On Dec 31st, 2025, an Atlas Air Boeing 767-300, registration N640GT, operating flight 5Y-8713 from Frankfurt Hahn (Germany) to Seattle, Washington (USA), experienced a serious in-flight control anomaly while cruising at FL350 over southern Greenland.
During cruise, the aircraft’s left outboard spoiler extended fully and uncommandedly, inducing an unexpected roll. The captain immediately disconnected the autopilot, manually corrected the bank angle, and declared Mayday. According to subsequent findings, the aircraft reached a maximum bank angle of 18.63 degrees before control was fully regained.
With the spoiler remaining extended, the crew elected to divert to Keflavik, Iceland, where the freighter landed safely approximately two hours later. The spoiler finally retracted only after the aircraft descended through FL190, restoring normal wing configuration.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) reported that maintenance personnel in Keflavik replaced the number 2 spoiler power control actuator and the 1L spoiler control module. Operational and leak checks following the repairs were satisfactory.
The aircraft remained grounded in Keflavik until Jan 9th, 2026, before returning to service, bringing a dramatic end-of-year flight to a safe conclusion after what could have escalated into a far more serious loss-of-control event.
