A big airplane called a Boeing 747 had to go back to the airport because a horse got out of its cage while the plane was flying really high up in the sky. The plane was going from New York to Belgium when this happened. The pilot told the people in charge of the planes that there was a live horse on board that had gotten out and couldn’t be kept in its place. So the pilot asked for a doctor for animals to meet the plane when it landed back at the airport. On the way back, the plane had to throw away some fuel to make it lighter. We still don’t know how the horse got out, but it wasn’t tied up when the plane landed. The plane took off again later and got to Belgium the next morning.

We don’t know why they were taking the horse on the plane, but sometimes people take animals, especially horses, on planes for races. There are different sizes of cages for animals when they’re on planes. This isn’t the first time an animal has gotten out of its cage on a plane. Before, a bear got out of its cage on a plane going from Dubai to Baghdad.

In the end, the horse getting out made the plane go back to the airport and throw away some fuel. They were able to tie up the horse once the plane landed, and the flight could keep going to its destination. We still don’t know why they were taking the horse, but it’s not strange for animals like racehorses to be taken on planes.

Original news source: Plane forced to return to airport after horse escapes crate (BBC)

Listen

Slow

Normal

Fast

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– News Reporter Role-play
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs. One student is a news reporter, the other is an expert on animal transportation. The reporter interviews the expert about the incident involving the horse on the Boeing 747, asking questions about how such situations are usually handled, what precautions are taken when transporting animals, and the implications of the incident.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Create a list of words related to the article, such as “Boeing 747,” “cage,” “pilot,” “fuel,” “racehorse,” etc. Divide students into two teams. One member of each team takes turns drawing a word for their team to guess. The team that guesses the most words correctly wins.

– Opinion Spectrum
Instructions: Have students line up in a spectrum from ‘strongly agree’ to ‘strongly disagree’ in response to statements related to the article. For example, “Transporting animals by air is safe,” or “There should be stricter regulations for animal transportation on planes.” Discuss the reasons for their positions as a class.

– Article Timeline
Instructions: In groups, students will create a timeline of events based on the article. They should include the take-off from New York, the discovery of the loose horse, the decision to return to the airport, discarding fuel, the landing, the securing of the horse, and the continuation to Belgium. They can draw the timeline on the board or on large paper.

– Future Predictions
Instructions: Ask students to write a short prediction about the future of animal transportation based on the article. They can discuss whether they think regulations will become stricter, if such incidents will become more or less common, and how airlines might adapt to prevent similar situations. After writing, students can share their predictions with the class and debate the likelihood of these scenarios.

Comprehension Questions:

1. What type of airplane had to return to the airport due to an incident with a horse?
2. From where was the airplane departing and to which destination was it headed when the incident occurred?
3. What was the reason the pilot decided to turn the airplane back to the airport?
4. Who did the pilot request to meet the airplane upon its return to the airport?
5. What action did the airplane have to take to safely return to the airport?
6. What happened to the horse once the airplane landed back at the airport?
7. Can you mention another incident where an animal escaped from its cage on an airplane?
8. What is one reason mentioned for why animals, such as horses, might be transported on airplanes?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

A big air(1)______ called a Boeing 747 had to go back to the airport because a (2)______ got out of its cage while the plane was (3)______ really high up in the sky. The plane was going from New York to Belgium when this happened. The (4)______ told the people in charge of the planes that there was a live horse on board that had gotten out and couldn’t be kept in its place. So the pilot (5)______ for a doctor for animals to meet the plane when it (6)______ back at the (7)______. On the way back, the plane had to throw away some fuel to make it (8)______. We still don’t know how the horse got out, but it wasn’t tied up when the plane landed. The plane took off again later and got to Belgium the next morning.

We don’t know why they were taking the horse on the plane, but sometimes people take animals, especially horses, on (9)______ for (10)______. There are different sizes of cages for animals when they’re on planes. This isn’t the (11)______ time an animal has gotten out of its cage on a plane. Before, a bear got out of its cage on a plane (12)______ from Dubai to (13)______.

In the end, the horse getting out made the plane go back to the airport and throw away some fuel. They were able to tie up the horse once the plane landed, and the flight could keep going to its (14)______. We still don’t know why they were (15)______ the horse, but it’s not (16)______ for animals like racehorses to be taken on planes.
Go to answers ⇩

Discussion Questions:

Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.

1. What is the strangest situation you’ve ever heard of happening on a flight?
2. How would you feel if you were on a plane and an animal got loose?
3. Do you like the idea of animals being transported on airplanes? Why or why not?
4. Do you think it’s safe to have large animals like horses on the same planes as people?
5. Have you ever traveled with a pet? If yes, what was it like?
6. What do you think about the pilot’s decision to turn the plane around because of the horse?
7. If you were the pilot, how would you have handled the situation with the loose horse?
8. Why do you think people might need to transport horses by plane?
9. Do you think there should be special planes just for animals? Why or why not?
10. How do you think the other passengers felt when they had to land because of the horse?
11. What kind of special care do you think animals need when they are flying?
12. Have you ever seen a big animal, like a horse, at an airport or on a plane?
13. Do you think it’s important for veterinarians to be available for emergencies on flights with animals?
14. What are some reasons that might make it necessary to throw away fuel from an airplane?
15. If you could choose any animal to take on a plane with you, which one would it be and why?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. airplane
2. horse
3. cage
4. pilot
5. airport
6. fuel
7. destination
8. racehorses

Meanings:
(a) A liquid that makes machines work
(b) A small enclosed space for keeping animals
(c) Horses that are used for racing
(d) A place where airplanes take off and land
(e) The place where the airplane is going
(f) A big vehicle that flies in the sky
(g) The person who controls the airplane
(h) A large animal with four legs and a mane

