching tool, but in this case, the problem resolved itself, and therefore, in my mind anyway, it didn't really matter if the company sent out information about the incident or not. Everything was done correctly and the crew did good. I'm not sure if they actually declared an emergency, but if they did, regardless of whether they later cancelled it or not, the company will be billed for any emergency procedures instituted on the ground in response to the declaration. Oh well, a cost of doing business.

JJ

 

Also once they made the decision to cancel the emergency and press on to CDG there were still plenty of suitable airports to land at in Southern England should it have reoccurred earlier.

 

Did they actually call with a MAYDAY??
The one that suggests a dire situation where ditching may be imminent and ships, apon hearing will alter course for assistance, or PAN PAN meaning they have an emergency and need to land at the nearest suitable airport.

 

Across the pond, "mayday" is used more loosely than in just the instances you describe. I know that some european carriers train their crews to call "mayday" on single engine out, loss of pressurization, and other 'routine' emergencies.

That said, Battery discharge over the North Atlantic? I can certainly see that being a situation where you might consider your aircraft to be in distress, therefore warranting a mayday call under AIM 6-3-1, or ICAO Annex 10 5.1

 

Not being MD-11 trained, What is the alarm factor of Battery discharge. It doesn't like General quarters.

 

Mayday call for a battery discharge?? Hate to see what an engine failure calls for. Search and Rescue from the US Navy??

 

Thanks TurnandBurn for the good AIM reference.

Distress and Urgency Communications

c. The initial communication, and if considered necessary, any subsequent transmissions by an aircraft in distress should begin with the signal MAYDAY, preferably repeated three times. The signal PAN-PAN should be used in the same manner for an urgency condition.

 

Actually, it could be an indication of a thermal runaway...which may lead to an explosion! Quite frankly, I would rather deal with an engine failure.

 

An eventual depleted battery would be the focus of concern.

Though not an MD-11, here's what happened to an American 752 wherein the crew flew the batteries dry, even after discharge indication.

Incident: American B752 at Chicago on Sep 22nd 2008, electrical problems, departed runway

 

From MD11 QRH:

BAT DISCHARGING

NO T/O (indicates if on the ground, takeoff not allowed)

Consequences:
LAND AT NEAREST SUITABLE AIRPORT
BATTERY DIRECT BUS MAY FAIL
Abnormal battery discharge is indicated.