B777 Undifferentiated or Other Model
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 30; Flight Crew Total 25000; Flight Crew Type 4800
Situational Awareness
Ground Event / Encounter Other / Unknown
Flight Crew Took Evasive Action
Human Factors
Flight crew was in pre-departure cockpit preparations when an ACARS Dangerous Goods Notification was received. The notification detailed the loading of 2;800 pounds of Lithium Ion batteries ranging from 128 to 537 pounds in the forward cargo compartment. The Class/Division for the cargo was 9 with a drill code reference of 9FZ. Class 9 denotes flammability and the FZ drill code denotes 'aircraft cargo fire suppression system may not extinguish or contain the fire; consider landing immediately' and 'firefighting: use water if available on Z drill code'. The Captain contacted Operations and asked to speak with the Dangerous Goods Representative. None was available. The Captain contacted Dispatch via SATCOM and asked that the Load Planning Representative join the call. Load Planning stated that this cargo load was approved for transport. I referred all parties to the FOM as documented above and reminded them of the aircraft accident in 2010 attributable to the carriage of lithium ion batteries as cargo. The Captain advised Dispatch; Load Planning and Station personnel that this cargo was being refused and that it was to be off loaded from the aircraft. This situation constitutes a normalizing of deviation that compromises air safety on passenger flights. Lithium ion batteries; and the contingent risk associated with them; could have resulted in a fire which per the FOM could not be suppressed or contained and could have resulted in a ditching event on this overwater flight. It should be noted that the once offloaded; the cargo was not in a mitigation container but merely shrink wrapped to a pallet. Flight operated 30 minutes late and continued safely to the destination.
B777 Captain reports refusing a shipment of lithium ion batteries due to their potential for fires that cannot be contained by the aircraft fire suppression system.