A horse loose on a flight to Belgium forces a cargo jet back to New York

NEW YORK — A cargo plane bound for Belgium from New York had to turn around mid-flight after a horse escaped from its stable and became loose in the hold, air traffic control audio shows.

Air Atlanta Iceland’s Boeing 747 had just begun its flight across the Atlantic Ocean on November 9 when the pilot radioed air traffic control in Boston that a horse on board had escaped from its stable.

“We have no flying problems, but we have to go back, back to New York. We can’t get the horse back safely,” the pilot said in air traffic control recordings taken by the site LiveATC.net and compiled by the site You Can See ATC.

The controller cleared the aircraft to return to John F. Kennedy International Airport.

The pilot said he had to dump 20 tons of fuel before returning to New York because of the plane’s weight.

The controller cleared and alerted nearby pilots about a “fuel dump about 10 miles west of Martha’s Vineyard.”

The 747 pilot had one more request. “I really believe we need a vet – vet, that’s probably what you’d call it, for the horse at the landing,” he said. “Is that something you can talk to New York about?”

The inspector said he would pass it on.

The cargo flight disruption was first reported by ABC News. The flight landed at Kennedy, took off a short time later and successfully arrived at Liege airport the next morning, according to tracking site FlightRadar24.

A message seeking comment was sent to Air Atlanta Iceland.