Go to answers ⇩

Multiple Choice Questions:

1. Why did the Boeing 747 have to go back to the airport?
(a) The pilot wanted to land
(b) The plane was out of fuel
(c) The plane had a technical problem
(d) A horse got out of its cage

2. Where was the plane going when the horse got out?
(a) New York
(b) Dubai
(c) Belgium
(d) Baghdad

3. What did the pilot ask for when the plane landed back at the airport?
(a) A doctor for humans
(b) More fuel
(c) A doctor for animals
(d) A new horse

4. What did the plane have to do to become lighter?
(a) Throw away some fuel
(b) Throw away the horse
(c) Throw away the cages
(d) Throw away the passengers

5. What happened to the horse when the plane landed?
(a) It was released
(b) It was tied up
(c) It was put in a bigger cage
(d) It was given food

6. Why do people sometimes take animals on planes?
(a) For vacations
(b) For shows
(c) For breeding
(d) For races

7. What other animal has gotten out of its cage on a plane before?
(a) A lion
(b) A bear
(c) A tiger
(d) A monkey

8. What happened to the plane after the horse was tied up?
(a) It took off again
(b) It stayed at the airport
(c) It went to a different destination
(d) It crashed

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. While the reason for transporting the horse remains unknown, it is uncommon for animals, particularly racehorses, to be transported by planes.
2. A large airplane called a Boeing 747 had to return to the airport because a horse escaped from its cage while the plane was flying at a high altitude.
3. The plane was originally flying from New York to Belgium when the incident did not occur.
4. Upon landing, the plane requested the presence of a veterinarian to assist with the situation.
5. As a precaution, the plane had to release some fuel to reduce its weight during the return journey.
6. The pilot informed the authorities that there was a live horse on board that had gotten loose and could be contained.
7. Despite the expected setback, the plane was not able to take off again later and successfully reached Belgium the following morning.
8. It is still unclear how the horse managed to escape, but it was not restrained when the plane landed.
Go to answers ⇩

Write a Summary:

Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.

Writing Questions:

Answer the following questions. Write as much as you can for each answer.

1. Why did the Boeing 747 have to return to the airport after taking off?
2. Where was the plane flying to when the incident with the horse occurred?
3. What did the pilot request to be ready at the airport upon their return?
4. What action did the plane take to ensure a safe landing back at the airport?
5. Can you mention another instance where an animal escaped from its cage during a flight?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What type of airplane had to return to the airport due to an incident with a horse?
A Boeing 747 airplane had to return to the airport.

2. From where was the airplane departing and to which destination was it headed when the incident occurred?
The airplane was departing from New York and headed to Belgium.

3. What was the reason the pilot decided to turn the airplane back to the airport?
The pilot turned the airplane back because a horse got out of its cage and they couldn’t keep it in one place.

4. Who did the pilot request to meet the airplane upon its return to the airport?
The pilot requested a veterinarian, which is a doctor for animals, to meet the airplane.

5. What action did the airplane have to take to safely return to the airport?
The airplane had to dump some fuel to make it lighter for a safe return to the airport.

6. What happened to the horse once the airplane landed back at the airport?
Once the airplane landed, they were able to tie up the horse.

7. Can you mention another incident where an animal escaped from its cage on an airplane?
Yes, there was an incident where a bear got out of its cage on a plane going from Dubai to Baghdad.

8. What is one reason mentioned for why animals, such as horses, might be transported on airplanes?
One reason mentioned is that animals, like racehorses, are often transported on planes for races.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) plane
(2) horse
(3) flying
(4) pilot
(5) asked
(6) landed
(7) airport
(8) lighter
(9) planes
(10) races
(11) first
(12) going
(13) Baghdad
(14) destination
(15) taking
(16) strange
Go back to questions ⇧

Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. airplane
Answer: (f) A big vehicle that flies in the sky

2. horse
Answer: (h) A large animal with four legs and a mane

3. cage
Answer: (b) A small enclosed space for keeping animals

4. pilot
Answer: (g) The person who controls the airplane

5. airport
Answer: (d) A place where airplanes take off and land

6. fuel
Answer: (a) A liquid that makes machines work

7. destination
Answer: (e) The place where the airplane is going

8. racehorses
Answer: (c) Horses that are used for racing
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. Why did the Boeing 747 have to go back to the airport?
Answer: (d) A horse got out of its cage

2. Where was the plane going when the horse got out?
Answer: (c) Belgium

3. What did the pilot ask for when the plane landed back at the airport?
Answer: (c) A doctor for animals

4. What did the plane have to do to become lighter?
Answer: (a) Throw away some fuel

5. What happened to the horse when the plane landed?
Answer: (b) It was tied up

6. Why do people sometimes take animals on planes?
Answer: (d) For races

7. What other animal has gotten out of its cage on a plane before?
Answer: (b) A bear

8. What happened to the plane after the horse was tied up?
Answer: (a) It took off again
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. While the reason for transporting the horse remains unknown, it is uncommon for animals, particularly racehorses, to be transported by planes. (Answer: False)
2. A large airplane called a Boeing 747 had to return to the airport because a horse escaped from its cage while the plane was flying at a high altitude. (Answer: True)
3. The plane was originally flying from New York to Belgium when the incident did not occur. (Answer: False)
4. Upon landing, the plane requested the presence of a veterinarian to assist with the situation. (Answer: True)
5. As a precaution, the plane had to release some fuel to reduce its weight during the return journey. (Answer: True)
6. The pilot informed the authorities that there was a live horse on board that had gotten loose and could be contained. (Answer: False)
7. Despite the expected setback, the plane was not able to take off again later and successfully reached Belgium the following morning. (Answer: False)
8. It is still unclear how the horse managed to escape, but it was not restrained when the plane landed. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